Agricultural News
Conservation Group Wants EPA to Ditch Dirty Water
Mon, 06 Oct 2014 10:32:52 CDT
Written by Save the Illinois River, Inc. (STIR), a state-wide water conservation organization founded in 1985.
Public comment on revisions to the federal Clean Water Act (Waters of the United States) must be submitted soon. In the interest of clean, safe water for Oklahoma families, Save the Illinois River (STIR) asks that you support the revisions and ditch dirty water.
EPA and the Army Corps proposed the changes after court rulings on the confusing issue of navigable waters. EPA apparently didn't do a real good job communicating the changes, arousing unnecessary concerns from folks already nervous at the service.
According to EPA, the changes will not hurt farming and ranching practices that are exempt from the rules. But some want to scare us into believing the EPA's motive is to have more power over our lives. These folks don't grasp the impact that wetlands, marshes and normally dry ditches can have on streams, lakes and ground water. To these people dirty water is alright because there's an endless supply of bottled water.
The Illinois River, Tenkiller Lake and other waters of Oklahoma are degraded by polluted surface and ground water. Many small streams and ditches that are usually dry can impact the quality of Oklahoma Scenic Rivers after a storm. Polluted surface water is transferred to wells and springs. Runoff containing nutrients and chemicals degrades thousands of miles of U.S. streams and creates a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
The federal Clean Water Act is a 1972 law that was to have made all waters in the U.S. safe for swimming, and fishing well before now.
Are they safe today? We know they are not.
Instead of ditching clean water laws, let's agree to ditch dirty water.
Mailing address for public comments:
Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
Washington, DC 20460
Attention: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0880
Email: ow-docket@epa.gov
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