Concord, NH - More than 75.9% percent of
industrial and municipal facilities across New Hampshire discharged more pollution into our waterways
than their Clean Water Act permits allow in 2005, according to Troubled Waters: An analysis of Clean Water
Act compliance, a new report released today by Environment New
Hampshire.
“As the Clean Water Act turns 35, polluters
continue to foul our rivers, lakes and streams,” said Kathryn Fox, Preservation Associate with Environment New Hampshire. “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.”
The goals of the 1972 Clean Water Act are to
eliminate the discharge of pollutants into waterways and make all U.S. waterways swimmable
and fishable. Over the last three and a
half decades, this landmark environmental law has made significant improvements
in water quality, but the original goals have yet to be met.
According to Carl Paulsen, Program Director for the New Hampshire
Rivers Council, “The Clean Water Act resulted in dramatic improvements to the
quality of our rivers and lakes, with most obvious problems being
resolved. Still, serious problems persist, and in New Hampshire, they
result in beach closures, impaired shellfish beds, algae blooms and less
obvious problems like rivers that can no longer support trout and other
sensitive fish species.”
Using the Freedom of Information Act, Environment New Hampshire obtained
data on facilities’ compliance with the Clean Water Act between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005. Environment
New Hampshire
researchers found that:
- Fifty
seven percent of all major U.S.
industrial and municipal facilities discharged more pollution into U.S. waterways
than allowed by law at least once during 2005. The average facility exceeded
its pollution permit limit by 263 percent, discharging close to four times the
legal limit.
-
More than 75.9% of industrial and municipal facilities
across New Hampshire exceeded their water pollution permits at least once in 2005.
- Facilities in New Hampshire often exceeded their Clean Water Act
permits by extraordinary amounts. On
average, facilities exceeding their permits did so by 305.8% or by over 4 times
the legal limit.
- Polluters in New Hampshire
reported 43 instances in which
they exceeded their Clean Water Act permit by at least 500 percent over the
legal limit.
- 10 facilities in Rockingham County
exceeded their Clean Water Act permit at least once during this period.
“Facilities in New Hampshire and across the country
continue to dump more pollution into our waterways than is allowed by law,”
said Fox.
Fox noted
that the findings are likely just the tip of the polluted iceberg, since the
data that Environment New Hampshire
analyzed includes only “major” facilities and does not include pollution
discharged into waters by the thousands of minor facilities across the
country.
Over the last six years, the Bush administration
has proposed or enacted numerous policies that weaken the Clean Water Act. These include: two separate policies that
eliminate Clean Water Act protections for streams and wetlands that are feed and
clean treasured lakes, rivers and bays; funding cuts to EPA’s
budget, including significant cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund; and
policies that allow more sewage pollution into waterways.
Environment New Hampshire called on the Bush
administration to end its efforts to weaken federal clean water safeguards and for
Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act, legislation to ensure all U.S. waterways
are protected by the Clean Water Act.
Environment New Hampshire applauded
Representatives Hodes and Shea-Porter for co-sponsoring the Clean Water
Restoration Act.
“Instead of holding polluters accountable, the Bush
administration is allowing more—not less-- pollution to enter our
waterways. Now more than ever, Congress
should step in to protect all of America’s waters,” concluded Fox.
