Ohio Ranks 1st in Water Pollution: Report Says State Has Most Violations in U.S. Of Clean-Water Rules

By Bob Downing, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Mar. 24–Ohio factories and sewage plants violate discharge levels under federal clean-water permits more often than facilities in any other state, according to a new review.

The Ohio Public Interest Research Group report, released on Thursday, showed that 228 Ohio facilities violated their pollution permits 2,656 times between July 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2004.

Ohio’s total of 2,656 permit violations was No. 1 in the United States. Ohio was ahead of Texas with 2,043; New York with 2,014; Pennsylvania with 1,993; and Louisiana with 1,366.

The report, compiled from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data under the Freedom of Information Act, looks at compliance data with the federal Clean Water Act.

Ohio has 292 facilities with federal discharge permits.

In addition, 78 percent of Ohio’s factories and sewage plants discharged more pollution than allowed under their federal discharge permits at least once in the 18 months, and many violators were way over their permit limits, the eco-group said.

Ohio permit holders reported 205 instances in which they exceeded their permit levels by at least 500 percent, ranking Ohio No. 1 in the country again, Ohio PIRG said in Troubled Waters: An Analysis of Clean Water Act Compliance.

“Ohio’s waterways including Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River, the Ohio River, the Olentangy River and dozens more are being polluted with health-threatening sewage and toxic chemicals like lead and cyanide,” said Amy Gomberg of Ohio PIRG.

“All Ohioans deserve clean water to drink and safe places to swim and fish, but sewage pollution and other contaminants are jeopardizing our health and the environment,” she said in a statement.

“The Ohio EPA and state officials should strive for better enforcement of clean water act permits.”

In 2004, the Ohio EPA issued 56 orders to halt water pollution, the highest total since 1992, said spokeswoman Linda Oros.

The agency that year also imposed $11 million in water pollution fines, the highest amount since 1990, she said.

Ohio PIRG called on the Bush administration to toughen the federal Clean Water Act to curb such discharges.

Nationally, more than 3,700 facilities, or 62 percent, violated their discharge permits at least once, the report said.

The report is available at www.ohiopirg.org.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com

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