CDP Waterways Clips: October 25, 2019
Trump's Golf Courses Could Benefit From Rule Rollback. “The Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama administration’s Clean Water Rule is bringing new attention to President Trump’s golf resorts and how they could benefit from looser federal water rules. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers made their joint action final this week with its publication in the Federal Register, ending the 2015 regulation — also dubbed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) — that had expanded federal jurisdiction over water bodies like headwaters and wetlands. The agencies are also working on a new water jurisdiction rule that they proposed last year. Golf courses, which frequently feature ponds or other small water bodies, or are located near them, are expected to be a key beneficiary of the rollback.” [EE News, 10/24/19 (+)]
SELC Challenges Water Protections Repeal. “The Southern Environmental Law Center Wednesday on behalf of several conservation groups challenged the repeal of clean water protections under the Clean Water Act. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, the lawsuit contends that the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated a long-standing law prohibiting agencies from altering basic environmental safeguards without giving the public adequate notice and opportunity to comment, according to the SELC. The agencies have 60 days to respond to the lawsuit.” [Coastal Review Online, 10/24/19 (=)]
Trump Administration Reverses Course, Now Backs Great Lakes Restoration Plan. “For years, the Trump administration wanted to slash its funding. Now it’s boasting about pouring millions of dollars into it. The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday rolled out a five-year plan for funding a popular program for restoring the Great Lakes, even though in the not-so-distant past the Trump administration tried to ax the environmental initiative almost entirely. The turnabout comes as President Donald Trump faces a tough reelection race that will require him to win several Midwestern states along the Great Lakes shoreline if he is to retain the White House in 2020.” [Washington Post, 10/23/19 (+)]
Conference In Flint Discusses How Water Contamination Affects Affordability. “A conference held in Flint addressed water contamination and affordability issues in communities across the state. Sponsored by Freshwater Future, the All About Water Conference held Wednesday, Oct. 23, featured over 10 panels and presentations by community representatives from across Michigan. The conference focused on how different water issues -- including lead, PFAS and toxic algae contamination -- impact affordability of water in communities around the Great Lakes, said Jill Ryan, executive director of Freshwater Future.” [MLive, 10/24/19 (=)]
WOTUS Lawsuits Start Long, Muddy Legal Battle. “Get ready for a surge of lawsuits over the Trump administration’s decision to walk back Obama-era protections for wetlands and streams. Opponents to the administration’s take on which water bodies are considered ‘waters of the United States’ under the Clean Water Act already launched at least two challenges this week, kicking off the next round of courtroom action. The cases add a new dimension to what could soon be a complicated legal quagmire over the Obama administration’s WOTUS rule and the Trump administration’s efforts to both erase and replace the regulation. Court watchers say it’s not yet clear whether challenges to the Clean Water Rule repeal will wipe out an existing body of litigation over the 2015 regulation. Legal experts expect the fight to eventually make it to the Supreme Court, but they can’t predict when. ‘It’s like reading tea leaves right now,’ said former Justice Department attorney Larry Liebesman.” [EE News, 10/24/19 (=)]
2015 WOTUS Withdrawal Appears In Federal Register. “The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) withdrawal of the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule appeared in the Federal Register this week with an effective date of Dec. 23, 2019. The 2015 WOTUS rule will no longer be in effect in any part of the U.S., barring a legal stay. This withdrawal is the first of a two-step process. The EPA issued a proposed WOTUS rule in December 2018 to replace the 2015 rule. The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA) supports many of the improvements made by the EPA in the 2018 proposal. The final replacement rule should appear in late 2019 or early 2020.” [Aggregates Manager, 10/24/19 (=)]
Environmental Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback Of Waters Rule. “Environmentalists have taken their first legal shot at the Trump administration’s repeal of a landmark Obama-era water regulation. The National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, and nine other groups sued Oct. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, accusing the federal government of breaking the law in its rollback of the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers finalized their decision Oct. 22 to repeal the regulation—also known as the Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule—spelling out which wetlands and waterways are subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.” [Bloomberg Environment, 10/23/19 (+)]
