Most U.S. streams declared unhealthy; Pittsburgh area 2nd worst in country

This was in the Trib today, originally published on wire so it's in a ton of newspapers in various versions.
 
WASHINGTON — More than half of the country's rivers and streams are in poor biological health, unable to support healthy populations of aquatic insects and other creatures, according to a new nationwide survey released on Tuesday.
 
The Environmental Protection Agency sampled nearly 2,000 locations in 2008 and 2009 — from rivers as large as the Mississippi River to streams small enough for wading. The study found more than 55 percent of them in poor condition, 23 percent in fair shape and 21 percent in good biological health.
 
The most widespread problem was high levels of nutrient pollution, caused by phosphorus and nitrogen washing into rivers and streams from farms, cities and sewers. High levels of phosphorus — a common ingredient in detergents and fertilizers — were found in 40 percent of rivers and streams. Another problem detected was development. Land clearing and building along waterways increase erosion and flooding, and allow more pollutants to enter waters.

“This new science shows that America's streams and rivers are under significant pressure,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator of EPA's water office. “We must continue to invest in protecting and restoring our nation's streams and rivers as they are vital sources of our drinking water, provide many recreational opportunities, and play a critical role in the economy.”
 
Conditions are worse in the East, the report found. More than 70 percent of streams and rivers from the Texas coast to the New Jersey coast are in poor shape. Streams and rivers are healthiest in Western mountain areas, where only 26 percent were classified as in poor condition.
 
The EPA found some potential risks for human health. In 9 percent of rivers and streams, bacteria exceeded thresholds protective of human health. And mercury, which is toxic, was found in fish tissue along 13,000 miles of streams at levels exceeding health-based standards. Mercury, which is naturally occurring, can enter the environment from coal-burning power plants and from burning hazardous wastes. The Obama administration finalized regulations to control mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants for the first time in late 2011.
 
As for biological conditions, the southern Appalachian region (which includes Pittsburgh) showed a percentage of streams and rivers with the least healthy waterways — about 64 percent in poor condition. That's second worst in the country, behind the region to the south of Kentucky.

I cringe when i see people swimming in the rivers. I dont even like when I get the water splashed on my face while cruising in the boat. 
 
They seem to enjoy it tho lol but i know better

olgerman

...but let's not declare these fine resources polluted to the point that they are unsafe for the common enjoyment we all like.

are you high?
i think straight piping raw sewage is a little past the point of "safe"
 
 

News flash!!
Actually Pittsburgh's sewer overflow is among the worst in the country.  Do some research.  So not all waterways are as bad as they are in the Pittsburgh area.  Look into the Alcosan consent decree by the EPA. 

I grew up wet wading (and swimming) in rivers and streams. Never got sick, but it's certainly possible. In recent years I'm reading more and more about people getting serious infections from it, in at least one case resulting in an amputated leg.
 
Things are more frightening if you start to consider the conditions of aquatic life and of course yourself. What's the source of your water? In at least some areas around Pittsburgh, people have received letters in the mail telling them their water is not safe to drink.
 

 
Good places to fish for carp after a rainstorm.

The environmental public health significance of this work is considerable: the source water for most of the population of the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan area is surface water from the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. In fact the West View Water Authority source water intake pipes, serving over 200,000 people, in 31 municipalities, in portions of Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler Counties (West View Water Authority, 2007), are located just downstream from the ALCOSAN WWTP release point and have approximately 180 CSOs/SSOs within a 5 mile radius of these water intake pipes. There is increasing evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals can affect human populations.
 
The Becks Run Station is just upstream from the Point and pulls 60 million gallons per day to serve roughly 291,000 people in Allegheny and Washington Counties. This station accounts for nearly 45% of the water used to serve the area.

i fell in the ohio last year! good times! lol   
I often wet wade chartiers (above bridgville) but still  you guys makin me think twice..