Clean Water case ferments trouble for craft breweries and environmentalists

Beer is mostly water — more than 90 percent, in some cases. Which is why the craft brewing industry is increasingly concerned about the Trump administration’s attempt to deregulate the 1972 Clean Water Act.

Sixty craft breweries from across the country filed a brief in July in support of environmental advocates who are fighting the deregulation attempt in a case before the Supreme Court. They claim that weakening the protections around American waterways directly threatens their livelihoods — as well as one of America's favorite adult beverages.

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Moon's water may lie within easy reach of future astronauts, new research suggests

Since the discovery of water on the moon's south pole about a decade ago, scientists have wondered about the water cycle on the rocky structure's coldest region. New research provides clues as to how the water may have escaped its icy grave and splattered across the lunar surface.

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Australian farmers battle worst drought in a century

As livestock starve and the soil becomes dust, New South Wales farmers battle a crippling drought that many locals are calling the worst since 1902.

In Warrumbungle Shire, where sharp peaks fall away to once fertile farmland, the small town of Coonabarabran is running out of water.

The town dam is down to just 23% capacity, forcing residents to live with level 6 water restrictions.

Harry Taylor, 6, picks up a lamb to try and feed it with cottonseed in Coonabarabran, Australia.

The young boy’s family farm is almost devoid of grass, with dust and weeds as the only constant across the property.

Ambrose Dolan and his wife Lisa run a cattle feeding operation outside of Coonabarabran.

Both of the couple's children, Brett and Emily, have returned home this year to help support their parent’s farm during the drought

Farmer Ash Whitney stands in the middle of a dried-up dam on his farm west of Gunnedah, Australia.

"I have been here all my life, and this drought is feeling like it will be around a while," said Whitney.

The New South Wales State government recently approved an emergency drought relief package of $445 million, of which at least $185 million is allocated for low interest loans to help eligible farms recover.

The package has been welcomed, though in the words of a local farmer "it barely touches the sides."

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At least 94 people dead amid torrential rains and landslides in western Japan. 

DETAILS:  nbcnews.to/2L0vP84

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Even the ocean’s deepest reaches are not safe from plastic trash.

Researchers recently made a startling discovery — a stray plastic bag 35,775 feet beneath the ocean’s surface.

While near-shore pollution and mid-ocean trash fields have been well documented, the researchers say less has been reported about the impact humans have had in the deep sea.

They cataloged 3,425 cans, bits of plastic and stray fishing gear. Many communities have begun to outlaw some of these so-called “single-use” products, such as plastic bags and containers.

Much of the waste in floating trash fields is too small to be seen, but pervasive and toxic enough to do widespread damage to sea life. The new findings should renew concern about threats to the world’s oceans, experts say.

Read more here.

Cape Town, a city of 4 million people, is less than 3 months away from running out of water. 

Residents have been told they can use no more than 13.2 gallons of drinking water per day in an effort to avoid “Day Zero,” the day it must shut off its taps. The average American uses an estimated 80 gallons of water per day.

Based on current projections, “Day Zero” is forecast for April 12. That would make Cape Town the world’s first major city to run dry. If that day does come, people would have to go to guarded collection points for a daily ration of 6.6 gallons.

But even with the shutoff looming, officials say 60% of people are still not complying with the current restrictions. “We’re at the point of no return,” one resident says.

Read more about the Cape Town water crisis here.

In Thailand and Myanmar, Revelers Splash Their Way Into the New Year

Water guns, foam and powder help wash away last year's sins at Thailand's Songkran and Myanmar's Thingyan water festivals. The festival is often referred to as the world's biggest water fight and is one of Thailand’s biggest tourist attractions.

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Drought Worries Over! See Water’s Dramatic Return to California

As California's landscape has turned from brown to green, Getty photographer Justin Sullivan revisited some of the locations where he documented the effects of the drought. See more here.