# data[].attributes.body
-JT

# data[].attributes.body
-replacing farm communities and rural areas with cities and residential areas
ex. more humans = more fertilizers  and more littering.
-roads allow runoff to sweep chemicals easily into lakes and streams
-HT

# data[].attributes.body
Fertilizer entering waterways from runoff can cause algae blooms.  Algae blooms can produce toxins that can sicken or kill animals and people and also raises treatment costs of drinking water.  KS

# data[].attributes.headline
The water in a general area feeds into the same river

# data[].attributes.subject
The water in a general area feeds into the same river

# data[].attributes.body
We live in the Olentangy river watershed so all the water in this area feeds into that Olentangy. SE

# data[].attributes.body
Some household products contain harmful chemicals that end up in the watersheds, so switching to  environmentally friendly products will lessen the effect of water pollution
-CW

# data[].attributes.body
Heavy rainfall and snowfall will run onto roads, buildings, parking lots, etc., which run over or near watersheds, and into rivers overwhelming them -MM

# data[].attributes.body
Columbus, Ohio - promoting the value and providing blueprints on how to install rain gardens in our community - JT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rain gardens are shallow gardens designed to absorb rainwater runoff from rooftops, driveways, sidewalks, roads, and other hard surfaces, including turfgrass lawns. They allow water to soak into the ground, reducing runoff. Tough plants that thrive during brief periods of inundation as well as drought do well in rain gardens, and they can be installed in a variety of residential and commercial landscapes.

How do they work?

Rainwater is directed into the garden via rain chains, rain barrel overflow, downspouts, driveway drains, curb cuts, dry streambeds, or sheet flow.

When water soaks in, less stormwater erodes our streams and rivers.

Deep-rooted plants break up hard soils and create channels for water to move through.

Plant uptake, physical filtration, and biological processes reduce contaminants like oil, metals, and nutrients.

What are their benefits?

Reduce localized flooding

Beautify your landscape

Create important habitat

I'd like to be a rain gardener! What do I do?

Franklin Soil and Water provides technical assistance (site assessments, soils suitability, and planting lists) to landowners, local community groups, and municipalities. If you live within the City of Columbus you may even be eligible to free technical assistance. We also serve as the lead for the Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative (CORGI), a collaborative effort to promote the benefits of rain gardens for community beautification and clean water.

Learn about our 2010 Brook Run Project, a collaborative partnership that resulted in a network of 16 residential and 5 right-of-way rain gardens in Westerville, Ohio.

For the homeowner:

We are often available to provide assistance with planning and technical assistance and you may be eligible for a cost-share up to $250, depending on where you live (not every municipality offers cost-share). Contact us to see if you qualify. We give workshops and presentations throughout the year, so be sure to check our calendar for upcoming events!

Ready to dig in? View examples of rain gardens, step-by-step instructions, and recommended plants!

For the nursery or garden center owner/manager:

We've noticed that gardeners have been asking about native plants and rain gardens. The Gardening for Clean Water Project connects the landscaper and nursery to its conservation-minded customers by providing technical training for employees and educational materials for customers. This grant-funded program was awarded by Ohio EPA's Environmental Education Fund for years 2013-14.

Lean more about the Gardening for Clean Water Project.

For more information about any of our rain garden programs, contact Sara Ernst by phone at (614) 486-9613 ext. 125, or by e-mail.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rain gardens are shallow gardens designed to absorb rainwater runoff from rooftops, driveways, sidewalks, roads, and other hard surfaces, including turfgrass lawns. They allow water to soak into the ground, reducing runoff. Tough plants that thrive during brief periods of inundation as well as drought do well in rain gardens, and they can be installed in a variety of residential and commercial landscapes.

# data[].attributes.body
Water flows across lands to feed the streams, rivers, and lakes. As the water flows downhill, it picks up polluants, which could affect the ecology of the watershed and where it will ultimately end up. Water cannot travel uphill so all watersheds are determined by topography, or the physical shape and features of an area of land.
-ND

# data[].attributes.body
Cattle Raising can cause the runoff of cow waste into watersheds resulting in the large scale contamination of the water. -BV

# data[].attributes.body
Promoting aquatic protection component by partnering with government and non government entities involved with landscape conservation AS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On this page:

Background

Much of the focus of EPA's water quality programs for the past four decades has been on restoring impaired waters and reducing pollutant levels in waterways. While EPA and our state, tribal and other partners have made, and continue to make, considerable progress in this important task, we recognize the need to also protect and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our Nation's waters (CWA Section 101(a) objective) as intended by Congress.

The Committee Report written in support of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act amendments clarified that the term integrity "...refers to a condition in which the natural structure and function of ecosystems is [sic] maintained," rather than simply improving water quality in a narrow sense. Protection of healthy functioning watersheds is essential for not only ensuring that restored water bodies are maintained but also so that we can continue to enjoy the ecological services healthy watersheds provide.

EPA acknowledged the need to increase protection of healthy watersheds in Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA's Strategy to Protect America's Waters (PDF). The Strategy identified increased focus on the protection of source waters and healthy watersheds as one of the five areas guiding the implementation efforts and actions to meet the Strategic Plan objectives in the next two years and beyond. EPA's Strategic Plan (2014-18) and the National Water Program Guidance address this need as a key national strategy (i.e., EPA will work with states and tribes to strengthen capacities to identify and protect high quality waters). EPA created the Healthy Watersheds Program to enhance our ability to protect healthy aquatic ecosystems and their watersheds.

Program Goals

Support states and tribes in their efforts to identify, protect and maintain healthy watersheds across the United States.

Further integrate protection of healthy watersheds into EPA Clean Water Act programs.

Promote the aquatic protection component in partnering with other government, non-government and private entities involved in landscape conservation.

Increase awareness of the value of protecting healthy watersheds and improve understanding of the range of management actions needed to avoid adverse impacts.

Key Program Elements

The Healthy Watersheds Program provides a strategic framework and tools for holistic watershed protection for state, tribal and local programs. The Program both integrates systems-based healthy watersheds protection into EPA CWA programs, and promotes development of state, tribal and large basin healthy watershed protection strategies. These strategies leverage programs and resources of land and aquatic ecosystem protection agencies, and of other partners.

