Polluted Run-off

Original Intent

Using the Clean Water Act as their compass, Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) are navigating murky political waters to deliver legislation that would return the brawn and intent to the original Act signed by President Nixon in 1972.

More than one-third of America’s waterways are subject to “No Fishing and No Swimming” signs because polluters continue to evade the rules set by the Clean Water Act. After years of poisonous industrial waste invading U.S. waterways, the Clean Water Act was passed by Congress in 1972. It was Read More » »

Polluted Runoff

Polluted Runoff

Eroding soils from a construction site, fertilizers and pesticides that have been applied to the land, or oil and grease dripped from vehicles can all be carried by stormwater to local waterways and degrade aquatic ecosystems. Storm sewers help clear our streets of rainwater, but they also channel the water – and everything that comes with it – directly into the lakes.

Oil and grease create oil slicks and build up in sediments. Pesticides and other toxic chemicals can kill insects that fish feed on or build up in the food chain. Soil, Read More » »

Water Quality

Despite much progress since the Clean Water Act was passed more than thirty years ago, the Great Lakes still suffer from water pollution. The Great Lakes are virtually a closed system, with less than one percent of the water in the lakes renewed each year. This means that what we put in the lakes generally stays in the lakes and certain types of pollutants have been building up in the Great Lakes ecosystem for many years. Major water quality problems in the lakes include toxic pollution, polluted runoff, and sewage overflows and beach closings.