INFORMATION #2 07-29-1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ilN_I_I'AU L ENVIRONMENT EPA says fiver, lake quality not much improved in 3 years ASGOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON Despite some improvements, nearly four of every 10 lakes, riv- ers and estuaries remain too poi- -luted to allow fishing or swim- ming, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The EPA said sewage, disease- causing bacteria, fertilizer, toxic metals, oil and grease were among the most frequent pollut- ants. About 37 percent of the coun- try's lakes and estuaries and 36 percent of its rivers have levels of pollution that make them "not clean enough to meet basic uses such as fishing or swimming," the report said. The EPA said runoff from agri- culture, industrial activities and urban growth are the primary causes for the pollution in lakes, rivers and estuaries. ..... The report said the findings are simqYar'to-results outlined in the agency's last study three years ago. "We are holding our own in controlling water pollution, but we need to make progress," said EPA Administrator Carol Browner. High levels of nutrients -- such as phosphates and nitrates used in fertilizers - were the most wide- ly found pollutants in lakes\and estu&ries. They can creat& a ~,!¢hain. of impacts" that lead'lO excess, ye algae and weed growth, kill fish and cause foul odors in 't q Runoff from agriculture, industrial activities and urban growth are the primary causes of pollution. waterways, the report said. The report said bacteria, usually from sewage releases, were found to be the most frequent pollutant in the nation's rivers. Another ma- jor problem stems from high lev- els of silt in rivers and lakes, smothering aquatic life, the EPA said. The report reflected water qual- ity surveys by states and other agencies covering 615,806 miles or 17 percent, of the nation's riv- ers; 17 million acres, or 42 per- cent, of the lakes; and 27,000 square miles, or 78 percent, of es- tuaries. The review was released as Vice President A1 Gore criticized Congress for cutting EPA money for enforcement and for states to improve sewer systems and water treatment facilities. Gore, visiting a water treatment plant near Washington, called safe water "the first line of defense in protecting public health" and said under the proposed cuts the EPA will be unable to improve water quality. Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., chairman of the subcommittee that crafted the spending bill, ac- cused Gore of "grandstanding" and said the agency under the GOP bill would face only a 9 per- cent cut in sewage treatment mon- ey and would get more than $1.1 billion. The EPA had requested $1.6 billion to help states modern- ize treatment facilities. "We've managed to provide close to full funding for EPA at a time when the constraints on dis- cretionary spending are extraordi- nary,'' Bond said, adding that the agency's overall budget was only 4 percent below the 1995 level. Federal water pollution laws were violated by nearly one in five major facilities, because &dis- charges into lakes and streams or skirted reporting requirements, an environmental group said. ^ re- view of EPA data disclosed that 18 pcrccn! o£the nation'~ indus- . trial, municipal and federal facili- ties repeatedly violated the Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Public Research Interest Research Group. The report covered the >eriod from Oct. 1, 1991, to Sept. 30, 1992.