environment

A harmful algal bloom is once again showing up on the Snake River. This is the fourth year in a row that Whitman County Public Health leaders have warned about algal blooms in the river.

The Yakima River has a problem with water stargrass. It’s a native plant – but it’s choking the waterway and causing problems for people and fish. Now, machines are helping beat back the plant.

Idaho has taken an aggressive approach to try to rid the Snake River of invasive mussels before they reach the Columbia River. And they said their approach is working.

There’s a few places where the Spokane fires didn’t burn quite so hot or quite so fast. Officials with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources say that’s because trees in these areas had been thinned. That helps make a forest ecosystem healthier.

Health officials plan to continue monitoring the Columbia River in the Tri-Cities after they found harmful algae in the water.

In Washington state, climate change is expected to bring lower stream flows, warmer winter temperatures and less snowpack in lower elevations. That’s according to a presentation from the state’s climatologist.

Sockeye numbers are coming in stronger for the Yakima River. That’s months after construction crews in the Tri-Cities removed a land-bridge. It caused the mouth of the river to stagnate.

If you’d like to know just how bad the smoke in your area could get, an interactive map could help. The tool from Washington State University is part of an air quality project for the Northwest.

A draft water supply forecast predicts that in the future, the Columbia Basin will have less water available in the summer and early fall.

Some drinking water in Kennewick still has high levels of “forever chemicals.” Since 2024, the city has found PFAs chemicals above state standards.