water quality

A beloved fishing lake near Pinedale now has no fish. To top it off, the entire lake turned red a couple months ago, and land managers and biologists don’t know exactly why. WyoFile’s Mike Koshmrl first reported on this in early December and gives us a debrief.

New research shows that climate change is causing mountain lakes to rapidly lose ice cover in the winter. That can harm the Mountain West region’s water quality – and native fish.

New research shows that wildfires – especially intense ones – can raise concentrations of toxic forms of mercury - including its more toxic form methylmercury - in waterways.

An environmental group recently released its grades for how states are handling lead contamination in school drinking water – and half of the states in the Mountain West states are failing.

New research from the University of Wyoming (UW) looks at the origin sources for E-coli contamination in two creeks in Teton County.In 2020, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality said Fish Creek and a portion of Flat Creek were “impaired” due to high concentrations of E. Coli, which are bacteria found in the intestines of mammals, environment and food. The U.S. Geological Survey links E. Coli to “direct evidence of fecal contamination.”

The Wyoming State Geological Survey published a report that shows waters at certain depths near the Wind River and Bighorn basins are not fit for human and agriculture use; however, the research indicates the water could be used in the extractive industries.

The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.77 million to a team of University of Wyoming researchers. They aim to make more of the earth's water potable by improving the purification, or desalinization, process. Cooper McKim spoke with UW chemistry professor John Hobert about the years-long effort.

Areas with high energy development near streams can reduce the quality of the water habitat, and that can have a negative effect on the ability of fish to persist over time.

Keeping bodies of water clean has obvious local benefits for those who want to access or use them, but sometimes, the cost of cleaning can outweigh those…

Wyoming's Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) confirmed its 2016 findings that Pavillion, Wyoming's groundwater contamination is not connected to…