Clean Water In the News

By Tom Venesky

More than 3,600 facilities in the United States exceeded their discharge limits under the federal Clean Water Act, according to a report released Thursday by a state environmental group.

The report, “Troubled Waters,” analyzed Clean Water Act compliance in 2005. The data was compiled by PennEnvironment and released a week before the 35th anniversary of the act.

Almost 200 facilities in Pennsylvania exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits at least once in 2005, and the number of instances totaled 1,516. Pennsylvania was ranked second in the nation, behind Ohio with 1,797 instances from 217 facilities.

In Luzerne County, the Mountain Top Area Joint Sanitary Authority exceeded its limits three times in 2005 – once for chlorine and twice for dichlorobromomethane.

The Lower Lackawanna Valley Sanitary Authority in Duryea had two incidents, one for suspended solids and one for dissolved oxygen.

Officials from each facility could not be reached for comment.

Adam Garber, a field organizer for PennEnvironment, said the report shows that the goals of the Clean Water Act are not being met and waterways continue to be threatened by an excess of toxic chemicals. Although 39 percent of the nation’s rivers and 46 percent of lakes are too polluted for safe swimming and fishing, according to the report, the exceeded discharges impact smaller streams.

The Lower Lackawanna Valley Sanitary Authority discharges into the Lackawanna River, and the Mountain Top Joint Sanitary Authority discharges into Big Wapwallopen Creek, which was recently designated as a Class A Wild Trout Stream by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

PennEnvironment director David Masur said more than 14,000 miles of rivers and streams in Pennsylvania are safe for swimming and fishing – a result of a high number of facilities dumping pollution into waterways.

“As the Clean Water Act turns 35, polluters continue to foul our rivers, lakes and streams,” Masur said. “We should be outraged.”

Mark Carmon, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the facilities submit discharge monitoring reports with his agency and are subject to unannounced inspections.

In the case of the Mountain Top facility, Carmon said the discharges of chlorine and dichlorobromomethane, both of which are disinfectants, will cease because the plant is installing new equipment that will eliminate the use of the chemicals.

The Clean Water Restoration Act, which is before the U.S. House Transportation Committee, would close the loophole, he said.

Garber said U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, is on the committee and has expressed support for the act though he has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

Carney spokeswoman Rebecca Gale said the congressman supports the “spirit” of the bill and wants to see waterways clean and sustainable for future generations.

Garber said time is crucial because once the pollution events occur, the damage is long-lasting. He called for DEP and the federal Environmental Protection Agency to crack down harder on repeat offenders.