Key elements include:

Partnerships are established to identify and protect healthy watersheds.

Healthy watersheds are identified by states and tribes with their partners using scientifically-sound, integrated assessments.

Healthy watersheds are listed, tracked, maintained and increased in number.

Healthy watersheds are protected and, if applicable, enhanced using the best regulatory and non-regulatory tools.

Progress on protecting healthy watersheds is measured and tied to securing and raising the overall goals of EPA's Water Program, including direct support of the public health and environmental goals established in EPA's Strategic Plan.

Healthy Watersheds Assessment Projects

One challenge facing efforts to protect healthy watersheds is insufficient information about healthy watersheds, their condition and vulnerability in many parts of the nation. Although public and private efforts have made progress identifying and protecting exceptional watersheds in some areas, a better and more consistent information base from which to consider and act on protection is needed. Healthy watersheds assessments provide a crucial link between identifying healthy watersheds in the first place and protecting their valued attributes against the most serious risks they face.

EPA has collaborated with several state governments and watershed groups in developing healthy watershed assessments that can aid their future protection efforts. Currently, EPA is developing watershed assessment data and analyses at national scale to assist a broader array of healthy watersheds protection partners. View more information about the assessment and protection of healthy watersheds, and about integrated assessments.

The Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant

Healthy watersheds protection occurs through a wide variety of techniques and approaches, many that far exceed the limits of EPA's resources and roles. Through a multi-year cooperative agreement awarded in 2015, EPA is helping to support watershed protection via a healthy watersheds consortium. This consortium brings together like-minded partners from all levels of government, private organizations and industry to support individual watershed protection projects through grants, using leveraged funding from government and non-government sources together. View more information about the grant.

Integrating Watershed Protection with Other EPA Responsibilities

To achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA and states have implemented a variety of programs to establish surface water quality standards, assess the condition of waters, control nonpoint source pollution, regulate point source discharges and, protect source waters, estuaries, oceans, and wetlands. Integrating healthy watersheds protection into CWA programs will help both maintain healthy watersheds and ensure sustainability of restored watersheds.

A Long-Term Vision for Assessment, Restoration, and Protection under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Program. In December 2013, EPA and the states developed and released a new collaborative framework for implementing CWA Section 303(d). A key component of the Vision is a Protection Goal to encourage a systematic consideration of management actions to prevent impairments in healthy waters. The Protection Goal calls for identification of priorities, approaches, and schedules for protecting healthy waters that is consistent with procedures used for impaired waters.

Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories. The EPA 2014 nonpoint source program and grants guidelines for states and territories outline requirements that apply to recipients of nonpoint source pollution management grants funded under CWA Section 319. The guidelines include a provision to fund watershed protection projects where a state has identified protection of high quality waters as a priority.

Maintaining Healthy Watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed ExitThe 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement Exitcontains a new Healthy Watersheds Goal: sustain state-identified healthy waters and watersheds recognized for their high quality and/or high ecological value. The outcome associated with this goal is 100 percent of state-identified currently healthy waters and watersheds remaining healthy. The Chesapeake Bay Program Maintain Healthy Watersheds Goal Implementation Team Exit implements strategies to achieve this goal. The Team is developing methods to track watershed health and protection status. Tracking measures are reported on the Chesapeake Stat website.

Program Contacts

EPA Headquarters

Doug Norton (norton.douglas@epa.gov) Healthy Watersheds Program Coordinator 202-566-1221
Lynda Hall (hall.lynda@epa.gov) Chief, Nonpoint Source Control Branch 202-566-1210

Region 1

Trish Garrigan (garrigan.trish@epa.gov) 617-918-1583
Kira Jacobs (jacobs.kira@epa.gov) 617-918-1817
Margherita Pryor (pryor.margherita@epa.gov) 617-918-1597

Region 2

Mario Paula (paula.mario@epa.gov) 212-637-3819

Region 3

Bill Jenkins (jenkins.bill@epa.gov) 215-814-2911
Fred Suffian (suffian.fred@epa.gov) 215-814-5753

Region 4

Veronica Fasselt (fasselt.veronica@epa.gov) 404-562-9471

Region 5

Paul Thomas (thomas.paul@epa.gov) 312-886-7742

Region 6

Brian Fontenot (fontenot.brian@epa.gov) 214-665-7286

Region 7

Jennifer Ousley (ousley.jennifer@epa.gov) 913-551-7498

Region 8

Peter Ismert (ismert.peter@epa.gov) 303-312-6215

Region 9

Sam Ziegler (ziegler.sam@epa.gov) 415-972-3399
Terrence Fleming (fleming.terrence@epa.gov) 415-972-3462

Region 10

Krista Mendelman (mendelman.krista@epa.gov) 206-553-1571

Chesapeake Bay Program Office

Carin Bisland (bisland.carin@epa.gov) 410-267-5732

Gulf of Mexico Program Office

Lael Butler (butler.lael@epa.gov) 228-688-1576

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What EPA is Doing for Healthy Watersheds | US EPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On this page: Much of the focus of EPA's water quality programs for the past four decades has been on restoring impaired waters and reducing pollutant levels in waterways.

# data[].attributes.body
Deforestation can increase soil erosion, leading to an increase of sediments in waters. -BD

# data[].attributes.body
Big Walnut Creek- Water quality report (https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/35/documents/BigWalnutCreekTSD.pdf)

Upper Scioto River-  80% of land is used for cultivation of crops

Middle Scioto River- 45% is developed area and 40% is cropland

MG

# data[].attributes.body
Deforestation leads to increased erosion which could lead to an increase of waste materials that end up contaminating the freshwater supply -DP

# data[].attributes.body
- Gravity influences the way water gets pulled to outflow points RM

# data[].attributes.body
Map of more specific local water shed boundaries, the blue being the Scioto River Watershed and the purple being the Olentangy River Watershed -AF

# data[].attributes.body
Focusing on the water crisis and helping to find new ways to help keep water clean along with providing clean water in developing countries- JS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our mission is simple: Build a socially-conscious generation of young people who END the global water crisis. We do this by educating students about it and activating them to rock the clean water cause & build real water projects all over the world. Why Water? Health and Sanitation: Waterborne diseases kill more children every single year than AIDS, Malaria, and all world violence combined. Small children typically do not have strong enough immune systems to fight diseases like cholera, dysentery, or schistosomiasis.

