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New agreements show slow progress in fixing Baltimore sewer spills
One of my favorite places to ride my bike in Baltimore is the Jones Falls Trail between North Avenue and Druid Hill Park. The trail follows the last section of the Jones Falls before it flows underground in pipes underneath downtown on its way to the Inner Harbor, in a narrow stream valley below the traffic of I-83. But often – especially after a storm – the trail is marred by the stench of raw sewage. That’s because, when rainwater infiltrates into the sewer pipes carrying wastewater away from our homes, businesses, and schools, it floods the pipes and spills untreated sewage into our streams
Christie Administration Floods the Garden State
Right now, over 90 percent of New Jersey's waters do not meet one or more water quality standards. These standards are set by New Jersey under the law and the state is obligated to meet them. So, one would think that our state government would be doing all they can to improve the quality of our water by ensuring the standards are enforced. Nope. They are, in fact, doing the complete opposite. The Christie Administration's NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently adopted changes to roll back water quality protections in its Flood Hazard Area Control Act (FHACA), putting our
My First Task: Enforce Our Climate Laws?
At Clean Water Action, interns hit the ground running. That was my conclusion after traveling to the Massachusetts State House to witness a special hearing on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling on Kain v Department of Environmental Protection--on my first day, before I even had a chance to use the bathroom at CWA. This court case refers to the state’s lack of adherence to the Global Warming Solutions Act, a state law passed in 2008 that mandated a 25% reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2020 and deeper reductions by 2050. When the state failed to issue the necessary
Background: Federal Regulation of Lead in Drinking Water
For our introduction to lead and drinking water, click here. The Federal Government regulates lead in drinking water, primarily through the Lead and Copper Rule. Lead and Copper Rule Adopted as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1991 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR)'s purpose is to protect public health by minimizing lead and copper exposure at the tap. The LCR requires water systems to monitor the drinking water they provide and control for corrosion. Because lead can get into drinking water at various points throughout the system, as well
Harmful Algal Outbreaks and Drinking Water
Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms happen most often where there are high levels of nutrients like nitrogen or phosphorus present in warm, still waters like lakes, ponds, or reservoirs. They can also occur in rivers, especially during summer months. Aquatic ecosystems need nutrients to thrive but fertilizer runoff from agriculture, sewage and industrial discharges, and urban stormwater have added an excessive of nutrients into many of our nation’s bays, lakes and rivers.