Development of a database that will be able to track potential impacts of Marcellus Shale activity on water quality is the focus of a new $750,000 research collaboration led by Penn State researchers. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Marcellus Shale Research Network will consolidate and routinely update water data being collected by watershed groups, government agencies, industry stakeholders, and universities as a searchable database. The project also will facilitate and train additional community groups in how to organize, collect, and interpret water data.

Mini-parks built atop parking spaces are cropping up throughout San Francisco. The trend is spreading to other cities, as well.

While the month's Pending Home Sales Index reading remains above last year, that gap has been shrinking.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will open the National Levee Database (NLD) for public access with a series of public webinars beginning Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. EDT. The NLD is a living, dynamic information source that provides visualization and search capability for the first time on the location and condition of levee systems nationwide.

While the Census Bureau's monthly data lack certainty, quarterly numbers suggest new-home sales are still dragging along the bottom.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies, in its latest forecast, sees few signals indicating sustained growth.