Brett Walton

Seattle

Reporter at Circle of Blue

Reporter for @circleofblue, a news agency reporting on freshwater and all its connections.

Articles

Federal Water Tap, April 21, 2025: Agencies Fast-Track Controversial Fossil Fuel and Mining Projects in Great Lakes, Arizona

3 days ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

Army Corps expedites permit process for Line 5 oil tunnel that crosses beneath the Great Lakes. White House fast-tracks 10 mining projects in its quest for domestically produced minerals. FEMA cancels grant program meant to prepare communities for weather hazards, while USDA overhauls climate-smart agriculture grant program. Federal agencies intend to shrink wildlife habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act. Judge sets a trial date for Rio Grande lawsuit between New Mexico and Texas.
Kansas Farmers Dramatically and Profitably Pare Water for Irrigation

1 week ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

To save a dying aquifer – or at least their piece of it – a group of roughly 60 farmers in northwest Kansas decided on a self-imposed diet. The move a dozen years ago to voluntarily restrict the water they pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer, the lifeblood of the High Plains, was seen by some as a risky proposition. In the semi-arid region, farmers might have gone bankrupt without water drawn from deep underground.
Data centers a small, but growing factor in Arizona’s water budget

2 weeks ago | waterdesk.org | Brett Walton

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – It was supposed to be called Cipriani, a master planned community with more than 9,700 homes at the western fringe of this sprawling desert city in central Arizona. Plans have changed. One regional growth industry – housing – is being supplanted by another – computing. Even as both carry questions about efficient use of water in one of the driest, fastest-growing areas of the country.
Data Centers a Small, But Growing Factor in Arizona’s Water Budget

3 weeks ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – It was supposed to be called Cipriani, a master planned community with more than 9,700 homes at the western fringe of this sprawling desert city in central Arizona. Plans have changed. One regional growth industry – housing – is being supplanted by another – computing. Even as both carry questions about efficient use of water in one of the driest, fastest-growing areas of the country.
Trump Cracks Global Order

1 month ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

Introducing the Blue Planet Report, a new quarterly feature unveiling the biggest water stories and trends shaping the world today. Not yet two months in office, Donald Trump has already cast a shadow of uncertainty over global and domestic politics. Trump’s governing style – in which winners and losers compete in self-interested deal-making – leaves little room for diplomatic notions about allies and the common good.
The Stream, February 27, 2025: Drought Contributes to Worsening Hunger in Somalia; Fluoride Bans Gain Momentum in U.S.

1 month ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

The decision by emergency managers in Flint not to protect lead pipes from corrosion when the city switched water sources in April 2014 resulted in a public health crisis. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of BlueFood insecurity in Somalia is projected to increase in the coming months, with perhaps a quarter of the country experiencing “crisis” levels or worse. The state of Michigan announces a $53 million settlement with Veolia North America over its alleged role in the Flint water crisis.
Republican Attack on Science Targets Water Research that Benefits All

2 months ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

National Science Foundation grants have been reviewed for ideological influence. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – February 22, 2025The Republican effort to rid the federal government of initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion is expanding to publicly funded research, ensnaring in its wide net scientific endeavors at the National Science Foundation that seek to expand access to clean water, reduce the cost of water purification, and minimize flood damages.
USAID Shutdown Causes Global Alarm in International Water and Climate Programs

2 months ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

Trump administration’s declared aim is to eliminate U.S. foreign aid agency. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – February 4, 2025The attempt by President Donald Trump and his aide, Elon Musk, to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, a global leader in humanitarian assistance, is short-sighted and will do long-term harm to millions of people who benefit from its programs, and to America’s security and standing in the world, say water and climate experts.
At Phoenix’s far edge, a housing boom grasps for water

2 months ago | waterdesk.org | Brett Walton

BUCKEYE, Ariz. – Beneath the exhausting Sonoran sun, an hour’s drive west of Phoenix, heavy machines are methodically scraping the desert bare. Where mesquite and saguaro once stood, the former Douglas Ranch is being graded and platted in the first phase of a national real estate developer’s gargantuan plan that foresees, in the next few decades, as many as 100,000 new homes to shelter 300,000 people.
At Phoenix’s Far Edge, a Housing Boom Grasps for Water

2 months ago | circleofblue.org | Brett Walton

More than 1 million people could pour into western Maricopa County in the coming decades – if housing developers can secure the water. By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue – January 31, 2025BUCKEYE, Ariz. – Beneath the exhausting Sonoran sun, an hour’s drive west of Phoenix, heavy machines are methodically scraping the desert bare.