EcoWatch Journal August/September 2010 : Page 1

August -September 2010 FREE Waterkeeper Alliance—Grassroots Advocacy for the Protection of Our Waterways By: Francisco Ollervides, Waterkeeper Alliance Want to measure the health of a community? Start by measuring the health of its waters. Look anywhere on this increasingly thirsty planet, and you’ll find people struggling to defend their right to clean water— against law-breaking corporations, irrespon-sible government agencies and an array of other threats. Waterkeeper Alliance is a uniquely power-ful force in this struggle. From the Great Lakes to the Baltic Sea, from the Amazon to the Gan-ges, and on hundreds of waterways in between, Waterkeepers are defending and advocating for their waterways and for the people who rely on them. The Waterkeeper movement began on New York’s Hudson River in 1966 when commercial and recreational fishermen united to save the river from rampant pollution. In 1983, they hired the first full-time Hudson Riverkeeper to patrol the river, to restore its abundant fisheries and to lead citizen-based enforcement of environmental laws. The early successes of Hudson Riverkeeper spurred an explosive growth of similar grassroots programs across the globe. In 1999, environmental lawyer and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and several veteran Waterkeepers founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which has grown rapidly over the last decade by championing the protection and restoration of the world’s rivers, lakes, bays and estuar-ies. Today, Waterkeeper Alliance unites 200 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and Waterkeepers patrol more than 2.5 million square miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Members of Waterkeeper Alliance expose the impacts of coal-fired power plants on waterways and the need for reforming regional, national and international energy policies at a rally against Duke Energy’s proposed Cliffside power plant in Charlotte, N.C. of the Maumee River. Part investigator, scientist, teacher and law enforcement officer, every Waterkeeper combines firsthand knowledge For example, in Ohio, the Western Lake Erie Water-keeper led by Sandy Bihn seeks to protect the waters and fish of Lake Erie from Sandusky Bay west to the Ohio line of their waterway with an unwavering commitment to the rights of their community and to the rule of law. Whether they’re on the water tracking down polluters, in a court-room advocating for stronger enforcement of environmental laws, rallying community support in town meetings, or in a classroom educating young people, Waterkeepers speak for the waters they defend. Waterkeeper Alliance is involved in the following campaigns and institutions: CLEAN ENERGY Waterkeeper Alliance focuses on two critical areas that are affecting our water resources and communities. The reformation of regional, national and international energy policies by exposing the truth behind the coal industry’s dirty lies, and protection of our food systems and children from mercury, a potent neurotoxin needlessly released by coal-fired power plants in the U.S. SAVE THE GULF Our Gulf Waterkeepers are acting as the first line of defense during the continuing BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Their in-credible knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches and inner-coastal waters makes them invaluable first responders. POLLUTED RUNOFF We harness the skills and energies of Waterkeeper organizations and the Alliance’s core legal, scientific and support staff. The campaign is a dynamic, multi-pronged effort that focuses on making change at the local level and strengthening U.S. stormwater laws and regulations. (continued on page 8) Mercury from Coal Plants Pollutes America’s Waterways A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mercury consumed by humans damages the nervous (EPA) study, National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue, shows concentrations of toxic chemi-cals in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50 U.S. states and nearly half of all U.S. waterways— rivers, lakes, streams, and reservoirs—contain toxic levels of mercury. The EPA found both mercury and polychlori-nated biphenyls (PCBs) in 500 water and fish samples across the country that exceed levels safe for consumption and use. system and can cause learning disabilities in children and even spontaneous fetal abortions. This study brings light to the fact that America’s energy supply, long dominated by coal-fired power plants, causes more than just rising levels of atmospheric carbon and other air pollutants like sulfur dioxide that have been linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases. Mercury pollution from coal plants has also been linked to cancer, brain damage and autism. The Obama Administration is currently exploring new regulations to control mercury emissions from coal-plants, including requiring scrubbers on all new power plants. However, existing power plants would not be affected by the proposed regulation, making it weak and mostly ineffective. The administration and EPA are also work-ing to reduce mercury pollution being emitted by cement manufacturing plants. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/study. Photo by John Wathen

