Agency decisions and permit filings don’t explain themselves, yet they are consequentially shaping water across the nation.
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The Rundown
- GAO gathers data for study of U.S. freshwater availability.
- Controversial copper-nickel mine proposed for northeastern Minnesota seeks new Clean Water Act permit from the Army Corps to fill wetlands.
- Army Corps also receives a Clean Water Act permit application for a new regional water-supply project in eastern Georgia.
- EPA renews Great Lakes Advisory Board for two years.
- USGS researchers study how wastewater effluent flows into Grand Canyon springs.
And lastly, the Bureau of Reclamation will decide this month on a high-volume release of water from Glen Canyon Dam to rebuild eroded Grand Canyon beaches.
“Well, it wasn’t one of the topics on the agenda, but of course a number of countries raised it. Brazil and others have raised it, and it comes up. But it wasn’t on our agenda in regards to that. But countries raise it in their statements, yes.” – Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, at a press conference during the G20 foreign ministers’ summit in Atlanta. Rubio was responding to a German reporter asking whether climate change was discussed in the meetings.
By the Numbers
31 Percent: Share of a full contract that irrigation water users south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta will receive from the federal Central Valley Project in 2026. That figure is up from 28 percent in August.
News Briefs
Minnesota Mine Permit
The decades-long permitting dance for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota is taking another spin on the floor.
The Army Corps announced it will conduct a supplemental environmental analysis of the 7,800-acre NorthMet project, which has re-applied for a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit to fill wetlands.
The Army Corps, at the EPA’s recommendation, revoked NorthMet’s previous Section 404 permit in 2023 because the permit did not uphold water quality standards set by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The project is being permitted under FAST-41, a federal initiative to coordinate agency review and quicken approvals. The target date to complete the paperwork for NorthMet is February 2028.
Eastern Georgia Water Supply Project
A $500 million regional water-supply project in coastal Georgia is seeking a Clean Water Act wetlands permit from the Army Corps.
Effingham County wants to build a new Savannah River water intake and an 8-mile pipeline to deliver the water to a treatment plant as part of a regional network to accommodate municipal and industrial growth and reduce pressure on groundwater supplies.
Some of the water is destined for a Hyundai auto manufacturing facility in neighboring Bryan County. The facility, which produces EVs and hybrids, currently draws from wells.
The project is anticipated to permanently damage less than an acre of wetlands and a tenth of an acre of stream. Effingham County will purchase mitigation credits to compensate.
Studies and Reports
GAO Freshwater Study
On November 10, the Government Accountability Office will hold a webinar to gather data for its updated study of U.S. freshwater availability.
The webinar – scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Pacific – is co-hosted by the Western States Water Council and is billed as an opportunity for state water managers to share their views.
The GAO last conducted a national water availability study in 2014, when 40 state water managers expected regional water shortages under average climate conditions in the next 10 years.
Wastewater Effluent in the Grand Canyon
Where does the water go?
Treated wastewater from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim is dumped into Bright Angel wash, which is normally a dry channel. But where does it go from there?
U.S. Geological Survey researchers investigated. Using chemical markers and dyes, they found strong evidence that the effluent ends up in Monument spring, a discharge point lower in the canyon.
Understanding these subsurface flows is important as pressure builds on the region’s water resources.
“Knowledge gained from these investigations is needed for decisions regarding placement of wastewater effluent discharge and movement of water through the subsurface related to uranium mining in the region,” the authors write.
Coal Waste in Groundwater
The U.S. Geological Survey published a data set of groundwater chemistry from samples taken near coal waste ponds at 15 U.S. coal-fired power plants. The data will help parse how coal waste sites are affecting groundwater.
On the Radar
Western Water Meeting
An expert group that advises the Army Corps of Engineers about its water projects in the western states will hold a public meeting on November 17 and 18 in Denver.
Besides some administrative works, the main agenda topic so far for the Western Water Cooperative Committee meeting is to discuss “opportunities and proposed recommendations to avoid or minimize conflicts between Corps project and state water rights and water.”
Great Lakes Advisory Board
The EPA renewed the group’s charter for two years. The group advises the agency on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other ecosystem rehab issues.
The EPA is taking nominations for board membership. Details are in the link.
Nominations are due January 15, 2027.
Glen Canyon Dam High-Flow Experiment
The Bureau of Reclamation will decide this month on a short-duration, high-volume release of water from Glen Canyon Dam to rebuild eroded beaches in the Grand Canyon.
The high-flow experiment, if it were to take place, would last for a day or two. It would not change the total amount of water released from Lake Powell this year, just the timing.
The last high-flow release was in 2023.
In context: At Glen Canyon Dam, Trump Administration Privileges Hydropower over Ecosystems
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
