Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
Cities Should Go Green to Address Crumbling Infrastructure
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
January 25, 2012 | Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Supply
Sewer overflows, leaky pipes and flooded streets. Many of us have been snarled in traffic due to a water main break or had to stay out of the water due to sewer spills.
Read more »Testifying on Green Infrastructure
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
December 22, 2011 | Water Pollution, Water Supply, Stormwater & Sewage
Last week I had the opportunity to testify at a House hearing about a new EPA initiative called “integrated permitting.” The Agency’s idea is to look at ways to evaluate various Clean Water Act requirements together to see how they could be integrated. For example, if a city has pollution problems from urban stormwater runoff and sewer overflows, are there a set of solutions to address both of these together that might be more cost effective and sustainable?
Read more »Celebrating Green Streets in Maryland
December 15, 2011 | Water Pollution, Stormwater & SewageExciting news for everyone on the green infrastructure front! Congresswoman Donna Edwards is hosting an event in Evanston, MD tonight (Thursday, Dec. 15th) to celebrate the innovative green street in the town as well as highlight the report Green for All released with us on green jobs.
Read more »Giving Thanks – for Fresh Food and Clean Water
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
November 29, 2011 | Water Pollution, Floods & Floodplains, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Supply
The holidays are a good time to pause to consider all the things for which we’re thankful. For me, all of the people in my life who keep me laughing and inspired, for family, and for good food (my husband made three different pies this year!) and access to clean and safe water.
Read more »Keeping Chemicals Out of Rivers
September 21, 2011 | Water Pollution, Stormwater & SewageA few summers ago, I spent a day paddling down the Schuylkill River. Not along the scenic headwaters, as you might imagine, but right in downtown Philadelphia. There’s nothing quite like seeing a city from the river in a kayak! Across the country, people are getting back to their urban rivers. Even along the Los Angeles River, better known for its roles in the movies, people are taking the first authorized paddling trips in almost 70 years.
Read more »Swimming in Slime Underscores Need for Smart Clean Water Protections
Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water and Water Supply Programs
August 31, 2011 | Water Pollution, Climate Change, Stormwater & Sewage
Green slime covering up your local swimming hole? Seems that Senator Inhofe (R-OK) found his own Grand Lake covered in algae. After swimming in the muck, the Senator became really sick. Blue-green algae are known to cause respiratory illness, skin irritation and diarrhea and tend to flourish in times of drought when water is warm and polluted with excess nutrients. As droughts become more frequent and intense, we’re likely to see more of these algal blooms that plague our favorite swimming spots...
Read more »Hurricane Irene Underscores Need For Better Preparation
August 29, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Floods & Floodplains, Stormwater & SewageOver the past week Mother Nature has done a fine job of reminding those of us on the East Coast that she’s the one that’s really in charge. Between the earthquake that shocked us all, and Hurricane Irene still wreaking havoc as it moves up the east coast, we’re reminded that as much as we plan and prepare, natural disasters will still occur.
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