December 19, 2012
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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Author:
Walter G. Wright
The Environmental Integrity Project ("EIP") issued a December 2012 report titled
The Clean Water Act and the Chesapeake "“Enforcement's Critical Role in Restoring the Bay ("Report").
EIP examined public data obtained from both the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and states to evaluate progress in meeting Clean Water Act Total Maximum of Daily Loads ("TMDLs") goals by the largest municipal and industrial sources of nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In particular, the Report forces on nitrogen discharges. TMDLs have been set by EPA for the Chesapeake Bay to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous loadings by 25% by 2025 and sediment loadings by 20%.
The Report focuses on industrial and municipal point sources. EIP states these sources account for about 20% of the nitrogen and nearly ¼ of the phosphorous that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.
EIP also identified National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits that lacked numeric limits for Total Maximum Daily Load pollutants, failures to report among the most significant dischargers, and estimated the pollution attributable to illegal discharges. It also reviewed the Chesapeake Bay's state performance inspecting dischargers, assessing penalties, and maintaining current permits.
A copy of the Report can be downloaded below.
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