Lots of talk these days about stripping the budget of the EPA... some would even nix the agency altogether.
Since swimming in polluted water is certainly a safety issue, I think this is a topic that should transcend politics (but what do I know?)
Should USMS add a statement of support for a healthy aquatic world to the mission?
As one who spends a hell of a lot of time in bodies of water that were much more compromised two decades ago than they are today, its easy to guess where I stand. Much progress has been made toward restoring the health of our waterways, but there is a long way to go.
This thread is quite interesting to me, since I coordinate a regional stormwater education consortium - we help to educate local communities on stormwater issues and solutions. Regardless of who (federal, state, local agencies or nonprofits) you want to improve our water quality, USMS needs clean water to swim! Polluted runoff is the #1 source of degraded water quality in most U.S. waterways. Once rain or melting snow hits the ground, it picks up pollutants (oil, fertilizers, pesticides, fecal matter, litter, etc.) as it travels- this is called stormwater runoff. Polluted runoff traveling to our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans is generally not treated/sanitized (like our drinking water). Efforts to reduce the negative effects of polluted runoff can begin with swimmers like us, e.g. learn about local issues in your waterways and educate others; participate in beach/river/lake clean-ups; sponsor local events that promote good water quality such as a stream restoration, marking "NO DUMPING LEADS TO WATERWAY" on storm drains, and/or raising funds for purchasing litter traps before trash and debris makes its way to the water. Whether or not through the Clean Water Act, USMS should take a stand for clean water!
I wondered how long it would take for you to jump on this one.
This thread is quite interesting to me, since I coordinate a regional stormwater education consortium - we help to educate local communities on stormwater issues and solutions. Regardless of who (federal, state, local agencies or nonprofits) you want to improve our water quality, USMS needs clean water to swim! Polluted runoff is the #1 source of degraded water quality in most U.S. waterways. Once rain or melting snow hits the ground, it picks up pollutants (oil, fertilizers, pesticides, fecal matter, litter, etc.) as it travels- this is called stormwater runoff. Polluted runoff traveling to our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans is generally not treated/sanitized (like our drinking water). Efforts to reduce the negative effects of polluted runoff can begin with swimmers like us, e.g. learn about local issues in your waterways and educate others; participate in beach/river/lake clean-ups; sponsor local events that promote good water quality such as a stream restoration, marking "NO DUMPING LEADS TO WATERWAY" on storm drains, and/or raising funds for purchasing litter traps before trash and debris makes its way to the water. Whether or not through the Clean Water Act, USMS should take a stand for clean water!
I wondered how long it would take for you to jump on this one.
