Pennsylvania waterways in trouble
Research shows factories are fouling our waterways
A new PennEnvironment report, "Troubled Waters," shows that more than half of Pennsylvania’s industrial and municipal facilities recently discharged more pollution into the state’s waterways than their Clean Water Act permits allow.
“As the Clean Water Act reaches its 35th birthday, polluters continue to foul our rivers, lakes and streams,” said PennEnvironment Field Organizer Adam Garber. “With so many facilities dumping so much pollution, no one should be surprised that nearly half of America’s waterways are unsafe for swimming and fishing—but we should be outraged.”
In order to make sure polluters can’t get away with fouling our waters, PennEnvionment is backing the Clean Water Restoration Act, which strengthens critical protections of the Clean Water Act and reverses some Bush administration rollbacks. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey are crucial to the success of the measure, and PennEnvironment is working to demonstrate the value of restoring the Clean Water Act to them.
Alarming findings
With 198 facilities in the Commonwealth reporting more than 1,500 exceedances of their Clean Water Act permits in 2005, Pennsylvania had the second highest number of Clean Water Act exceedances in the nation, behind only Ohio.
On average, Pennsylvania facilities that exceeded their permits did so by almost 200 percent, or nearly three times the legal limit.
Fifty-seven percent of all major U.S. industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution into America’s waterways than allowed by law at least once during 2005.
Over the last six years, the Bush administration has proposed or enacted numerous policies that weaken the Clean Water Act, but the Clean Water Restoration Act would reaffirm the original intentions of the law.
“In the end, the Clean Water Restoration Act will eliminate industry-friendly loopholes and cut down on industrial pollution,” said Garber.
Even scenic waterways such as the upper Delaware River are threatened by pollution.
