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.
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My understanding is that it takes two days for the test results to determine if the water is polluted. (And they test a pretty limited amount of dangerous stuff.)
This means that a serious lag period exists. We all know about not swimming for 72 hours after a rain. The spills you don't know about can really make you sick.
Should there be manditory water testing the day of the event, with the results posted 48 hours later?
Should an event be held 71 hours after a rain?
Should the event organizers be liable for running an event within that 72 hour period?
I have swam in many events where the water should have been closed to swimming. I have been ill soon after a few of those swims.
Some sort of standards is what I'm looking for, and I don't have a solution. I think that USMS could help.
My understanding is that it takes two days for the test results to determine if the water is polluted. (And they test a pretty limited amount of dangerous stuff.)
This means that a serious lag period exists. We all know about not swimming for 72 hours after a rain. The spills you don't know about can really make you sick.
Should there be manditory water testing the day of the event, with the results posted 48 hours later?
Should an event be held 71 hours after a rain?
Should the event organizers be liable for running an event within that 72 hour period?
I have swam in many events where the water should have been closed to swimming. I have been ill soon after a few of those swims.
Some sort of standards is what I'm looking for, and I don't have a solution. I think that USMS could help.