Anderson Resident On Coal Ash Dump: 'Does Anybody Want This In Our Neighborhood?' “Rick Watson says he reluctantly sold his family homestead in Anderson County because the Tennessee Valley Authority told him what a nightmare a coal ash dump in his back yard would be. ‘They said they’d probably be blasting dynamite behind me, and trucks hauling coal ash would cause dust,’ Watson said. ‘They painted the picture so ugly.’ Now, five years later, Josh Tipton said he’s afraid that view might soon be his. ‘I personally don’t want a coal ash pit in my back yard,’ Tipton said Monday night at a community meeting in Claxton.” [Knoxnews, 10/24/19 (+)]
Florida's Algae Gets Feds' Attention. “The CDC is taking a closer look at toxic algae in our waters and to what extent it's affecting our health. Federal scientists will begin testing at least 50 volunteers who work and live near the blooms.” [Fox 13, 10/24/19 (+)]
How Environmental Racism Impacts Nc’s Drinking Water. “Clean drinking water is a human right according to a 2010 United Nations declaration. But recent incidents throughout North Carolina raise questions about whether or not our state is protecting that right for North Carolina residents. With the discovery of GenX and other contaminants, hog waste lagoon breaches after Hurricane Florence and continued complications from coal ash, the state’s drinking water supply has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. While utility systems manage water quality for those who rely on public water, homeowners who get their water from private wells are on their own when it comes to addressing contaminants.” [WUNC, 10/24/19 (+)]
Drinking Water Database Calls Attention To Contaminants. “The Environmental Working Group on Wednesday updated its Tap Water Database, which aggregates data from nearly 50,000 water utilities across the country to spotlight dangerous levels of contamination In Colorado, for example, tests conducted by the state’s 886 water utilities detected, between 2012 and 2017, 91 contaminants at levels either above health guidelines or above legal limits. It’s been nearly 20 years since the EPA added any new chemical contaminants to the list regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. In addition, said EWG scientist Tasha Stoiber, ‘The maximum contaminant levels that are set, a lot of them are outdated and they’re not as protective of health as they could be.’” [KRCC, 10/24/19 (+)]
Cancer-Linked Contaminants Found In Newark's (Ca) Drinking Water. “Most Americans don’t think twice about drinking a glass of water. A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water across the nation, including in Newark. The substances are linked to cancer, damage to the brain and nervous system, hormonal disruption, problems in pregnancy and other serious health conditions. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, collaborating with outside scientists, aggregated and analyzed data from almost 50,000 local water utilities in all 50 states.” [Patch, 10/23/19 (=)]
Cancer-Linked Contaminants Found In Atlanta Water: Report. “Most Americans don’t think twice about drinking a glass of water. A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water across the nation, including in Atlanta. The substances are linked to cancer, damage to the brain and nervous system, hormonal disruption, problems in pregnancy and other serious health conditions. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, collaborating with outside scientists, aggregated and analyzed data from almost 50,000 local water utilities in all 50 states.” [Patch, 10/23/19 (=)]
Top U.S. Toxicologist Was Barred From Saying PFAS Cause Disease In Humans. She’s Saying It Now. “The widespread environmental contaminants known as PFAS cause multiple health problems in people, according to Linda Birnbaum, who retired as director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program earlier this month. The statement may come as little surprise to those following the medical literature on the industrial chemicals that have been used to make nonstick coatings, firefighting foam, and host of other products. Thousands of scholarly articles have linked the chemicals to at least 800 health effects. Some of the health problems found in humans — including elevated cholesterol levels, liver dysfunction, weight gain, reproductive problems and kidney cancer — have been shown to increase along with the levels of the chemicals in blood. Extensive research also shows that children with higher levels of PFAS have weakened immune responses.” [The Intercept, 10/24/19 (+)]
N.J. Water Treatment Facility Shut Down After Pfas Contamination Discovery. “Bellmawr Borough, N.J., is in the process of shutting down its Warren Avenue water treatment facility after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) notified the borough of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a sample collected Aug. 13 showed that the average level of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) over the last year has been 19 ppt. The state. standard for PFNA is 13 ppt. ‘This is not an emergency. If it had been, you would have been notified within 24 hours. However, some people who drink water containing PFNA in excess of the MCL over many years could experience problems with their liver; kidney; immune system; or, in males, reproductive system. For females, drinking water containing PFNA in excess of the MCL over many years may cause developmental delays in a fetus and or infant,’ reported the notice.” [WQP, 10/24/19 (=)]
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