Clean Water News

As the new home of ConnPIRG's environmental work, Environment Connecticut can be contacted regarding this news release. 

HARTFORD—76.15 percent of industrial and municipal facilities across Connecticut exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits between January 2002 and June 2003, according to a new report released today by ConnPIRG.

"Our decision-makers should be taking strong action to address this illegal pollution, but the Bush administration has proposed slashing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) enforcement budget for fiscal year 2005 and weakening critical Clean Water Act programs," charged ConnPIRG Advocate, Christopher Phelps. "At a time when our leaders should be looking for solutions, the Bush administration has proposed taking environmental cops off the beat and allowing more—not less—pollution to enter our waterways."

While the 1972 Clean Water Act has made strides in cleaning up U.S. waterways, the law's original goal of making all U.S. Waterways safe for fishing, swimming and other uses by 1983 has not been attained. Using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), ConnPIRG obtained data on facilities' compliance with the Clean Water Act between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. ConnPIRG researchers found that:

­ Nationally, 60 percent of all major facilities discharged pollution in excess of their permit limits at least once during the 18-month period studied. The average facility in violation exceeded its permit limit by more than 600 percent, or six times the legal limit.

­ More than 76 percent of Connecticut's industrial and municipal facilities exceeded their Clean Water Act permits at least once over the period studied. Connecticut ranks 6th in the country for percentage of facilities exceeding their pollution permits.

- On average, Connecticut facilities exceeding their Clean Water Act permits did so by 1754 percent or by 17 times their legal limit.

Phelps noted that these findings are likely conservative, since the data that ConnPIRG analyzed includes only "major" facilities and does not include pollution discharged by hundreds of thousands of minor facilities across the country.

ConnPIRG called on the Bush administration to back off its efforts to weaken the Clean Water Act and to commit to strengthening, rather than weakening, enforcement of this landmark legislation. ConnPIRG also called on state government to strengthen enforcement in order to achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act.

"Federal inaction on clean water reinforces the need for state officials to remain vigilant and protect our waterways," said Phelps. "Setting mandatory minimum penalties for polluters who violate the Clean Water Act is just one option available for state officials to enforce clean water laws and protect our waterways from pollution."

ConnPIRG recommended the following:

­ Fully fund EPA's enforcement program to ensure that we have enough environmental cops on the beat to identify and punish polluters violating their Clean Water Act permits.

­ Strengthen the Clean Water Act by setting mandatory minimum penalties, tightening permitted pollution limits, revoking permits from repeat violators and allowing citizens full access to the courts.

­ Maintain and expand the public's right to know. The public should have full access to detailed and easily searchable information about enforcement of the Clean Water Act and pollution entering local waterways.

ConnPIRG noted that a number of these options are also available to state officials. For example, the state could establish mandatory penalties for polluters who exceed their Clean Water Act permits. Such mandatory minimum penalty systems create an economic disincentive for polluters to comply with their permits.

"The data on compliance with discharge permits show that sewage treatment plants, industries and others that discharge substances into our waterways are not always meeting the standards set out in their permits," noted Rivers Alliance of Connecticut Executive Director Margaret Miner. "While Connecticut has superior water-quality standards, the number of violations of these standards is disturbing. We look forward to working with ConnPIRG and state officials to figure out a fair and effective approach to mandatory penalties when water quality is impaired."

The Connecticut Public Interest Research Group is a non-profit, nonpartisan public interest advocacy organization working to protect Connecticut's environment, defend consumers and ensure strong democratic institutions.

Rivers Alliance of Connecticut is Connecticut's united voice for river conservation.