Ohio River leads nation in toxic discharge
PARKERSBURG – A national environmental group has released a study indicating two area rivers are among the top 10 waterways for total toxic discharge.
Environmental America recently released a report that documents and analyzes pollutants discharged into American waters using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2007 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).
According to the group’s report, the Ohio River leads all waterways in total toxic discharge with more than 31 million pounds. The Muskingum River (with 4,994,243 pounds) is ninth on the list.
Environment America’s report summarizes the discharge of cancer-causing chemicals, chemicals that persist in the environment and chemicals with the potential to cause reproductive problems ranging from birth defects to reduced fertility. Among the toxic chemicals discharged by facilities are lead, mercury and dioxin.
Peter Tennant, deputy director of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), said the information in the report has a beneficial impact, but he has some issues with the study. Tennant also said the report fails to account for the size of the rivers.
“There is a lot of stuff going into those rivers, but it doesn’t take into account the size of those rivers,” he said. “I would argue a smaller stream, like Mill Creek in Cincinnati, is much more polluted than the Ohio River, which is about a thousand times larger.”
According to ORSANCO, the Ohio River is a source of drinking water for more than three million people. More than 25 million people, almost 10 percent of the U.S. population, live in the Ohio River Basin. And there are approximately 150 species of fish in the river.
The Ohio River also topped the nation for toxic chemicals that are cancer causing and chemicals that cause reproductive disorders. The Environmental America study claims nearly all of the Ohio River’s toxic discharge occurs below the Mid-Ohio Valley.
However, Eramet in Marietta is listed among the study’s top 20 facilities in discharge of reproductive and developmental toxicants. Arcelormittal Weirton Inc. in Weirton, W.Va., is also listed among the top 20 facilities for discharge of reproductive toxicants (4,772 pounds).
Complete story at Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
