A toxic leftover from the Cold War is polluting soil and water at sites across the country. More than two dozen sites in the Great Lakes region could be contaminated by a chemical used in rocket fuel. The chemical was either used or stored at the sites. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Tag: drinking water
Pollution Hot Spots Get the Scoop
Polluted sediments sit at the bottom of rivers and lakes across the Great Lakes region. They can affect water quality, wildlife and human health. More than 40 highly contaminated areas in the region have been identified by the EPA’s Great Lakes Office. But so far, only about half of those sites have been cleaned up. This summer, dredging is taking place in at least three of those hot spots, all on rivers. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports on the challenges of cleaning up a river bottom:
Stronger Restrictions on Water Export
The number of people living in areas without fresh water is
growing. And that’s made the Great Lakes more vulnerable to proposals
that would remove large volumes of water. In late March, the International Joint Commission announced a plan to regulate
water removal from the Great Lakes. If adopted, it will severely
restrict
bulk exports of drinking water. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Karen Kelly reports:
Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 1)
Ron Offutt grows more potatoes than anyone else in the
world. He grows them for the French Fry market. Press reports call him
the Sultan of Spuds and the Lord of the Fries—but his success has an
environmental price, as people in small towns near his potato farms have
learned to their dismay. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary
Losure reports in the first of a two part series:
Potato Farms Create ‘Super-Sized’ Problem (Part 2)
Ron D. Offutt is the biggest potato grower in the world.
His privately owned company raises 1.8 BILLION pounds of potatoes a
year. They go to make French fries for fast food chains like McDonalds
and big potato processors like J.R Simplot. But Offutt’s
success has a downside. Many people who live near his potato farms
worry about the pesticides sprayed on his fields…but they soon find
they’re up against a system much bigger than they are. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mary Losure reports, in the second part of a two part
series:
City Sued Over Lethal Tap Water
The ability to sue, if your community provides unhealthy drinking water
is back before the courts. Some who say they were harmed by a parasite
in Milwaukee’s water supply in 1993 are pressing ahead with a lawsuit
against that city. But the case faces a major hurdle this month. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach explains:
Farmers Protest Atrazine Study
A study by the Environmental Group says the water quality in 7 Great
Lakes States is polluted with the herbicide atrazine. The Washington
based organization says people living in those states are exposed to
high amounts of the chemical. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Tom Scheck reports, farm groups are protesting the study:
Zebra Mussels Affect Drinking Water
Researchers know zebra mussels have altered the Great Lakes. They
believe those changes are not finished. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports… the invasive species might be
upsetting the food chain and making tap water drawn from the lakes taste
bad:
Scientists Push for Tougher Arsenic Standards
Groundwater in some Great Lakes states has been found to meet or exceed
acceptable levels of naturally occurring arsenic. Growing concern about
the health effects of arsenic consumption recently prompted the U-S
Academy of Sciences to recommend that the federal government create more
stringent standards for human consumption of arsenic. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Marisa Helms has the story:
Selling Great Lakes Water
Ever since last year’s attempt by a Canadian company to sell Lake
Superior water to Asia, the issue of Great Lakes water diversion has
been a hot topic. The International Joint Commission has been asked by
the U-S and Canadian governments to prepare a recommendation on the
issue by August. Over the last three weeks, they have been holding a
series of hearings throughout the Great Lakes region to try and gauge
public sentiment. So far, an overwhelming majority of people have been
speaking out against selling or diverting water, but as the Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, that doesn’t necessarily mean
the I-J-C will prohibit the practice: