The Wednesday Wetness

Fox News,  Texas becomes testing ground for new defense against attacks on America’s water systems. "The six-month pilot pairs federal agencies, Texas Cyber Command, and firms like Microsoft and Dragos to defend utilities."

The Wednesday Wetness

WBOC, Maryland celebrates hitting Bay pollution goals; some watermen say numbers don't match what they're seeing

Maryland is celebrating a milestone in Chesapeake Bay restoration after Gov. Wes Moore announced the state has achieved nearly all of its 2025 Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. But some watermen say the pollution reduction target numbers don't reflect the conditions they're experiencing on the water. The Maryland Department of the Environment says the state has hit 100% of its sediment reduction goal, 100% of its phosphorus goal, and 99% of its nitrogen reduction goal.
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But Captain Robert Newberry, president of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, says the pollution reduction target numbers published don't line up with conditions that watermen are reporting. "It's not my opinion, I'm taking up a conglomerate of what everybody's saying. We have problems with the numbers. They're not right," Newberry said.

Newberry says he spoke with watermen from Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles counties while researching the issue, and says the consensus among them was skepticism.  “The upper bay, the guys have been seeing, dead zones, benthic zones, bad water all summer long. And they saw it in the south too, they’re seeing extremely turbid water, which is non-visible,” said Newberry. "Nothing was getting done in one year. All of a sudden, boom, we hit 100% phosphorus reduction, 99% nitrogen and 100% sediment. That's not the consensus I'm getting bay wide.”
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Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, says the numbers released this week are based on bay-wide modeling and show Maryland has met or is on track to meet its reduction goals. But she cautions that models don’t tell the whole story.

"Models are always inherently an abstract of what we are seeing in reality," Colden said. "It's a necessity to simplify what we're seeing in order to produce a model. And because of that simplification, there's always a chance that there is, you know, some sort of gap between what the model would predict and what we are seeing. That doesn't necessarily mean the model is wrong.”

That's almost the definition of a model being wrong; when it doesn't match reality. 

The Wednesday Wetness

Science Alert, 'Tremendously Grave': The First US City Is on Track to Run Out of Water

It seems inconceivable, even if you're aware of the perilous situation that the world's water supplies are in, but a developed coastal city in Texas that more than 300,000 people call home is now in serious danger of running out of water. 

The city is Corpus Christi, and difficulties with water scarcity are now coming to a head after years of concerns over shortages. There are multiple issues combining here, perhaps most importantly the arrival of major industrial developments, off the back of the unlocking of vast oil and gas reserves that came with the shale revolution.

One plastics chemical complex, built in 2022, uses as much water for cooling every day as all the Corpus Christi residents combined. 

A planned seawater desalination plant, which was supposed to ease some of the pressure brought on by rising industrial water usage, never materialized, further compounding the problem of supply.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Getting Strapped up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Just In Weather, Drought Monitor July 16 And Lawn Health Index Improving A Little

There is some encouraging news for Maryland lawns this week.

After several weeks dominated by drought concerns, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows additional improvement across portions of the Mid-Atlantic. While Moderate to Severe Drought remains across much of Central Maryland and Extreme Drought continues on parts of the Eastern Shore, recent rainfall has helped replenish soil moisture and slow the progression of drought in many locations.

This week’s Lawn Health Index remains at 48 out of 100 (Fair). Conditions continue to improve, but long-term rainfall deficits and summer stress are preventing a more significant jump.

Our grass greened up considerably after a few storms a week or two back, but it's starting to look a crispy again in spots. 

The Wednesday Wetness

The Baynet, Potomac River Reaches 94 Degrees As Fish Kill Reported In Maryland

Record-breaking water temperatures likely contributed to a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca, where Maryland environmental officials recorded an extraordinary 94-degree water temperature following days of extreme heat across the region.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) confirmed the fish kill in a social media post, saying, “We’re aware of reports of a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca. Our biologist recorded water temperatures at a record 94°F. This can trigger a summer turnover event, when layered warm and cold water suddenly mix and oxygen-poor water rises to the surface, stressing fish.”

Although the fish kill occurred in Montgomery County, the Potomac River flows south along the borders of Charles and St. Mary’s counties before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, making the conditions noteworthy for residents, anglers and boaters throughout Southern Maryland.

The fish kill follows several days of dangerous heat across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. Air temperatures climbed into the upper 90s and low 100s across much of the state, with parts of Montgomery County reaching about 100 degrees and nearby Washington, D.C., reaching 102 degrees during the recent heat wave.
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State officials have not announced how many fish were affected or identified the species involved.

If I'm reading the map right, this fish kill occurred up in the riverine Potomac, above Great Falls. I'm not sure I understand their argument about the summer turnover event. However, it was really hot for a few days there.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Melon Season up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Tattoo Thursday

NPR, Prison tattoo program gives participants skills while reducing risk

A new program in Missouri allows people serving time in prison to earn a tattoo license while also reducing the risk of infections and illness from contraband tattoos.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Redness a bit late, but within reason.

The Wednesday Wetness

At USA Today Water into whine: Century of problems rage at Lincoln reflecting pool. Remarkably unpartisan

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Redness a bit late, but within reason.

The Wednesday Wetness

Bay Journal, Sewer crunch eased, development ban lifted in Baltimore suburbs. Go ahead, make more shit!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Rebel Yell up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Tuesday Tanlines

At Elle,  Is Tanning Back? Yes, it never really went away.

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: More About Agriculture up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Fox, Filtered water at specific ages could add months to your lifespan decades later, new study finds. Color me skeptical. There are cases of where drinking bad water can kill you, but if you drink water from a regulated water provider, I doubt that added filtration has any benefit. 

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Outstanding In Her Field up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

Not a problem at the beach.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Common Enemy up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

Potomac Conservancy, Sewage spill: The EPA declares the Potomac’s recovery goals are achieved. Why we disagree

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Everything Stops For Tea up and at'em at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

From Newsweek, Hysterics at How Owner Catches Dachshund Working on Her Tan: ‘Just a Girl’

Shared by the canine's Georgia-based owner under @life.with.the.wee, the video shows the dachshund—described as being one of six in the account's bio—lying in the middle of a garden, flat on her back, legs loose, eyes closed, looking entirely at ease in direct sunlight. Overlaid text captures the mood succinctly: "Just a girl working on her tan."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: It’s (Almost) That Time of Year Again up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

NBC 4 Washington, Potomac River named nation's most endangered due to data centers, aging infrastructure

The Potomac River got top billing in large part due to the massive sewage spill that dumped over 230 million gallons of raw sewage into the river in January. But even if the spill had never happened, the Potomac would have made the top 10, according to Potomac Riverkeeper Network President Betsy Nicholas.

"We were already under discussions about having it as part of the top 10 endangered rivers at the end of last year," Nicholas told News4 on Tuesday. "So we were gathering information based primarily on the impact of water withdrawals, and then water quality concerns, about data centers."

The American Rivers list cites the "rapid, unchecked buildout of data centers" in the D.C. area as "a significant and growing threat" to the Potomac.  Nicholas says data centers use a lot of water for cooling super-sensitive computers and chips. The more data centers there are, the more water is pulled from local water sources, like the Potomac. "As much as maybe 2 to 4 million gallons a day of water could be used for cooling," Nicholas told News4.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: It’s (Almost) That Time of Year Again up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

ToI, Iranian media says desalination plant on Gulf island non-functional after airstrikes. "Iran’s foreign minister had said a US strike took place on March 7 on Qeshm Island, a popular yet heavily militarized tourist destination for Iranians."

Aljazeera, Iranian attack damages Kuwait power and desalination plant, kills worker. "Kuwaiti authorities say Indian worker killed in attack that also caused ‘significant material damage’ to building."

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

USEPA, EPA to Take Over Potomac River Water Quality Sampling Near Interceptor Site "Today, as part of the ongoing federal response to the Potomac Interceptor collapse, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will assume responsibility for water quality sampling previously conducted by the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). EPA will utilize the same locations as the previous DOEE sampling, which can be seen on the map below..."

Thursday Tanlines

HuffPo,  People Are 'Carrotmaxxing' To Get A Sunless Tan — But Does It Work?

