The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality says it will continue efforts to monitor water for PFAS contamination in six key sites around the state. The humanmade chemicals have been linked to health issues like cancer.
PFAS are widely used in industrial and commercial goods — but they don’t break naturally and exposure at certain levels pose health hazards.
ADEQ says it received $5 million from Gov. Katie Hobbs, part of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The money will be used to further existing efforts to investigate the prevalence of PFAS around the state.
Agency Director Karen Peters says groundwater will be sampled at six high priority sites found to contain PFAS in previous investigations. The team will also collect samples of surface water and fish tissue.
Last month, the EPA updated its list of PFAS that will be federally monitored in groundwater — dropping four of the six chemicals originally listed in 2024.
-
Arizonans should exercise caution if planning to hike near Glen Canyon this spring break. The National Park Service has a warning for travelers headed to Lake Powell: Beware of quicksand in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
-
In a new book, journalist Caroline Tracey explores the treks through the American West and all over the world, exploring the unique cultural and ecological history of salt lakes — from the Great Salt Lake to the Salton Sea in the United States to the Aral Sea in Central Asia.
-
A new national report finds access to nearby nature in the United States is deeply unequal. And that the gap is closely tied to race, income and pollution exposure. Researchers say the pattern shows up across the country, including in the Mountain West.
-
American bison are a symbol of the West that might’ve vanished from this landscape entirely — if not for conservation efforts. Each year, the city of Denver donates buffalo from a long-established herd to federally recognized tribes and nonprofits.
-
And that has a broad impact — from tourism to drought to allergies.