By providing a community with safe drinking water, disease rates can drop by up to 88% virtually overnight! Child mortality rates can drop up to 90%- overnight! Clean water also plays an incredibly critical role in effectively treating and managing HIV/AIDS in rural communities. Swaziland, for example, has the single-highest-density population of HIV/AIDS in the world. For a person with HIV/AIDS, even if you have access to medical treatment or antiretroviral medication, but are still forced to drink dirty water from contaminated sources, the diseases in the water you drink will actually kill you faster than AIDS itself.

Women and children spend on average six to eight hours each day walking to fetch water. The average distance that women and children in developing communities walk to fetch water is 3.75 miles. The time children spend collecting water keeps them from going to school and getting an education.

The amount that disease rates can drop virtually overnight by providing safe drinking water.

Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water consumption worldwide.

Women, young and old, spend hours every day collecting water from sources that are typically polluted. Carrying a jerry can that weighs 44 pounds 3.75 miles is incredibly physically demanding. We've documented countless womens' health issues as a result of hauling water. Women experience chronic fatigue and dehydration while walking for water. Pregnant women can suffer spontaneous miscarriages because of the physical demand of collecting water. The time spent and the physical toll it takes on women to collect water keeps women from better employment opportunities to provide for their families. With close, safe drinking water, women can provide a second income for their families, and contribute to economic development in their community.

Worldwide, agriculture accounts for 70% of all water consumption. Crops and livestock must have water to grow. When a community has a close, safe water source, locally-grown food provides for a sustainable food source.

Why Students? We believe that students are THE most powerful agents for social change in the world! No other group activates like students do. Since we began educating our peers about the global water crisis in 2008, the response and initiative of students to take action on this issue has been AMAZING! We know that STUDENTS will change the world! Students are not afraid to dream, and we are only limited by what society tells us. Over half of the United States is enrolled in some type of schooling. Imagine if every single student responded and activated around the global water crisis.

When a student gains perspective on an issue as big as the global water crisis, amazing things happen! In just six years we have spoken to over 300,000 students, and STUDENTS have been the driving force in helping us raise over 8 million dollars, giving clean water to 13 different countries and over 280,000 people!

Together, this generation, everyone alive today WILL be the ones to end this. WE will be the ones to push the water crisis into the history books. We invite you to learn more here and join us.

Carrying a jerry can that weighs 44 pounds over 3.75 miles is incredibly physically demanding.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our mission is simple: Build a socially-conscious generation of young people who END the global water crisis. We do this by educating students about it and activating them to rock the clean water cause & build real water projects all over the world. Why Water?

# data[].attributes.body
Provides for 56% cropland, 14% urban developement , 14% forested for suburbs and 13% pasture, before it dumps into the Scioto.-CL

# data[].attributes.headline
Sediment from construction sites/ crop and forest land

# data[].attributes.subject
Sediment from construction sites/ crop and forest land

# data[].attributes.body
Disrupts the natural food chain by destroying habitats and can cause a decline in the fish population. Murky water prevents vegetation from growing in water. KS

# data[].attributes.body
The lack of vegetation and land clearing is causing erosion. When there is too much excess soil in the watershed, the water can't transport it clogging rocks and gravel beds affecting the habitats of fish, insects and other river life-KH

# data[].attributes.body
They help reduce the risk of flooding and take some strain off watersheds by slowing down the amount of water being absorbed into the ground, and letting the groundwater recharge slower.
-LE

# data[].attributes.body
-As the water flows it usually picks up pollutants which can have negative effects on the ecology of the watershed and, ultimately, on the reservoir, bay, or ocean where it ends up.
-KH

# data[].attributes.headline
Don't pour toxic waste household chemicals down the drain instead take them to waste centers

# data[].attributes.subject
Don't pour toxic waste household chemicals down the drain instead take them to waste centers

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.swaco.org/195/Household-Hazardous-Waste - cs

# data[].attributes.body
Untouched, a watershed is meant to channel precipitation into creeks and streams which will feed into rivers which will feed into oceans; watersheds will also soak up water, recharging aquifers -MM

# data[].attributes.body
Breaches in underground storage tanks or run off caused by industry can cause a large volume of toxic chemicals entering the watershed contaminating it.- BV

# data[].attributes.body
Pesticides can run off into watersheds, causing the waterways to become polluted. Pesticides can even contain carcinogens, which cause cancer. - EL

# data[].attributes.body
Polluted rainwater runoff is the leading source of pollution in surface drinking water, so proper disposal of these chemicals will prevent the further pollution of water entering the storm drain
-CW

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
According to the EPA, the leading source of pollution in surface drinking water supplies is polluted rainwater runoff. Many pollutants are found in legal, commonly used household products - cleaning chemicals for our homes, oil and gasoline for our vehicles, pesticides and fertilizers for our lawns, and pharmaceuticals for ourselves.

Please help protect our water supplies by making sure these potentially harmful products are used only in limited quantities when necessary, and that they are disposed of properly.

For simple household tips on what you can do to help, see the links below

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reduce Watershed Pollutants - Riverkeeper

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
According to the EPA, the leading source of pollution in surface drinking water supplies is polluted rainwater runoff. Many pollutants are found in legal, commonly used household products - cleaning chemicals for our homes, oil and gasoline for our vehicles, pesticides and fertilizers for our lawns, and pharmaceuticals for ourselves.

