Half of U.S. Waterways Too Dirty to Swim, Fish, or Drink From, Report Finds

About 50 years ago, the Clean Water Act was passed to protect natural waterways in the U.S. But sadly, the U.S. hasn’t come close to achieving its goals. A recent report conducted by the Environmental Integrity Project estimates that half of rivers, streams, and lakes are simply too dirty to drink from, fish, or even swim in.

Needless to say, water pollution in the U.S. seems to be a much bigger issue than we previously thought.

“The Clean Water Act requires states to submit periodic reports on the condition of their rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” the report explains.

“Based on the latest of those reports, about half of the river and stream miles and lake acres that have been studied across the U.S. are so polluted they are classified as ‘impaired.’ That means they are too polluted to meet standards for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as drinking water sources.”

“Today, almost four decades after the Clean Water Act’s deadline for ‘fishable and swimmable’ waters across the U.S., 51 percent of assessed river and stream miles across the U.S. — more than 700,000 miles of waterways — remain impaired with pollution, as well as 55 percent of lake acres and 26 percent of estuary miles.”

Continued at source…