Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
Shampoo, Soap, and Toothpaste: The New Water Pollution?
Stacey Detwiler, Associate, Conservation & Government Relations
January 28, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers
Last week, a study from the University of Minnesota found that increasing amounts of triclosan, an anti-microbial ingredient used in soaps, toothpastes, and even some over-the-counter drugs, were present in lakes across Minnesota. Researchers studied sediment cores from the bottoms of eight different lakes and found that levels of triclosan and its byproducts increased after its release into the market in the 1970s. When people use shampoo, toothpaste, or soap that contains triclosan, it gets washed into drains and to our wastewater infrastructure.
Read more »Clean Water Rules Provide for Safe Whitewater Boating
Liz G. Deardorff, Director, Clean Water Program Pennsylvania
January 24, 2013 | Urban Rivers, Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage
I started whitewater canoeing 35 years ago. I’ve paddled hundreds of rivers over thousands of trips. I can only recall abandoning a planned trip for two reasons, OK three— once I had to carry my boat out in pieces once after shredding it in a rock sieve. The other two: insurmountable wind conditions for my strength and pollution. This story is about pollution. The other stories can be saved for the camp fire.
Read more »Clean Water Supplies Through Green Infrastructure
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
January 21, 2013 | Water Supply, Urban Rivers, Stormwater & Sewage
Here, where I live in North Carolina, our drinking water comes from streams and rivers, like Cane Creek, and Bolin Creek, right near our house flows into Lake Jordan, a regional water supply. And this is true for many of us – the majority of Americans get their drinking water from surface water, including streams and rivers, and so keeping our rivers clean and flowing is critical for reliable supplies.
Read more »Update On Clean Water At The Supreme Court
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
January 18, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution, Urban Rivers
Just last week, the Supreme Court issued their decision on the Clean Water Act case, Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council. The Court reversed and remanded the decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (which had earlier ruled in favor of NRDC). As I wrote previously, this case had the unique quality of coming before the Supreme Court with the petitioner and respondents in agreement on the threshold issue, of whether the movement of water between “improved” and “unimproved” portions of a single waterway constitutes a discharge under the CWA.
Read more »American Rivers Releases Guide To Integrate Green Infrastructure Into Stormwater Permits
Jeffrey Odefey, Director, Stormwater Program
January 17, 2013 | Climate Change, Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers, Water Supply
Most of us don’t think about “urban stormwater” or “polluted runoff” until we notice flooding from a recent storm covering our roads and parking lots, as shown here.
But polluted stormwater runoff from our rooftops, roads and shopping centers pollutes our streams and rivers across the country and is the leading pollution source in places like the Puget Sound.
Preserving Urban Rivers in Detroit and Across the Great Lakes
Devin Dotson, Associate Director of Communications
January 16, 2013 | Urban Rivers, Water Supply, Stormwater & Sewage
In the early 1900s, Detroit became one of the largest cities in the United States, and the Detroit River played a major role. The river is 28 miles long and serves as the international border between Canada and the United States, connecting Lake St. Clair and the Upper Great Lakes to Lake Erie, and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. Heavy traffic and the urbanization on its shores led the Detroit River to become very polluted.
Read more »American Rivers at this year's Fly Fishing Show Tour
Steve White, Associate Director, The Anglers Fund and Southeast Region Development
January 15, 2013 | Discover Rivers
American Rivers is pleased to be partnering with The Fly Fishing Show at five show locations this January/February to present how our conservation work improves both fish habitat and fishing. The Fly Fishing Show brings local, national, and international experts, outfitters, and retailers to a number of venues across the country, giving anglers access to these great fishing resources.
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