Links r Us
10-09-2004, 09:41 AM
Article published Thursday, September 23, 2004
Polluted-water list includes 3 streams in NW Ohio
Three northwest Ohio streams - Tymochtee Creek, the Tiffin River, and the east branch of the St. Joseph River - made a Top 10 list for Ohio mercury pollution that a pair of environmental groups issued yesterday.
The analysis was compiled by the Columbus-based Ohio Environmental Council and the State Environmental Leadership Program in Madison, Wis. Both claimed to have based their findings on fish tissue sampling data generated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency from 1996 to 2002.
An area of the Tymochtee in Wyandot County, near Carey, Ohio, was ranked second-highest for mercury contamination. The Tiffin River ranked ninth, due to sampling results taken in the vicinity of Stryker, Ohio, in Williams County. The east branch of the St. Joseph was ranked 10th, due to sampling results taken in the vicinity of Pioneer, Ohio, also in Williams.
Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council spokesman, said the group's campaign to curb mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants gets "a little more up-close and personal" when explained in the context of fish contamination.
"Thirty years ago, we had dangerously high levels of lead in the air. We didn't park every car on cinder blocks. The solution is not to stop fishing or pull the plug on power plants. The solution is to address pollution at the source," Mr. Shaner said.
Linda Oros, an Ohio EPA spokesman, said the agency was not able to verify the authenticity of the report. "It's not clear to us what they did [with the numbers]," she said. "At this point, we're not in agreement."
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040923/NEWS06/409230441&SearchID=73186338365242
Polluted-water list includes 3 streams in NW Ohio
Three northwest Ohio streams - Tymochtee Creek, the Tiffin River, and the east branch of the St. Joseph River - made a Top 10 list for Ohio mercury pollution that a pair of environmental groups issued yesterday.
The analysis was compiled by the Columbus-based Ohio Environmental Council and the State Environmental Leadership Program in Madison, Wis. Both claimed to have based their findings on fish tissue sampling data generated by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency from 1996 to 2002.
An area of the Tymochtee in Wyandot County, near Carey, Ohio, was ranked second-highest for mercury contamination. The Tiffin River ranked ninth, due to sampling results taken in the vicinity of Stryker, Ohio, in Williams County. The east branch of the St. Joseph was ranked 10th, due to sampling results taken in the vicinity of Pioneer, Ohio, also in Williams.
Jack Shaner, Ohio Environmental Council spokesman, said the group's campaign to curb mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants gets "a little more up-close and personal" when explained in the context of fish contamination.
"Thirty years ago, we had dangerously high levels of lead in the air. We didn't park every car on cinder blocks. The solution is not to stop fishing or pull the plug on power plants. The solution is to address pollution at the source," Mr. Shaner said.
Linda Oros, an Ohio EPA spokesman, said the agency was not able to verify the authenticity of the report. "It's not clear to us what they did [with the numbers]," she said. "At this point, we're not in agreement."
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040923/NEWS06/409230441&SearchID=73186338365242