CDP Waterways Clips: August 26, 2019
Federal Judge: Georgia, 9 Other States Don't Need To Comply With Obama-Era Clean Water Act Revisions. According to The Center Square, “A federal judge has blocked the Obama administration’s 2015 Waters of the United States rule from taking effect in Georgia and nine other states while it is being revised. U.S. Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled this week that the Obama administration overstepped its authority when it modified the Clean Water Act and violated procedures when it implemented the rule, better known as WOTUS. ‘… It substantially interferes with an area of traditional state authority without a clear indication from Congress allowing such interference in the CWA [Clean Water Act],’ Wood wrote. The CWA regulates the pollution of the ‘waters of the U.S,’ which is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army. The act makes it ‘unlawful to discharge any pollutant’ ‘into navigable waters’ without a permit. The judge found the WOTUS rule’s expansion of the jurisdiction of navigable waters was too vast.” [The Center Square, 8/23/19 (=)]
Editorial: Base Water Policy On Science, Not Politics. According to The Press Democrat, “President Donald Trump’s contempt for all things environmental isn’t any secret. As the world copes with the threat of climate change, he wants to burn more coal and expand offshore oil drilling. He’s working to roll back clean air and fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles. He has filled top administration posts with like-minded people. And when science gets in the way, well, then it’s time to get rid of the scientists. The latest example is right here in California. Trump started promising more water to Central Valley growers before he was elected. During a campaign stop in Fresno three years ago, he dismissed the drought, then in its fifth year, as a hoax and snorted at legal protections for endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. After taking office, Trump set out to open the taps and deliver more water to growers who kept planting thirsty nut trees through two long droughts between 2006 and 2017 and demanding more irrigation water. ‘You’ll have lots of water,’ Trump promised a group of Central Valley congressmen last year. ‘I hope you’ll enjoy the water you have.’ Trump set a July 1 deadline for federal scientists to complete a new biological opinion — a prerequisite to any increase in water diversions from the delta into the canals serving Central Valley farm country As we noted three weeks ago, administration officials quashed the opinion days before it was to be released to the public and assigned a new team of scientists to the project ‘to ensure we get this right.’ The administration’s track record on environmental issues — coupled with the president’s promise and his choice of a former Wetlands Water District lobbyist to serve as interior secretary — left ample reason for skepticism. A leaked copy of the 1,123-page report, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, confirms our worst suspicions.” [The Press Democrat, 8/25/19 (+)]
The Toxic Waste Threat That Climate Change Is Making Worse. According to Politico, “More than 100 storage sites for coal-burning power plants’ toxic leftovers lie in areas that federal emergency managers have labeled a high risk for flooding, according to POLITICO’s examination of government and industry data. That finding comes as scientists and pollution experts warn that coal ash — a multibillion-dollar liability problem for communities across the country — may become an even greater danger because of heavier rains triggered by climate change. Already, federal agencies warn that the government’s flood maps most likely understate the risks of deluges in much of the country, including the Southeast, where at least 42 storage sites in POLITICO’s analysis are located. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is moving to weaken an Obama-era regulation meant to prevent a repeat of past coal ash disasters. The ash, left behind when coal is burned for power generation, contains arsenic, selenium, lead, mercury, boron and other contaminants known to cause cancer, neurological damage or heart ailments. Electric utilities usually store it in massive landfills or unlined ponds that are at a risk of spilling when nearby lakes and rivers flood — as happened in a $1.2 billion disaster that damaged dozens of homes in Tennessee in 2008, as well as two breaches that fouled a river and lake in North Carolina last year after Hurricane Florence.” [Politico, 8/26/19 (=)]
Algae That Can Kill Dogs Is Discovered In 3 N.Y.C. Parks. According to The New York Times, “The green-blue blooms of toxic algae have been found in Central Park, Morningside Park and Prospect Park. The green sludge appeared in New Jersey’s largest lake in June, ruining a usually bustling season of lakeside leisure. Then in July, it surfaced across lakes in the Pacific Northwest and along the entire Mississippi seacoast,forcing the closure of the state’s beaches. Now, the green-blue blooms of toxic algae have been found in lakes and ponds in three New York City parks, leading environmental officials to warn residents to keep pets and young children away from the affected water until the blooms clear. The blooms contain cyanobacteria, single-celled organisms that can produce toxic substances when grown densely. The growth of the bacteria is fueled by warm, sunny days and nutrients from nearby surfaces that can wash into lakes and ponds during intense rain storms. In Manhattan, the toxic algae has been found in Turtle Pond and Harlem Meerin Central Park, and in the pond in Morningside Park. Officials also found suspicious blooms in The Lake in Central Park earlier this summer, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website. In Brooklyn, the toxic blooms have been detected in one part of the large pondin Prospect Park. The dedicated swimming area for dogs, the Prospect Park Dog Beach, remains open. ‘It is important to try to avoid contact with any algae,’ Meghan Lalor, a spokeswoman from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, said in a statement. ‘Keep pets on leashes and do not allow them to enter or drink from lakes and ponds, unless in areas specifically designated for such activities.’” [The New York Times, 8/25/19 (+)]