# data[].attributes.body
ex. recycling used motor oil instead of dumping it into the sewer or on the ground.
Autozone recycles 8.5 million gallons of used motor oil each year
-HT

# data[].attributes.body
Not collecting there fecal waste causing it to be caught in runoff and then drains into watersheds
HS

# data[].attributes.body
Chemicals and fertilizer should be used as a last resort for gardens and lawns instead of dousing their lawns in harmful chemicals for their weeds. Limiting the chemicals positively affects watershed quality over time. -AF

# data[].attributes.body
Use the smallest amount of fertilizer needed on lawns to decrease the overall amount of chemicals that could affect a watershed. -BD

# data[].attributes.body
Provided for 250,000 people in 2005, 93 miles worth of river is used.In 2005, 0.000372 of a mile of water would be used by a person.- CL

# data[].attributes.body
When it rains, runoff carries various things left on the ground to the nearest drain. This water will be recycled so clean up after your dog gets busy. SE

# data[].attributes.headline
Using plants that require little water and can grow without fertilizers and pesticides

# data[].attributes.subject
Using plants that require little water and can grow without fertilizers and pesticides

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/tips/a31767/houseplants-little-water/ plants that are good for low water use - cs

# data[].attributes.body
- runs off with the rainfall and snow melt into other bodies of water making contaminated drinking water and harming wildlife populations RM

# data[].attributes.body
On average, a single laundry can discharge 400 m³ of wastewater every day. This waste water contains chemicals from laundry detergents: nitrogen, nitrogen ammonium, phosphorous, and high amounts of sodium. This salinization and excess nutrients leak into watersheds after rain.
TB

# data[].attributes.body
Healthy watersheds are listed, tracked and maintained AS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On this page:

Background

Much of the focus of EPA's water quality programs for the past four decades has been on restoring impaired waters and reducing pollutant levels in waterways. While EPA and our state, tribal and other partners have made, and continue to make, considerable progress in this important task, we recognize the need to also protect and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our Nation's waters (CWA Section 101(a) objective) as intended by Congress.

The Committee Report written in support of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act amendments clarified that the term integrity "...refers to a condition in which the natural structure and function of ecosystems is [sic] maintained," rather than simply improving water quality in a narrow sense. Protection of healthy functioning watersheds is essential for not only ensuring that restored water bodies are maintained but also so that we can continue to enjoy the ecological services healthy watersheds provide.

EPA acknowledged the need to increase protection of healthy watersheds in Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA's Strategy to Protect America's Waters (PDF). The Strategy identified increased focus on the protection of source waters and healthy watersheds as one of the five areas guiding the implementation efforts and actions to meet the Strategic Plan objectives in the next two years and beyond. EPA's Strategic Plan (2014-18) and the National Water Program Guidance address this need as a key national strategy (i.e., EPA will work with states and tribes to strengthen capacities to identify and protect high quality waters). EPA created the Healthy Watersheds Program to enhance our ability to protect healthy aquatic ecosystems and their watersheds.

Program Goals

Support states and tribes in their efforts to identify, protect and maintain healthy watersheds across the United States.

Further integrate protection of healthy watersheds into EPA Clean Water Act programs.

Promote the aquatic protection component in partnering with other government, non-government and private entities involved in landscape conservation.

Increase awareness of the value of protecting healthy watersheds and improve understanding of the range of management actions needed to avoid adverse impacts.

Key Program Elements

The Healthy Watersheds Program provides a strategic framework and tools for holistic watershed protection for state, tribal and local programs. The Program both integrates systems-based healthy watersheds protection into EPA CWA programs, and promotes development of state, tribal and large basin healthy watershed protection strategies. These strategies leverage programs and resources of land and aquatic ecosystem protection agencies, and of other partners.

Key elements include:

Partnerships are established to identify and protect healthy watersheds.

Healthy watersheds are identified by states and tribes with their partners using scientifically-sound, integrated assessments.

Healthy watersheds are listed, tracked, maintained and increased in number.

Healthy watersheds are protected and, if applicable, enhanced using the best regulatory and non-regulatory tools.

Progress on protecting healthy watersheds is measured and tied to securing and raising the overall goals of EPA's Water Program, including direct support of the public health and environmental goals established in EPA's Strategic Plan.

Healthy Watersheds Assessment Projects

One challenge facing efforts to protect healthy watersheds is insufficient information about healthy watersheds, their condition and vulnerability in many parts of the nation. Although public and private efforts have made progress identifying and protecting exceptional watersheds in some areas, a better and more consistent information base from which to consider and act on protection is needed. Healthy watersheds assessments provide a crucial link between identifying healthy watersheds in the first place and protecting their valued attributes against the most serious risks they face.

EPA has collaborated with several state governments and watershed groups in developing healthy watershed assessments that can aid their future protection efforts. Currently, EPA is developing watershed assessment data and analyses at national scale to assist a broader array of healthy watersheds protection partners. View more information about the assessment and protection of healthy watersheds, and about integrated assessments.

The Healthy Watersheds Consortium Grant

Healthy watersheds protection occurs through a wide variety of techniques and approaches, many that far exceed the limits of EPA's resources and roles. Through a multi-year cooperative agreement awarded in 2015, EPA is helping to support watershed protection via a healthy watersheds consortium. This consortium brings together like-minded partners from all levels of government, private organizations and industry to support individual watershed protection projects through grants, using leveraged funding from government and non-government sources together. View more information about the grant.

Integrating Watershed Protection with Other EPA Responsibilities

To achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA and states have implemented a variety of programs to establish surface water quality standards, assess the condition of waters, control nonpoint source pollution, regulate point source discharges and, protect source waters, estuaries, oceans, and wetlands. Integrating healthy watersheds protection into CWA programs will help both maintain healthy watersheds and ensure sustainability of restored watersheds.

A Long-Term Vision for Assessment, Restoration, and Protection under the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Program. In December 2013, EPA and the states developed and released a new collaborative framework for implementing CWA Section 303(d). A key component of the Vision is a Protection Goal to encourage a systematic consideration of management actions to prevent impairments in healthy waters. The Protection Goal calls for identification of priorities, approaches, and schedules for protecting healthy waters that is consistent with procedures used for impaired waters.

Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories. The EPA 2014 nonpoint source program and grants guidelines for states and territories outline requirements that apply to recipients of nonpoint source pollution management grants funded under CWA Section 319. The guidelines include a provision to fund watershed protection projects where a state has identified protection of high quality waters as a priority.

Maintaining Healthy Watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed ExitThe 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement Exitcontains a new Healthy Watersheds Goal: sustain state-identified healthy waters and watersheds recognized for their high quality and/or high ecological value. The outcome associated with this goal is 100 percent of state-identified currently healthy waters and watersheds remaining healthy. The Chesapeake Bay Program Maintain Healthy Watersheds Goal Implementation Team Exit implements strategies to achieve this goal. The Team is developing methods to track watershed health and protection status. Tracking measures are reported on the Chesapeake Stat website.

Program Contacts

EPA Headquarters

Doug Norton (norton.douglas@epa.gov) Healthy Watersheds Program Coordinator 202-566-1221
Lynda Hall (hall.lynda@epa.gov) Chief, Nonpoint Source Control Branch 202-566-1210

Region 1

Trish Garrigan (garrigan.trish@epa.gov) 617-918-1583
Kira Jacobs (jacobs.kira@epa.gov) 617-918-1817
Margherita Pryor (pryor.margherita@epa.gov) 617-918-1597

Region 2

Mario Paula (paula.mario@epa.gov) 212-637-3819

Region 3

Bill Jenkins (jenkins.bill@epa.gov) 215-814-2911
Fred Suffian (suffian.fred@epa.gov) 215-814-5753

Region 4

Veronica Fasselt (fasselt.veronica@epa.gov) 404-562-9471

Region 5

Paul Thomas (thomas.paul@epa.gov) 312-886-7742

Region 6

Brian Fontenot (fontenot.brian@epa.gov) 214-665-7286

Region 7

Jennifer Ousley (ousley.jennifer@epa.gov) 913-551-7498

Region 8

Peter Ismert (ismert.peter@epa.gov) 303-312-6215

Region 9

Sam Ziegler (ziegler.sam@epa.gov) 415-972-3399
Terrence Fleming (fleming.terrence@epa.gov) 415-972-3462

Region 10

Krista Mendelman (mendelman.krista@epa.gov) 206-553-1571

Chesapeake Bay Program Office

Carin Bisland (bisland.carin@epa.gov) 410-267-5732

Gulf of Mexico Program Office

Lael Butler (butler.lael@epa.gov) 228-688-1576

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What EPA is Doing for Healthy Watersheds | US EPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On this page: Much of the focus of EPA's water quality programs for the past four decades has been on restoring impaired waters and reducing pollutant levels in waterways.

# data[].attributes.body
When people do not pick up after their pets, the toxins from their waste can run off into the waterways, causing them to become contaminated. - EL

# data[].attributes.body
A healthy watershed acts like a sponge. Absorbing the water and storing it. Then slowly releasing the water.
All that water would then drain down to a watershed that would then drain into a bigger body of water like a lake.
-ND

# data[].attributes.body
-AE

# data[].attributes.body
more than $450 billion in foods, fibers, manufacturing, and tourism depend on healthy watersheds -MM

# data[].attributes.body
-Watersheds directly affect water quality for example, algae blooms from fertilizer runoff draining into water harm watershed health, as do mercury and lead seeping into the water supply due to pollution
-KH

# data[].attributes.headline
Toxic waste, oils, grease and other chemicals that come from energy production and runoff. -MP

# data[].attributes.subject
Toxic waste, oils, grease and other chemicals that come from energy production and runoff. -MP

# data[].attributes.body
Triclosan is an antimicrobial found in many household cleaners that can build up and ruin pipes and clog important waterways. -JS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kitchen sponges, hand soaps and toothpaste are among common household products that may include triclosan, a chemical to kill germs. On hands and around the home, it can prevent infections. But once that germ killer washes down the drain, it can become a menace. A new study finds that the chemical can thwart the process of cleaning sewage. That's the dirty water flushed down toilets or washed down the drains of sinks.

Some bacteria thrive on sewage. They digest some of it and produce a gas called methane. Wastewater treatment plants use these bacteria to help treat sewage. When the bacteria have had their fill, the once-toxic waste has been turned into a material that is safe enough to be used elsewhere. The solid waste, or sludge, from many treatment plants is actually recycled as a fertilizer. But that's a good idea only if the carbon-rich materials in the sludge have been broken down into simpler nutrients by the bacteria.
The problem
Triclosan is an antimicrobial. That means it kills bacteria and other germs. When people use products containing triclosan, some of the chemical will end up going down the drain. It will eventually enter the facilities that cities build to clean sewage and other forms of wastewater.

At waste treatment plants, helpful bacteria digest - break down - the wastes in that water. So do archaea, another type of microbe. Once these microbes have done their work, the sludge smells better and is safer for people to use. As the microbes break down sewage, they release a gas called methane. Civil engineers who monitor the treatment plants can track the breakdown of waste by measuring how much methane they have released.

Researchers have long known that triclosan can accumulate in sewage sludge. But they didn't know if it had any effect on the water-treatment processes. To find out, civil engineer Patrick McNamara of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisc., and his colleagues set up an experiment.

They gathered bacteria that had already been exposed to triclosan at water-treatment plants. Then the scientists fed triclosan-rich sludge to these microbes. They compared the how much methane the microbes produced compared to bacteria that had never been exposed to triclosan.

Some microbes got to nibble at sludge containing triclosan at a low concentration of 5 parts per million. That's about the level found in sludge from many water-treatment plants. These bacteria produced as much methane as bacteria that had no exposure to triclosan.

But at a high concentration of triclosan, 50 parts per million (an amount found in 5 percent or less of sewage sludges), the microbes' methane levels varied from high to low. That suggested this high level of triclosan was "a tipping point." Some microbial communities failed to function in the presence of that much triclosan, the authors say. And at 500 parts per million (four times the highest level seen in any sludge), the bacteria produced less than half as much methane as bacteria with no exposure to triclosan. So less waste breakdown was occurring.

