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 Permits Required by the Clean Water Act to Mitigate River Pollution
River and lake pollution in the United States had become so offensive during the early 1970's near industrial areas that legislators in Congress enacted rules to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters." Two basic approaches to achieve better water quality and abate river pollution are the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) established for impaired waterways. With so much heavy industry near the Savannah River and its tributaries our health depends on how well - or how poorly - discharge of pollutants is limited and monitored.
Make a Difference - Learn how to Review NPDES Documents
NPDES permits are issued to industries or municipalities (or counties) that want to discharge wastewater to a stream, lake or river. The permits limit the amount of specific pollutants that can be discharged in the waste stream. In Georgia the Environmental Protection Division administers the NPDES program. In South Carolina the Department of Health and Environmental Control is in charge of protecting the water quality in the Savannah River and other streams. These permits are written by the regulated community and often hurriedly reviewed by the responsible agency. Thus, significant oversights occur in some of these permits, which could result in discharge of harmful pollutants.
Concerned citizens can learn how to review these documents and the data generated in response to the permits; it is a very significant contribution for monitoring river pollution. To help the Savannah Riverkeeper with this project contact the Executive Director: tonyabonitatibus@savannahriverkeeper.org, 706-755-4839.
Make a Difference - Learn how to Evaluate TMDLs
TMDLs are a measure of the amount of pollution a water body can absorb and still meet the standards for its designated uses, e.g. for fishing, swimming, drinking or habitat. TMDLs are normally written for impaired waters and for the pollutant causing the impairment. Ideally, the TMDL will identify the sources of the pollutant in the watershed and allocate reductions of input for each of the sources that will result in the water body meeting water quality standards; however, the world of TMDLs is far from ideal...and there are many impaired river and stream segments in the Savannah River basin. For a lively discussion on this topic, see Rob Pavey's blog - There's plenty of drinking water. But what about the sewage?
You can help our community by learning to evaluate the TMDLs that are being generated, thereby helping to assure that pollutant sources are being identified and that the allocations of reduced input are sufficient to meet water quality standards. For training, contact the Savannah Riverkeeper: tonyabonitatibus@savannahriverkeeper.org, 706-755-4839.
The Clean Water Act came about because people could not tolerate further pollution of our rivers, streams and lakes; let's leverage it to help the water quality in the Savannah River basin. |