Toxic Algae In Oregon Waters: 'More Often Than Not, A Dog Is Going To Die'. According to KMTR-TV, “The Oregon Health Authority and a dog owner from Salem are warning others to be on the lookout for blue-green algae blooms. Three weeks ago, Tammi Press Stuehler lost her 6-year-old black lab, Cash. ‘They came back and said my dog was completely brain dead,’ she told us. She says he was exposed to blue-green algae, while swimming in the Willamette River, near a dog park in Keizer. Now, she’s warning other pet owners. ‘Those blooms can break off and float down the river and if your dog touches it, licks its fur..Your dog is dead. People need to be aware of that.’ There have been cases around the country of dogs getting sick or dying after swimming or drinking from water affected by toxic algae. Stuehler says Cash was affected by a neuro-attacking antitoxin. ‘More often than not, a dog is going to die if it’s a neuro-toxin, because it shuts everything down,’ said Rebecca Hillwig, a natural resource specialist with the Oregon Health Authority.” [KMTR-TV, 8/23/19 (=)]
50 Ducks Found Dead Near Kapiolani Park And Iolani Stream. According to KHON-TV, “50 ducks have been found dead near Kapiolani Park and Iolani Stream over the past couple of weeks. ‘I would lean towards it being perhaps blue-green algae similar to the one that killed the dogs on the mainland,’ said Dr. Andrew Rossiter of the Waikiki Aquarium. ‘It can easily spread from water body to water body just by the simple fact that the birds will carry it on their features as wetness and once it goes from one place to another it can then populate that area.’ It’s unknown if blue green algae is the culprit. But he does recommend avoiding both areas until there’s a known cause. The state division of forestry and wildlife is investigating the situation ‘Community members have brought in more than a dozen deceased or very ill ducks to the Hawaiian Humane Society. We haven’t determined the cause of death, and have alerted DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife as this case falls under their jurisdiction,’ said Daniel Roselle of the Hawaiian Human Society.” [KHON-TV, 8/23/19 (=)]
Reports Say Toxins Have Been Found At 18 NJ Swim, Drinking Sites. According to Patch, “Swimming or touching the water was banned at several New Jersey water sites this summer, but a new report says the problem has been bigger than you’d think over the past 12 years. Researchers at the Environmental Working Group, an activist nonprofit group, have just released a report identifying 10 water sites – in addition to at least eight spots identified by state and county agencies –that have had trouble with a harmful toxins often cased by algae blooms over the past decade. The report documents the detection of ‘microcystins’ in water sites over the past 12 years, but still could cause problems in the near future. Microcystins are a class of toxins produced by freshwater cyanobacteria, which state and county officials say has been blooming at several New Jersey swimming sites this summer. The state Department of Environmental Protection has been taking action by either shutting down the beaches or issuing advisories to minimize the risk of toxic blue-green algae. At least one of those sites identified – the Manasquan Reservoir – helps provide 60 percent of the potable water used in Brielle, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, and Wall Township, according to the New Jersey Water Supply Authority website.” [Patch, 8/23/19 (=)]
Op-Ed: Polluting Farmers Should Pay. According to The New York Times, “This year’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico -- an area where decomposing algae consumes all oxygen in the water -- logged in at nearly 7,000 square miles, about the size of New Jersey. Researchers in the Great Lakes region predict that this year’s harmful algal bloom in Lake Erie will be twice last year’s size, and larger than the 2014 bloom that shut down the drinking water supply in Toledo, Ohio. Floridians and Chesapeake Bay residents regularly experience the green gunk and odor symptomatic of algal blooms. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that all 50 states now experience harmful algal blooms. These blooms contain toxins that can make us sick after swimming or consuming tainted fish, kill pets and livestock, and raise treatment costs for drinking water. Algal blooms reduce recreational enjoyment from boating, fishing and swimming -- resulting in less tourism and lower property values. The economic cost associated with the single shut down of Toledo’s drinking water system is estimated at $65 million. The common thread? Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, commonly called nutrient pollution, the bulk of which comes from agricultural fertilizer and manure runoff. The solution seems clear: Those who cause the pollution should be required to pay for the cleanup, using regulations to ensure that farmers reduce nutrient pollution. State governments have the power to make this a reality. Ranching, growing intensively fertilized grain crops, dairy farming and livestock production in the United States provides abundant food for the world. However, this success has also produced an explosive growth in toxic algae and phytoplankton from fertilizer and manure runoff. While urban runoff, fossil fuel use, and failing sewer systems contribute to the problem, there is scientific consensus that agricultural generated nutrients are dominant in many areas.” [The New York Times, 8/26/19 (+)]
AP | Pa., Wis. Governors Boost Efforts To Fight PFAS. According to E&E News, “Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has signed an executive order to curb polyfluoroalkyl pollution. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are man-made chemicals that have been used for decades in firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and fast food wrappers. Evers’ office announced today that he signed an order yesterday calling on state environmental and agricultural officials to set up a website on PFAS, collaborate with wastewater treatment plants to identify PFAS sources, consider PFAS when developing wildlife consumption advisories, develop regulatory standards for PFAS and create a Department of Natural Resources council that will develop an action plan for dealing with PFAS. Evers’ administration through the state Department of Health Services proposed a new PFAS enforcement standard of 20 parts per trillion in June. The DNR is already working to implement it. The federal standard is 70 parts per trillion. Also yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced $3.8 million to help pay for better water treatment in suburban Philadelphia communities where testing has shown tap water contaminated with the toxic industrial compounds.” [E&E News, 8/23/19 (=)]