How Illinois EPA Can Make Our Water Safer
This Spring, the State of Illinois issued a warning to all women of child-bearing age and children against eating large, "predator", fish (such as bass, walleye, and other popular sport fish) caught from any Illinois river or lake, due to mercury contamination and the possibility that mercury from the fish could harm developing fetuses and cause other health problems.
The warning was a reminder that, despite the fact that Illinois' waters are generally cleaner than they were 30 years ago when the Clean Water Act was passed, we still have a long way to go in making sure that all of Illinois' rivers, lakes, and streams are safe for our families to rely on for drinking water, fishing, and boating, and for wildlife. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for enforcing the Clean Water Act in Illinois. In recent years, they have stepped up efforts to reduce water pollution, but they are under constant pressure from water polluters who want minimal regulation.
Here are a few steps Illinois EPA can take to make all of Illinois' waters healthy again:
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Prepare and Implement Cleanup Plans for Polluted Waters
Illinois EPA has a list of 336 Illinois rivers, lakes, and streams that are on a waiting list for a cleanup plan because they are not safe for either wildlife, drinking water, or swimming. These cleanup plans, or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies, are required by the Clean Water Act. IEPA has started to prepare some of these plans, but none have been completed in the 30 years since the Act was passed. Once completed, a TMDL would determine where pollution was coming from and prescribe a plan for stopping or reducing it.
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Adopt Tougher – Not Weaker – Safeguards Against Cyanide and Ammonia Pollution
Currently, IEPA is proposing to revise Illinois' standards for cyanide and ammonia to allow for higher permit limits for polluters that are discharging these chemicals. Ammonia is toxic to wildlife at certain levels, and it is Illinois' top toxic pollutant by volume. Cyanide is also toxic to wildlife. Permit limits for ammonia and cyanide should be tightened, not loosened.
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Set Limits on Phosphorous Pollution
Nutrients like phosphorous cause major water quality problems when they overfertilize the algae in our lakes and rivers to the point where the algae take too much oxygen out of the water for many fish species to survive. Despite these problems, Illinois has no limits on phosphorous discharges, which come from sewage treatment plants, industry, and fertilizer runoff.
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Protect Clean Streams Against Sprawl Pollution
Many of Illinois' highest quality streams run through fast-growing areas and are threatened with more pollution if planning is not done carefully, and with water quality in mind. Currently, when Illinois EPA permits new sewer lines to be extended into farm fields and open space for new development, they do not check to see where the sewage will be discharged after treatment. IEPA should reform this "Facility Planning Area" process to make sure that small, clean streams in these areas are not converted to wastewater ditches by considering water quality impacts when deciding whether or not to allow sewer line extensions.
By upgrading Illinois' water pollution safeguards, Illinois EPA can help bring about the day when beaches don't close due to pollution, anglers can safely bring home their catch to the family dinner table, and communities can count on clean, reliable drinking water supplies.