For Immediate Release:October
11, 2007
Contact: Benjamin
Praster, (515) 243-5835
On the Clean Water Act’s 35th Anniversary,
Polluters Continue to Contaminate Iowa Waterways
Des Moines, IA—
More than 55.5 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across Iowa 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 Iowa.
“As the Clean Water Act turns 35, polluters
continue to foul our rivers, lakes and streams,” said Benjamin Praster. “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. 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. waterways swimmable
and fishable.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, Environment
Iowa obtained data on facilities’ compliance with the Clean Water Act between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005. U.S. PIRG 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.
• 71 facilities
in Iowa reported more than 430 exceedances of
their Clean Water Act permits in 2005.
• These 71 facilities exceeded their permit limits during at least
6 of the 12 monthly reporting periods.
• On average, Iowa facilities exceeding their Clean Water
Act permits did so by 595%, nearly 7 times the legal limit. This is the 5th worst in the
nation.
“Facilities in Iowa and across the country continue to dump
more pollution into our waterways than is allowed by law,” said Praster.
Praster noted
that the findings are likely just the tip of the iceberg, since the data that Environment
Iowa 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 Iowa
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 Iowa
urged Representative Boswell to mark the anniversary of the Clean Water Act
by joining the 172 cosponsors of 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
Praster.
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Environment Iowa
is a statewide, citizen based environmental advocacy group with 2,000 members statewide.