McNamara told Science News he wasn't surprised. After all, antimicrobials kill germs no matter where they're found.

Right now, the only way to lower the amount of triclosan in treatment plants is for people to use less of the chemical.

The new findings should encourage the government to pay attention to the risk antimicrobials may have on water-cleanup processes Rolf Halden told Science News. Halden is a civil engineer at Arizona State University in Tempe. He did not work on the study.

Limiting how much of these chemicals get into wastewater, he says, "should be a priority for the nation."

Power Words

antimicrobial A substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes. Manufacturers have added some, such as triclosan and triclocarban, to sponges, soaps and other household products.

archaea (singular, archaeon ) A domain of life that includes single-celled organisms. Although archaea superficially resemble bacteria, they are distinct. Archaea inhabit many harsh environments.

bacterium (plural bacteria) A single-celled organism forming one of the three domains of life. These dwell nearly everywhere on Earth, from the bottom of the sea to inside animals.

civil engineer An engineer who creates buildings, tunnels, water systems and other large projects that improve everyday life.

fertilizer Nitrogen and other plant nutrients added to soil, water or foliage to boost crop growth or to replenish nutrients that removed earlier by plant roots or leaves.

germ Any one-celled microorganism, such as a bacterium, fungal species or virus particle. Some germs cause disease. Others can promote the health of higher-order organisms, including birds and mammals. The health effects of most germs, however, remain unknown.

methane A hydrocarbon with the chemical formula CH4 (meaning there are four hydrogen atoms bound to one carbon atom). It's a natural constituent of what's known as natural gas. It's also emitted by decomposing plant material in wetlands and is belched out by cows and other ruminant livestock. From a climate perspective, methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide is in trapping heat in Earth's atmosphere, making it a very important greenhouse gas.

microbe Short formicroorganism. (see microorganism)

microorganism A living thing that is too small to see with the unaided eye, including bacteria, some fungi and many other organisms such as amoebas. Most consist of a single cell.

parts per (million, billion or trillion) A measurement of extremely small concentrations of one chemical dissolved in another. For example, a solution of 300 parts per billion of sodium in water would mean that there are 300 sodium atoms for every billion water molecules.

sanitize The process of removing substances that can spread disease.

sewage Wastes - primarily urine and feces - that are mixed with water and flushed away from homes through a system of pipes for disposal in the environment (sometimes after being treated in a big water-treatment plant).

triclosan A germ-killing chemical added to some common products such as hand soaps and sponges.

wastewater Any water that has been used for some purpose (such as cleaning) and no longer is clean or safe enough for use without some type of treatment. Examples include the water that goes down the kitchen sink or bathtub or water that has been used in manufacturing some product, such as a dyed fabric.

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Kitchen sponges, hand soaps and toothpaste are among common household products that may include triclosan, a chemical to kill germs. On hands and around the home, it can prevent infections. But once that germ killer washes down the drain, it can become a menace.

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The WaterWise group sells and installs systems that desalinate and remove impurities and treat the water to be reused for further use in your home
TB

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Turning off the water while brushing your teeth or doing the dishes and even taking shorter showers leaves more water in the watersheds that is needed for natural processes.
-LE

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Ohio River Water Shed Still Threatened Under Contamination (WOSU)

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Ohio River Water Shed Still Threatened Under Contamination (WOSU)

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-MG

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In 1958, researchers from the University of Louisville and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission gathered at a lock on the Monongahela River for routine collecting, counting and comparing of fish species.

At the time, the best way to accomplish this was what's called lock chamber sampling, or filling a 350-by-56-foot lock with river water, injecting it with cyanide and waiting for the dead fish to float to the top. Archaic, but effective.

On this particular day, researchers opened the chamber to find one fish inside.

It shouldn't have been surprising, said Jerry Schulte, a biologist who managed the source water protection and emergency response team for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) for more than two decades. After all, the steel companies that dotted the region's riverbanks were dumping their contaminated water right into the rivers. The waterways were so acidic that the steel-hulled boats meant to last 20 years rusted out in three and the pH routinely measured less than 4.

"That's vinegar," Schulte said. "It was so polluted, you could see it, smell it and taste it."

By the time Schulte began monitoring fish species in the 1990s, thanks to environmental and industrial regulations like the Clean Water Act, the Ohio River and its major tributaries, including the Mon, had changed. They no longer looked or smelled like open sewers. Mayflies hatched on their surfaces; many pollution-intolerant aquatic species returned; and lock chamber sampling - done without cyanide - could yield hundreds, even thousands, of fish.

"It's a functioning ecosystem now," Schulte said.

Functioning doesn't mean perfect, however. As recently as 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the Ohio River one of the country's most polluted. Industrial contaminants, including the "forever chemical" perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been detected on long stretches of the river and toxic algal blooms erupt when conditions are just right. Still, most of the time, the majority of the river's 981 miles are ripe for recreation and fit for drinking after proper treatment.

The same can't always be said for the greater Ohio River watershed.

The Ohio River drainage basin is an interconnected web of small rivers and creeks covering 205,000 square miles of largely rural, Applachian landscape and is home to 25 million people, many of whom are among the country's poorest.

In parts of the basin, acid mine drainage turns creeks the color of Orange Crush, agricultural runoff chokes streams with nutrients, and combined sewage and stormwater pipe overflows fill waterways with dangerous bacteria.

Watershed pollution in Appalachia, much of which has been caused by coal mining, is an ongoing environmental hazard that mimics the threat steel once posed to big cities on the Ohio. It threatens aquatic life, endangers people taking part in river recreation and - perhaps most critically - creates water unfit for human consumption.
Started With A Slurry
BarbiAnn Maynard stands on the porch of her home in Huntleyville, Ky., (population 188) and points across the two-lane road, where three houses perch on a tree-speckled mountainside.

"That one - dementia. This one - dementia. That one over there - dementia. My dad - dementia," she said. "You can't tell me that's not because of the water."

On Oct. 11, 2000, 300 million gallons of coal slurry broke through a reservoir in Martin County, Kentucky, flooding the abandoned mine shafts below and rushing out into the waters of Wolf Creek and Coldwater Fork.

