PA Needs To Do More To Prevent Waterway Pollution

PennEnvironement issued a report that states that over 10 million pounds of toxic chemicals are dumped into Pennsylvania waterways each year.  Ranked first in PA for total toxic discharges, the Monongahela River received 2.6 million pounds in 2007.  Ranked first in PA for cancer-causing chemicals, the Susquehanna River received over 4,000 pounds in 2007.  Ranked fifth in the nation for total toxic discharges, the Delaware River received over 7.4 million pounds in 2007. The report calls for tougher permitting and enforcement policies. 

PA Environment Digest, October 26, 2009
http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=13853
To view the report, visit http://www.pennenvironment.org/reports/clean-water/clean-water-program-reports/wasting-our-waterways-industrial-toxic-pollution-and-the-unfulfilled-promise-of-the-clean-water-act

More Projects Return America's Rivers to Their Natural State

Many projects today are correcting mistakes made in the past.  In order to reduce flooding, some stream channels were altered to quickly direct stormwater away from cities.  Many current projects, however, are restoring these rivers to their natural state by adding natural bends and wetlands.

By Jeff DeLong, USA Today, October 5, 2009
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-10-05-river-restore-work_N.htm

EPA’s New Green Parking Lot Will Provide Valuable Data

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new parking lot in Edison, NJ contains a variety of best management practices (BMPs) including a variety of permeable pavements and rain gardens to capture stormwater runoff.  They will use this new parking lot to conduct studies and evaluations of the different designs and materials, and their effectiveness in removing pollutants and providing for infiltration.

EPA News Release, October 28, 2009
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d985312f6895893b852574ac005f1e40/61b216a56ea5e4ac8525765d0056a5a7!OpenDocument

Green Roofs Are Changing the Way Architects Design Buildings

Green roofs, though utilized in some places for centuries, are becoming more popular in urban areas.  They regulate temperatures, reduce stormwater runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and now provide recreational areas for residents.  Architects are beginning to utilize green roofs as amenities to rooftop living spaces.

By Lloyd Alter, Inhabitat, October 7, 2009
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/10/07/green-roofs-are-changing-the-way-architects-design-buildings/

Alfalfa Sprouts Key To Discovering How Meandering Rivers Form And Maintain

A scale model using alfalfa sprouts to represent vegetation is showing scientists what makes a river meander.  This will provide useful information for designing and implementing stream bank stabilizations.

ScienceDaily, October 6, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929151920.htm

Nature Shapes the Course of Storm Drainage:  More Cities are Urging Residents to Use Rain Gardens to Handle Street Runoff and Keep Pollutants Out of Lakes and Streams Houses along Rushmore Drive in Burnsville, Minnesota have installed rain gardens in their front yards to collect stormwater generated by the road.  Approximately 90% of the stormwater generated by the road is captured into the rain gardens, filtering and reducing the amount of runoff.

By Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune, October 7, 2009
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/63647942.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUBP7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Better Defined, More Strictly Enforced:  Experience at the Local Level Indicates Stormwater System Maintenance is Gaining Greater Attention
Local municipalities are becoming more and more involved in stormwater management system maintenance.   Maintenance requirements are being more strictly enforced.  Stormwater management facilities could be owned by homeowner’s associations, townships, or counties, amongst other options.

By Don Talend, Stormwater Journal, September 2009
http://www.stormh2o.com/september-2009/better-defined-enforced.aspx