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POWR: DEP Presentation On Draft Integrated Water Quality Report Showing 40% Of Streams Impaired June 4 In Harrisburg

On May 24, the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers announced DEP will hold a presentation on the draft PA Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report on June 4 from 10:30 to Noon in the Auditorium of the Rachel Carson Building in Harrisburg.

Over all, about 40 percent of Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams have impaired water quality for one or more reasons.

On April 18, the Department of Environmental Protection released its 2018 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, the biennial comprehensive analysis of the water quality status of the more than 86,000 miles of streams and rivers and more than 160,000 acres of lakes in Pennsylvania required by the federal Clean Water Act.

The report evaluates whether waterbodies across Pennsylvania are achieving the water standards that protect clean water. Streams, lakes, rivers, and other water resources are evaluated on how well each waterway is meeting its assessed use, such as drinking water supply, aquatic life, recreation, and fish consumption.

The report shows agriculture, abandoned mines and stormwater runoff remain the most significant sources of pollution causing the impairment of water quality for aquatic life, the same sources of pollution as in the last assessment in 2016.

Agricultural runoff impairs 5,741 miles of streams (6,421 miles in 2016); abandoned mine runoff impairs 5,576 miles (5,595 miles in 2016); and stormwater runoff impairs 3,066 miles (2,902 miles in 2016).

DEP is accepting public comments on the report until June 4. Click Here to submit comments through DEP’s eComment webpage or email comments to: ecomment@pa.gov. Written comments can be mailed to DEP Policy Office, Rachel Carson Office Building, PO Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105. (formal notice)

For more information on programs, initiatives, other upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers website.

(Photo: Red is bad.)

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