Waterkeeper Alliance

Francisco Ollervides

Waterkeeper Alliance—Grassroots Advocacy for the Protection of Our Waterways Want to measure the health of a community? Start by measuring the health of its waters. Look anywhere on this increasingly thirsty planet, and you’ll find people struggling to defend their right to clean water— against law-breaking corporations, irresponsible government agencies and an array of other threats. Waterkeeper Alliance is a uniquely powerful force in this struggle. From the Great Lakes to the Baltic Sea, from the Amazon to the Ganges, and on hundreds of waterways in between, Waterkeepers are defending and advocating for their waterways and for the people who rely on them. The Waterkeeper movement began on New York’s Hudson River in 1966 when commercial and recreational fishermen united to save the river from rampant pollution. In 1983, they hired the first full-time Hudson Riverkeeper to patrol the river, to restore its abundant fisheries and to lead citizen-based enforcement of environmental laws. The early successes of Hudson Riverkeeper spurred an explosive growth of similar grassroots programs across the globe. In 1999, environmental lawyer and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and several veteran Waterkeepers founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which has grown rapidly over the last decade by championing the protection and restoration of the world’s rivers, lakes, bays and estuaries. Today, Waterkeeper Alliance unites 200 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and Waterkeepers patrol more than 2.5 million square miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. For example, in Ohio, the Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper led by Sandy Bihn seeks to protect the waters and fish of Lake Erie from Sandusky Bay west to the Ohio line Of the Maumee River. Part investigator, scientist, teacher and law enforcement officer, every Waterkeeper combines firsthand knowledgeOf their waterway with an unwavering commitment to the rights of their community and to the rule of law. Whether they’re on the water tracking down polluters, in a courtroom advocating for stronger enforcement of environmental laws, rallying community support in town meetings, or in a classroom educating young people, Waterkeepers speak for the waters they defend. Waterkeeper Alliance is involved in the following campaigns and institutions: CLEAN ENERGY Waterkeeper Alliance focuses on two critical areas that are affecting our water resources and communities. The reformation of regional, national and international energy policies by exposing the truth behind the coal industry’s dirty lies, and protection of our food systems and children from mercury, a potent neurotoxin needlessly released by coal-fired power plants in the U.S. SAVE THE GULF Our Gulf Waterkeepers are acting as the first line of defense during the continuing BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Their incredible knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches and inner-coastal waters makes them invaluable first responders. POLLUTED RUNOFF We harness the skills and energies of Waterkeeper organizations and the Alliance’s core legal, scientific and support staff. The campaign is a dynamic, multi-pronged effort that focuses on making change at the local level and strengthening U.S. stormwater laws and regulations. PURE FARMS, PURE WATERS We combine hard-nosed litigation with education and outreach on sustainable agriculture. We are working with farmers, environmentalists and political leaders to support real alternatives to factory-raised food. By cramming thousands of animals into warehouse-style buildings, industrial livestock facilities produce mountains of waste that end up in our nation’s waterways. In many rural communities, livestock produces more waste than humans do, but while human waste is treated before being released into the environment, manure is often dumped untreated onto fields—allowing it to wash into local creeks, streams and rivers, causing algae blooms, fish kills and polluting our drinking water. Waterkeeper Alliance helps protect rural watersheds by working to prevent the spread of factory-style agriculture and promoting the security of family-owned, sustainable farms. WATERKEEPER GROUPS IN THE GREAT LAKES There are eight Waterkeeper organizations working to protect and restore the Great Lakes and numerous tributary rivers and lakes within the Great Lakes watershed. They are Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Detroit Riverkeeper, Grand Traverse Baykeeper, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, St. Claire Channelkeeper, Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper, Yellow Dog Riverkeeper and Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper. Waterkeepers work collaboratively with three of our Canadian Great Lakes Waterkeepers to advocate for bi-national issues affecting our boundary waters and shared resources. Our regional goals are to: • Raise our visibility both collectively and individually, as well as increase public awareness of the waterways we protect and of the Waterkeeper movement; • Create a strong Waterkeeper voice on Great Lakes related issues that is based on our grassroots strengths; • Enhance fundraising and organizational capacity; • Foster local interest to recruit additional Waterkeeper programs in the region in strategic areas; • Improve communication and collaboration among both U. S. and Canadian Great Lakes programs; and • Enforce environmental laws in the Great Lakes Region. We have worked collectively to help craft and pass the Great Lakes Compact, which regulates in-basin consumption of Great Lakes water as well as water diversions outside of the Great Lakes Basin. We banded together to help defeat the U.S. Coast Guard’s proposal to test live ammunition in the Great Lakes and to create “safety zones” where recreational boats could not pass. WANT TO START A WATERKEEPER ORGANIZATION IN YOUR WATERSHED? At the core of every self sufficient Waterkeeper organization is a commitment to grassroots advocacy and an unfaltering belief that everyone has a right to clean water. Waterkeeper Alliance is not a funding agency, but the Umbrella organization that will assist Prospective Waterkeeper organizations in their submission of a solid proposal that highlights why they are the right person for this challenging endeavor. In the proposal, the prospective organization must specify how, over time, they will meet Waterkeeper Alliance’s Quality Standards—a set of licensing requirements that help new programs understand and fully honor what it means to be a Waterkeeper; provide consistency in the Waterkeeper movement; and demonstrate to the world that the licensed trademark users and the trademark holders are vigilant in ensuring that all Waterkeeper programs are fulfilling the expectations of a Waterkeeper and are complying with the requirements of the trademark. Our support staff will assist applicants through the preliminary proposal process. The Waterkeeper Alliance board of directors approves Waterkeeper proposals. Approvals are based on compatibility with Waterkeeper purposes and goals, the likelihood of building a sustainable organization, and an overall evaluation that the proposed Waterkeeper organization is beneficial for the watershed. For more information on Waterkeeper, visit www.waterkeeper.org or contact Francisco Ollervides at 914-400-8210 or follervides@waterkeeper.org. For more information on Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper, visit http://westernlakeerie.org or contact Sandy at 419-691-3788 or sandylakeerie@aol.com.

Mercury From Coal Plants Pollutes America's Waterways

A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue, shows concentrations of toxic chemicals in fish tissue from lakes and reservoirs in nearly all 50 U.S. states and nearly half of all U.S. waterways— rivers, lakes, streams, and reservoirs—contain toxic levels of mercury. The EPA found both mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 500 water and fish samples across the country that exceed levels safe for consumption and use. Mercury consumed by humans damages the nervous system and can cause learning disabilities in children and even spontaneous fetal abortions. This study brings light to the fact that America’s energy supply, long dominated by coal-fired power plants, causes more than just rising levels of atmospheric carbon and other air pollutants like sulfur dioxide that have been linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases. Mercury pollution from coal plants has also been linked to cancer, brain damage and autism. The Obama Administration is currently exploring new regulations to control mercury emissions from coal-plants, including requiring scrubbers on all new power plants. However, existing power plants would not be affected by the proposed regulation, making it weak and mostly ineffective. The administration and EPA are also working to reduce mercury pollution being emitted by cement manufacturing plants. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/study.

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