State
CITY TO CORRECT PROBLEMS RELATED TO DISCHARGES
Northside Sun
Contractors managing the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant discharged some four billion gallons of untreated wastewater into the Pearl River between December and May.
However, Public Works Director Robert Miller said the firm likely didn’t have a choice.
Even so, the discharges are a violation of the federal Clean Water Act and the terms of the city’s sewer consent decree.
GRANT TO CITY OF MAGEE WILL UPGRADE LAGOON
Simpson County News
Funds from the $250,000 grant awarded by the state to the City of Magee should be available by the first of November, according to Mayor Dale Berry. Berry attributed the success of the grant process to Senator Chris Caughman. The funds will be used to upgrade the city’s sewerage lagoon.
Businesses affected by algae in the Mississippi Sound can seek help
AP
Businesses along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast might be able to get federal aid if they’ve suffered economic losses due to toxic blue-green bacteria in the water.
MDEQ rejects latest Costco appeal
Madison County Journal
RIDGELAND — The latest attempt to stall the Costco construction, this time using environmental regulations, failed this week.
Vicksburg leaders seeking developers to revitalize Kuhn Memorial Hospital property
WLBT
VICKSBURG, Miss. (WLBT) - The city of Vicksburg needs your help to revitalize a site that sat abandoned for decades.
OSHA cites Mississippi poultry processor after employees hospitalized for ammonia exposure
MBJ
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Wayne Farms LLC for exposing employees to hazardous chemicals. The poultry processing company in Laurel, Mississippi, faces $119,341 in penalties.
EPA SAYS FREON WILL STOP PRODUCTION BY JANUARY 2020
WCBI
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – New regulations are in the air – and the EPA has announced the production of Freon will stop in January 2020.
Sewer Repair East Leake at McRee
WJTV
Several Clinton streets are closed for sewer repairs.
USM teases innovative ‘New Blue Economy’ plan with Gulfport Main Street Association
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Gulfport Main Street Association and the University of Southern Mississippi is teasing plans to bring hundreds of science and tech jobs to the Gulf Coast.e revealed by the end of the month.
TRAIN DERAILMENT SHUTS DOWN LOWNDES COUNTY ROADWAY
WCBI
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A train derailment shuts down a busy Lowndes County roadway.
Miss. man files lawsuit against Roundup, claims it gave him lymphatic cancer
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A local man and his legal team are stepping forward warning people about a product that could affect you.
They survived Hurricane Camille on the Coast 50 years ago. These are their stories.
Sun Herald
We asked our readers to email us their Hurricane Camille memories ahead of the 50th anniversary on Aug. 17.
Here are the responses that we received.
State Government
Dixie Newman declared winner after election results certified
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - The results have officially been certified; Dixie Newman was declared the winner of the Senate District 50 election on Wednesday.
Driver’s license stations in Mississippi to reopen Thursday for regular hours
WLOX
MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - After a system outage closed all driver’s license stations throughout the Magnolia State Wednesday, the Department of Public Safety announced the reopening just before 4 p.m.
Mississippi gets $2 million to modernize 911 systems
NewsMS
Mississippi will get nearly $2 million as part of a grant program to modernize and improve 911 systems across the state.
Oil Spill
The ‘croc’ will be celebrated at 2019 Splash Bash to benefit Mississippi Aquarium
Sun Herald
This year’s Hancock Whitney Splash Bash, a fund-raising event for the Mississippi Aquarium, will have a crocodile theme.
Mississippi Aquarium construction kicking into high gear
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Sometimes progress can be measured in inches, not just in miles.
Regional
Flooded Mississippi a threat as hurricane season heats up
AP
The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies.
GA’s first air test shows toxic gas above acceptable level
AJC
The state’s first air test for a carcinogenic gas used by several industrial facilities across Georgia showed it at a level well above what is deemed acceptable by federal regulators, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
State walks-back classifying Cape Fear River as swamp, city looks to continue water quality improvement effort
WECT
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - From coal ash spills to continued spikes in GenX and other PFAs, the Cape Fear River has had no shortage of issues over the last several years.