A new viral TikTok trend has people “carrotmaxxing” — eating three or more full-sized carrots a day — to try to get glowy, tan skin (without the skin cancer risk). TikToker @lisa.alkntra shared a time-lapse clip in one of her videos, showing her skin getting progressively more tan from September through December. Another TikToker @kendramfit shared a video of her tan, claiming that instead of self-tanner, she is “just eating an excessive amount of carrots.”
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Eating an excessive amount of carrots causes carotenemia, “a condition that causes a yellow-orange hue to the skin because of eating beta-carotene-rich foods,” explained Dr. Corrie Alford, a board-certified dermatologist at MetroDerm in Atlanta. You can also achieve the same effect by eating squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin or oranges. Alford explained, “When a person takes in more beta-carotene than the body needs, the extra gets stored in body fat and can build up in the outermost layer of the skin, causing the yellow or orange hue.”
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And while “carrotmaxxing” may help alter your skin pigmentation to a degree, it won’t necessarily make you look like you have an even, spread-out tan like you were hoping for. Although some people call it a “healthy glow,” Alford compares it to “a bad spray tan” instead.
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Too much of a good thing can have harmful effects, and that includes carrots and other beta-carotene-containing foods. “Excess vitamin A, known as hypervitaminosis A, can have toxic effects,” Alford said. “Luckily, the body only converts a small amount of beta-carotene to vitamin A, making hypervitaminosis A unlikely from eating carrots alone.”

And I don't like carrots quite that much.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Because I Can up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

The Wednesday Wetness

There are a bunch of articles on the Potomac River sewage spill in yesterday's Bay Newsfeed:

D.C. Government, Dept of Health Lifts Potomac River Recreational Advisory for Washington, DC

WaPoo, Is the Potomac River safe? What to know as D.C. lifts water advisory

WRC, Do you feel safe touching the Potomac River? People give mixed reactions after spill

WJLA, District leaders question DC Water over Potomac sewage spill

WTOP, 2 more sections of Potomac Interceptor rated at high risk after massive sewage spill

WUSA 9, Potomac River watermen seek relief as sewage spill stigma devastates oyster season

FWIW, I would be willing to touch the River water; I've done far worse; and I had the Hep A shot. I might even eat Striped Bass or Blue Catfish from below the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I might still be a little leary about eating oysters from anywhere north of the 301 bridge.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Because I Can up and at 'em at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

From the List, Kayleigh McEnany's Fake Tan Fail Will Haunt Her Forever 

There's nothing wrong with a good ol' fake tan, but anyone who's ever tried self-tanning lotion knows that it can be a tricky thing to get right. Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is living proof of this. McEnany has had her fair share of makeup fails, and some of the former Trump staffer's outfits have completely missed the mark too, but while interviewing conservative political commentator Benny Johnson in December 2025, it was her fake tan mishap that caught people's eye. McEnany sported an orange skin tone reminiscent of President Donald Trump's while conducting the interview, and even her hands appeared to have been covered with fake tan lotion. The TV personality's feet and ankles, however, were apparently overlooked when the product was applied. McEnany wore ankle-grazing trousers with high heels, putting her pale feet on full display. It was an awkward look for television, and unfortunately, an instantly memorable slip-up. 

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I suspect she has a pretty thick skin by now. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Snow Bunnies up on time and under budget.

Tattoo Thursday

Nicola Peltz

At Da Sun, Why Brooklyn Beckham’s decision to hide his tattoo tribute to his dad will leave David devastated.

TATTOOS are the love language of Brooklyn Beckham. With about 110 etchings sprawled across his body, inked-in words of affirmation are how he likes to express himself.

How utterly wounding, both literally and figuratively, it is then to learn the 26-year-old has intentionally covered up tributes to his father David. This, quite evidently, is a wound that runs deep. Having already tattooed over “Mama’s boy”, now it is the turn of his once-beloved dad to be erased from pigmented history. And my God, this will hurt family man Becks.
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To rub salt into the still-drying wound, approximately 73 of his 110 tatts are dedicated to his US wife Nicola Peltz.

At the high cost and trouble to remove tattoos he better be planning to keep her.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Boots & Bikinis up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.