Massachusetts proposed wetland rules face an August 20 public-comment deadline
Massachusetts is considering rules to streamline permitting for some wetland restoration projects. Written comments on the proposal are due August 20, 2026, at 5 p.m.
environment
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Washington’s statewide drought emergency keeps pressure on farms, rivers and water planning
Washington remains under a statewide drought emergency after a warm winter left snowpack at 0% of normal for the calendar date. The sharpest immediate allocation risks are in the Yakima Basin, while household impacts depend on local utilities.
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Tampa Water Customers Remain Under Once-a-Week Irrigation Rules
Tampa properties remain under once-a-week watering rules through October 1, 2026, while regional water supplies remain strained by drought.
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One-Day-Per-Week Watering Limits Continue for Apollo Beach Through Oct. 1
Hillsborough County extended one-day-per-week irrigation restrictions through October 1, 2026. The schedule applies to qualifying properties in unincorporated Apollo Beach and includes private-well users.
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Montana’s federal oil and gas lease sale advances as cleanup-bond debate continues
A July 14 BLM decision advanced a 66-parcel lease sale spanning Montana and North Dakota. A separate proposed rule would lower minimum bonds and change public participation, with comments due Aug. 24.
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Wildfire damage is forcing Minnesota’s Boundary Waters region to confront a lost summer economy
The Boundary Waters is reopening in phases, but wildfire damage, canceled permits and lost peak-season business continue to strain northeastern Minnesota.
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Shoreham Residents Faced Beach Advisory After Suffolk County’s July Storm Emergency
Suffolk County’s July 6, 2026 rainfall-related advisory named Shoreham Village Beach among 64 beaches where bathing and other water contact should be avoided. The precaution followed heavy rain and did not, by itself, document structural damage or outages in the Village of Shoreham.
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Tacoma adopts updated critical-area rules under Ordinance No. 29114
Tacoma adopted Ordinance No. 29114 on July 14, updating rules for wetlands, habitat areas, aquifer recharge, flood hazards and geologic hazards. The apparent effective date is July 26, subject to confirmation of the final ordinance and publication record.
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Bloomington climate inventory says 2030 emissions goal is on track, but 2050 neutrality is not
Bloomington’s 2024 greenhouse-gas inventory estimates 1.27 million metric tons of emissions and says the city is on track for its 2030 goal, while transportation remains a major barrier to carbon neutrality by 2050.
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Hayward’s New Data-Center Rules Face Their First Major Test
Hayward’s 2026 data-center rules add City Council hearings for future projects, but they do not reopen STACK’s already approved 76.6-megawatt campus.
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Dunedin’s Causeway Vessel-Launch Ban Moves Through First Public Hearing
Dunedin commissioners unanimously advanced a proposed ban on launching and retrieving motorized watercraft from the south side of the Causeway. A final vote is scheduled for September 3, before city materials say related repair work is expected to be complete.
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St. Pete South Cross Bayou Wastewater Upgrade Reaches Filter Milestone as December Target Nears
Walsh reports rehabilitation of 11 denitrification filters at Pinellas County’s South Cross Bayou facility in St. Petersburg, but the broader wastewater project remains under construction through a December 2026 target.
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Gainesville’s Bivens Arm Nature Park remains closed during marsh restoration
Bivens Arm Nature Park closed July 6 for marsh restoration and boardwalk replacement. Gainesville anticipates reopening the 81-acre park in April 2027, but the schedule is not guaranteed.
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Charleston’s ACE Basin bridge dispute moves toward another permit fight
A July appeal and stay request keep the proposed Bay Light Bridge near Meggett in court while DES’s permit review remains active unless a stay is granted.
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Corona approves revised Skyline Heights plan with 144 residential lots
Corona approved a revised Skyline Heights plan west of Foothill Parkway and north of Skyline Drive, reducing the earlier project by 16 dwelling units and designating 11.42 acres for parks, trails and trailheads.
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Bluffton’s Alljoy sewer project begins first phase for about 100 homes
Early work is underway in Alljoy, downstream of Bluffton in unincorporated Beaufort County, on a low-pressure sewer project for about 100 eligible homes.
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Newark Greenway Work Moves Into Planting Phase as State Seeks Public Name for New Park
Planting and soil-protection work is advancing on Newark’s nearly one-mile greenway segment, but the corridor remains closed and targeted to open in 2027.
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Centerport Beach Advisory Shows What Stormwater Records Can—and Cannot—Prove
A July 6, 2026 Suffolk County bathing advisory covered two Centerport beaches after heavy rain. Huntington records document a bioswale and watershed drainage projects, but do not show how those controls performed during that storm.
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Chiquita Canyon landfill excavation brings new odor complaints near Santa Clarita
Residents near Val Verde and Castaic are reporting stronger odors and symptoms as EPA-overseen excavation continues at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, where required protections remain in place through mid-August.
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Burlington remains under Stage One voluntary water conservation alert
Burlington says its water supply remains sufficient for current demand, but a Stage One voluntary conservation alert effective July 7 remains active as drought pressure continues.
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Port Royal wetlands restoration enters design phase after federal funding hold
Beaufort County has begun designing restoration work for the Arthur Horne Wetlands between Camelia Road and Ivy Lane in Port Royal, using Stormwater Utility Fund money for design while federal funding is on hold.
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Richmond region continues voluntary water conservation measures as officials review conditions
Richmond and five neighboring counties remain under voluntary water-conservation measures as officials review James River flows, rainfall and state drought guidance during the week of August 3.