Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
A Bleak Assessment for Rivers
Amy Trice, Lapham Conservation Fellow
March 28, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency released a study which assesses the health of rivers and streams across the country. While the good news is that the National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA) provides important data to monitor river health; the bad news is that more than half of our streams and rivers remain in poor condition.
Read more »Taking Control: Managing Your Stormwater Runoff Contribution
Jacob Dyste, River Restoration and Assessment Assistant, AmeriCorps Member
March 18, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Water Supply, Climate Change
The challenges facing our rivers today are daunting; and frequently the solutions are equally so. Dam removal, floodplain restoration, and political maneuvering to protect wild and scenic rivers are not solutions that an everyday river enthusiast can relate to. Even as a professional in river conservation, the road forward sometimes feels overwhelming. I frequently find this frustrating – what needs to be done seems so obvious, yet so out of my control. Recently I’ve been working on a project that gives me the feeling that I can be in control of the difference that is made to the health of our rivers.
Read more »Sewage Right To Know - What's In Your Water?
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
March 15, 2013 | Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage, Climate Change
When there’s a sewage overflow or spill into your local creek or swimming hole, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Well, in some places where there’s good monitoring and notification people do get this information about sewage overflows and can make their own choices about where and when to swim and play in their water.
Read more »Cuts to Clean Water Hurt Jobs
Stacey Detwiler, Associate, Conservation & Government Relations
February 28, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers
Federal funding, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), is critical to support protection of clean water and increase investment in the infrastructure that keeps our drinking water safe and our rivers, lakes, and streams healthy. On Friday, federal investments in our nation’s water infrastructure could be significantly cut if sequestration goes into effect.
Read more »More Clean Water In The Courts – The Accotink Creek Decision
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
February 8, 2013 | Urban Rivers, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
Recently we described the results of the Supreme Court’s decision in Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which was a narrow one. Another Clean Water Act case, Virginia Department of Transportation vs. Environmental Protection Agency addresses the cleanup of Accotink Creek, a tributary to the Potomac River in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax and the Town of Vienna, Virginia. Decided by the Eastern District of Virginia in favor of the state DOT (and local governments), the case also has a limited holding.
Read more »Salmon, stormwater and streets – a toxic mix
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
February 6, 2013 | Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers, Water Pollution
Have you ever seen one of those fish drawings near the street on a storm drain – a stencil saying something like, “don’t dump, drains to stream.” And even though you might think of salmon as all living in pristine, beautiful rivers, it turns out that polluted stormwater runoff from developed areas and roads and highways threatens these fish too.
Read more »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.
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