The black custard coated and killed everything in its path as it slithered for hundreds of miles and shifted into adjoining waterways, including the Tug Fork, Big Sandy and Ohio rivers. In Martin County, sludge crept into yards and across roads, creating pools 5 feet deep.

"It was like mud pie," Maynard said, "only instead of mud and water, it was mud and oil."

The slurry was an unprecedented disaster - 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill more than a decade earlier. It wiped out aquatic life in the creeks and cut off drinking water to nearly 30,000 people.

When water service resumed later that year, bills came stamped with a warning: If you have a severely compromised immune system, have an infant, are pregnant, or are elderly, you may be at increased risk and should seek advice from your health care providers about drinking this water.

The first time Maynard received that warning, she was 24 years old and pregnant with her daughter. Nineteen years later, the water in Martin County still comes with warnings.

But the roots of the county's water issues and the fixes are complicated.

The water issues start at the treatment plant, where water pulled from the Tug Fork River is disinfected. Multiple municipal tests over the years show water in Martin County exceeds the maximum contaminant level for trihalomethane and haloacetic acid, both byproducts of the water's treatment and both carcinogenic.

Maynard believes her late mother's multiple bouts with cancer are a direct result. But without such treatment to the water, customers could be exposed to harmful bacteria and whatever residual effects of the coal slurry are still present in the waterway.

It's not a good choice, said Paul Ziemkiewicz, director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University. Water authorities need to use limited amounts of chemicals to avoid bacteria-causing illness, but too much of those chemicals could put their residents at risk for cancer.

The other problem occurs when water leaves the plant and heads toward homes. Like much of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia, Martin County has an aging infrastructure problem and little money to fix it. In West Virginia, underfunded treatment plants and straight-line pipes that combine sewage and stormwater have allowed raw sewage to collect in creeks, creating a public health crisis by serving as a breeding ground for bacteria.

In Martin County, the problem is broken pipes. Experts estimate nearly 70% of drinking water is lost while contaminants in the soil and groundwater are allowed to leach into the system. In coal country, Maynard said, who knows what gets in.

Representatives from the Martin County Water District did not return a phone call seeking comment but have said in the past that they are changing the chlorination process to avoid contamination issues and are looking for funds to fix broken water lines.

For residents in Martin County, turning on the tap is always a surprise. Some days, it's cloudy and smells so strongly of chlorine that it burns the eyes. Other days, water is the color of weak tea and sediment settles in toilet bowls and shower drains.

The result, Maynard claims, is that no one in Martin County trusts or drinks the water. Maynard drives 45 minutes to a spring at the Mingo-Logan county line in West Virginia to fill containers with fresh water to drink. She uses antibacterial hand soap as body wash in the shower and cleans her hands with disinfectant wipes rather than running them under the tap.

She'd like nothing more than to follow her now-grown daughters out of the county and leave the water issues behind, but her land along the Tug Fork in Huntleyville has been in the family for five generations and she is her ill father's caretaker. So she came up with another option.

"I figured I could lay down and die or I could fight," Maynard said. "And I'm a fighter."

She's become the face of the Martin County water crisis, both locally and in media outlets as far away as France and Japan. She has a vast and growing collection of water-related public documents, religiously attends municipal meetings and writes letters to the public service commission. Every few months, she drives across the state line to a Tennessee grocery store to pick up pallets of bottled water, which she then distributes to county residents.

But no amount of anger or advocacy can fix the underlying issue plaguing Martin County and others like it: inadequate funds. According to Martin County officials, it will take at least $10 million to address the water issues there.

As of Sept. 5, the county had received two grants - one from an abandoned mine fund and another from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - to improve water supply infrastructure and service. Together, the grants totaled $4 million.

Even with the money, Maynard doesn't trust that the most pressing problems will be addressed. In 2018, several members of the county's water board quit after the state attorney general opened an investigation into mismanagement. After an 11-month investigation, the grand jury returned no charges.

"There's a lot of greed and corruption," Maynard maintained. "And they haven't used common sense."

But even in areas of the river basin where sensical solutions to water pollution have been developed and instituted, the results are still subject to imminent financial threat.
The Great Irony
Just off Township Road 1 in the unincorporated community of Carbondale, Ohio, a constant stream of acidic water seeps and sputters out of the abandoned AS-14 mine complex.

Before 2004, that water washed across a field and the road before dumping into Hewett Fork, turning it tangerine. It was so laden with acidity that snow plows had to be called in to scrape the resulting iron off the asphalt, and fish kills became a regular occurrence where Hewett Fork flows into Raccoon Creek.

Today, the water from AS-14 instead flows into a tall green structure - known as the Carbondale doser - and turns a wheel, releasing pinches of powdery calcium oxide from the cylindrical tower above. The calcium oxide neutralizes the acid in the water as it makes its way through a concrete channel and into Hewett Fork.

The upshot of the doser is a rehabilitated waterway. Hewett Fork no longer causes fish kills, and 90 miles of Raccoon Creek, which flows through southeastern Ohio, are now safe for recreation.

This process for remediating acid mine drainage in creeks isn't a perfect one, said Jen Bowman, the director of environmental programs for Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, which worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources [ODNR] on the doser project. It takes time for the calcium oxide to dissolve, so a section of Hewett Fork near the doser still runs rusty and lifeless before giving way to clean water.

And the doser is expensive. It cost ODNR nearly $400,000 to install, and the tower must be refilled with calcium oxide every six to eight weeks at a rate of about $40,000 per year, according to Bowman. The money comes from the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation program.

There are other, cheaper ways to prevent abandoned coal mines from harming waterways, and in southeastern Ohio - where a loose loop of 11 villages and unincorporated communities is collectively known as the "Little Cities of Black Diamonds" - they've tried many of them.

A mine near Lake Hope State Park, fewer than 20 miles west of Athens, was sealed off nearly 20 years ago. Doing so prevents pollution from entering the water and creates a prime area for camping and water recreation. Closer to Athens, Bowman and her team at Ohio University [OU] have created a steel slag leach bed system, which uses an alkaline byproduct of steel production to neutralize acidic water.

