Choke Point: Index Archives - Circle of Blue

Water Scarcity Could Deter Energy Developers From Crossing Border Into Northern Mexico

by Keith Schneider June 24, 2015April 6, 2016

Proposed oil and gas development zones in Coahuila are among the driest in the Americas.

Map: Not All Phosphorus Is the Same

by Circle of Blue July 16, 2014March 10, 2016

Groundwater, Water News

Map: Kansas and Texas Fresh Groundwater Use (1985-2005)

by Aubrey Ann Parker May 30, 2014February 9, 2016

Map: California’s Water Use Per County (1985-2005)

by Aubrey Ann Parker May 6, 2014December 14, 2015

John Burchard, General Manager of the Alpaugh Community Services District, walks a ditch bank on the outskirts of town. The small farmworker community in California's Central Valley suffers from high levels of arsenic and other contaminates in its drinking water.

New Era of Much Drier Conditions Forecast For California

by Keith Schneider February 11, 2014February 9, 2016

Juan Diego Hernandez, 9, bathes at his family's home in Alpaugh. The small farmworker community in California's Central Valley suffers from high levels of arsenic and other contaminates in its water.

Uncategorized

Video: Water Crisis in California’s Central Valley from Photographer Matt Black

by Matt Black February 2, 2014December 14, 2015

A male Chinook Salmon is measured and tagged after being caught in a "Fyke Net," in the San Joaquin River. The fish will be transported upstream by truck, bypassing obstacles, on its way to the historic Salmon spawning grounds near Fresno in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Uncategorized

The Law and The Fish

by Jeremy Miller January 19, 2014December 14, 2015

A worker inspects a valve in the Pleasant Valley Pumping Plant, a facility that supplies irrgation water to the Central Valley's vast Westlands Water District.

Getting Off the Pipe

by Jeremy Miller January 19, 2014December 11, 2015

Seaguls from the coast fly far inland and into the dry landscape of California's Central Valley.

Big Water Supply Project Creates Unease in Delta

by Jeremy Miller January 19, 2014December 14, 2015

An overview map of the Central Valley project at the C.W. Jones Pumping Plant, a federal facility which supplies water to the project's network of irrigation canals and reservoirs.

Photo Slideshow: California’s Lingering Drought and Pollution Defy Solutions

by Matt Black January 19, 2014December 14, 2015

Climate, Water & Energy, Water News

Pacific Institute Report: Setbacks and Solutions of Water-Energy Clash in U.S. Intermountain West

by Nadya Ivanova November 15, 2011November 24, 2015

train

Coal Conversion in the Rust Belt: Will It Be a Diamond for Small Ohio River Town?

by Keith SchneiderJuly 29, 2011March 10, 2016

Latest

Wisconsin Manure Digester at the Center of USDA Loan Trouble

Wisconsin Manure Digester at the Center of USDA Loan Trouble

February 24, 2026February 24, 2026

Small modular reactors, big dreams: Ontario’s nuclear pitch

Small modular reactors, big dreams: Ontario’s nuclear pitch

With the first SMR in North America being built at the Darlington nuclear site, the province is testing new ground to meet future power demand

February 19, 2026February 19, 2026

Great Lakes Lawmakers Push Back Against Federal Environmental Rollbacks

Great Lakes Lawmakers Push Back Against Federal Environmental Rollbacks

Support emerges in both parties for conservation and restoration.

February 18, 2026February 18, 2026

A Nuclear Shift Buoyed by Billions, and the Waters of the Great Lakes

A Nuclear Shift Buoyed by Billions, and the Waters of the Great Lakes

Restarting an aging reactor and building next-generation modular plants on the shores of the world’s largest freshwater system

February 18, 2026February 19, 2026

Ohio EPA Considers ‘Lowering of Water Quality’ Necessary for Data Center Growth

Ohio EPA Considers ‘Lowering of Water Quality’ Necessary for Data Center Growth

A ‘one-size-fits-all’ permit would put surface waters and community health at risk to untreated wastewater, critics say

February 17, 2026February 18, 2026

The Energy Boom Is Coming for Great Lakes Water

The Energy Boom Is Coming for Great Lakes Water

How the region powers its growth will determine the future of the Great Lakes

February 12, 2026February 19, 2026

Water, Power, and the Future of Conflict

Water, Power, and the Future of Conflict

Rising demand and failing systems are pulling water into the center of global instability

February 11, 2026February 11, 2026

A Michigan Dairy CAFO Clash Over Manure Digesters and Clean Water

A Michigan Dairy CAFO Clash Over Manure Digesters and Clean Water

February 9, 2026February 9, 2026