Vidalia seeks help with funds for wastewater system
Natchez Democrat
VIDALIA — Vidalia is gearing up to tackle approximately $5.4 million needed in repairs after the record-long Mississippi River flood comes to an end, officials said.
National
As California’s recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt
LA Times
Visiting the Burbank recycling center is like stepping into an archaeological dig. Everywhere there is evidence of consumption – kombucha bottles, cardboard delivery packages, plastic water bottles, toothpaste tubes, vitamin bottles and plastic bags.
Texas, Oklahoma Want More Say in Handling Fracking Wastewater
Bloomberg
Texas and Oklahoma are seeking federal permission to regulate fracking wastewater under their own programs, raising concern among environmentalists who fear that oil and gas companies will eventually be allowed to discharge toxic chemicals into streams and rivers.
New Regulations Needed For E. Coli In D.C. Waterways, Court Says
WAMU
Federal and city regulators may have to create entirely new regulations for E. coli levels in D.C.’s waterways after a U.S. District Court on Monday night determined that the current standards violate the Clean Water Act, as well as the District’s own water quality laws.
‘Jumping worms’ invaded Illinois. They’re not just creepy — they’re a threat
AP
Jumping worms may sound like the stuff of nightmares, and they are — for your plants, experts say.
A 12-year-old snags a mammoth discovery while on vacation in Ohio
CNN
An Ohio boy playing around in a creek bed stumbled across an odd, ridged object jutting out of the mud. To his surprise, it turned out to be a woolly mammoth tooth.
Press Releases
UM Partners with U.S. Geological Survey to Address Water Security
Collaboration to advance research of water resources in the Southeast
UM
Former USM Graduate Student’s Rare Plant Fossils Discovery at Hattiesburg-area Research Site Featured in Geoscience Journal
USM
A recent article in a geoscience e-journal gives readers a glimpse into what vegetation looked like 10-15 million years ago, based on the discovery of fossilized plants by a former University of Southern Mississippi (USM) graduate student.
EPA announces $3.2 million in water quality cooperative agreements in Mississippi
08/14/2019
Gulfport, Miss. (August 14, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it anticipates awarding three Gulf of Mexico Division cooperative agreements totaling more than $3.2 million to fund projects that improve water quality, habitat, and environmental education in Mississippi.
EPA announces more than $7.5 Million in water quality cooperative agreements through Gulf of Mexico Division
08/14/2019
Gulfport, Miss. (August 14, 2019) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it anticipates awarding seven Gulf of Mexico Division cooperative agreements totaling more than $7.5 million to fund projects that improve water quality, habitat, and environmental education in the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
EPA Releases Additional Resource on Prescribed Fires to Support Air Agencies
08/14/2019
WASHINGTON (August 14, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new guidance that will help State, Local and Tribal air agencies and key federal partners show that certain air quality impacts from prescribed fire on wildlands should be excluded from some regulatory uses. The guidance, Exceptional Events Guidance: Prescribed Fire on Wildland that May Influence Ozone and Particulate Matter Concentrations (“the Prescribed Fire Guidance”) will help streamline the demonstration development and review process.
W. Scott Mason IV appointed new EPA Director for the American Indian Environmental Office
08/14/2019
WASHINGTON— W. Scott Mason IV has been appointed to serve as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new director for the American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO) in the agency’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs.
Mississippi River Commission to host public meeting at Vicksburg city front
USACE
VICKSBURG, Miss. -- The Mississippi River Commission will host a public meeting aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI Aug. 21 from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the city front in Vicksburg.
This meeting is open to the public. Interested parties are invited to present their views on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control, the Mississippi River and Tributaries project and other water resources challenges.
Mississippi River flood fight operations end
USACE
NEW ORLEANS – After 292 days, water levels along the Mississippi River have dropped below 11 feet at the Carrollton Gage prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close out flood fight efforts.