However, the funding for all of these projects could be in jeopardy.

Since 1977, the federal Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program has doled out money to states in order to soothe the scars of coal mining. But the money for that program is collected from a fee on coal companies that is set to expire in 2021.

This is the great irony of coal: the restoration of abandoned mines hinges on the perpetuation of coal mining.

With the abandoned mine land fund and its resulting projects in peril, university research institutes like Bowman's have been joining environmental nonprofits in entrepreneurial efforts to ensure that remediation continues.

In Ohio, researchers at Ohio University's Russ College Department of Civil Engineering and experts at the nonprofit Rural Action have launched a pilot program that uses acid mine drainage pollution to create paint pigments.

In West Virginia, Ziemkiewicz and his team at the West Virginia Water Research Institute are extracting rare earth elements from acid mine drainage. These elements, which until now have largely been imported from China, are used in dozens of technological products, including cell phones, computers and televisions.

The hope is that these initiatives will eventually generate enough money to cover the remediation and abatement projects that have restored waterways.

"Maybe it gets us out of that vicious cycle of mining coal to fix the legacy of coal mining," Bowman said.

But even if that cycle can be broken, even if paint pigments and rare earth elements turn a profit and remediation projects are funded in perpetuity, that doesn't fix the Ohio River drainage basin.

Because while coal is a dire problem, it is just one of many problems.
Common Sense And Doing The Right Thing
Every September since 2007, open-water swimmers have leapt off the Serpentine Wall at Cincinnati's Sawyer Point and into the Ohio River. Their goal is to swim the 450 meters to the Kentucky shore and back again.

This year, it didn't happen. Days before the race was to commence, ORSANCO received reports of algae in the water, and the Kentucky Department for Public Health issued a harmful algae bloom advisory, effectively shutting down river recreation.

It was the second bloom in the month of September. The first erupted near Huntington, West Virginia, and grew 50 miles long before dissipating, according to Youngstrom.

The blooms are a result of rains that wash fertilizer off farmland and into nearby creeks. Those nutrients eventually make their way to the Ohio River, where algae feed on them. That, by itself, wouldn't be such a problem. But long periods without rain cause river flow to slow, allowing sediment to drop out of the water and sunlight to come in, creating the perfect conditions for rapid algae growth.

"Prior to 2015, everyone thought algae blooms were a lake problem," said Greg Youngstrom, an environmental scientist and harmful algae bloom expert at ORSANCO.

That summer, more than 700 square miles of toxic algae grew on the Ohio River in West Virginia and Ohio. River recreation ceased and, as blooms made their way into drinking water intakes, several companies had to switch to alternate water sources.

According to Youngstrom, the increasing frequency of algae blooms is related to the extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change. More intense rainfall followed by long, drought-like stretches are just what algae need to thrive.

There are simple ways to help curb the problem. In Ohio, Bowman is on a mission to create a 50-foot buffer at the edge of area waterways - basically a barrier of untamed grasses, shrubs and trees that would prevent erosion and provide shade from sunlight.

It's a slow process. In rural areas, farmers aren't particularly interested in giving 50 feet of land that could be used for planting. Around Athens, residents have become accustomed to neatly manicured riverfront property and aren't keen to let it go uncut.

"A lot of it is just behavioral change," Bowman said.

Ziemkiewicz found that behavioral change was also the solution to a 2008 crisis in the Morgantown, West Virginia, area. That fall, salinity in the Monongahela River spiked, causing problems for public water supplies and eventually leading to a fish kill on Dunkard Creek.

Government and industry argued over responsibility. "Pennsylvania blamed West Virginia, West Virginia blamed Pennsylvania; coal companies blamed oil and gas, oil and gas blamed coal companies," Ziemkiewicz said.

He and West Virginia Water Research Institute Assistant Director Melissa O'Neal developed a network of watershed groups willing to monitor the total dissolved solids that were causing the rising salinity.

Their findings showed that while the source of total dissolved solids was mine water, the salinity wasn't actually the mine's fault. The weather was especially dry that season, resulting in low flows. They developed a model that showed coal companies how many total dissolved solids could be safely released based on river flow.

"With Melissa's data, a spreadsheet model, some common sense and the willingness of industry to do the right thing, we solved it," Ziemkiewicz said.

It's a lesson he tries to impress upon fellow researchers and scientists because he believes if true progress is to be made in the fight for clean water, it will require an abundance of data and a lack of political agenda, especially as burgeoning industries bring about new water challenges.

"We need to be fair arbiters," Ziemkiewicz said. "If we just sit in our ivory towers and write journal articles and discuss whether the world is moving in the direction we think it should, we aren't fixing the problem."
April Johnston, a freelance writer for 100 Days in Appalachia, authored this story. She can be reached at Good River: Stories of the Ohio is a series about the environment, economy, and culture of the Ohio River watershed, produced by seven nonprofit newsrooms. To see more, please visit ohiowatershed.org. aljohnston14@gmail.com.

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'That's Vinegar': Ohio River Watershed Still Threatened By Contamination

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In 1958, researchers from the University of Louisville and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission gathered at a lock on the Monongahela River for routine collecting, counting and comparing of fish species.

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Provide greater benefits to the communities or people and wildlife that live near the watershed. -DP

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Plants that are resilient to weather changes, can survive with minimal water and most importantly can survive without harmful pesticides.

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Plants that are resilient to weather changes, can survive with minimal water and most importantly can survive without harmful pesticides.

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-MP

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Because some driveways are made of material that cannot absorb water, more runoff enters the storm drains. However, switching to driveways made of brick, gravel, and wood will help to ensure that more rain is absorbed instead of entering the storm drains.
-CW

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- when the water in an area becomes exhausted, the areas around the watershed begin to suffer - decrease in vegetation and water temperature is altered
- when the groundwater is extracted, people begin tapping into the underground reserves causing the water to become an addition to the already contaminated water
PJ

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-JS

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The 981-mile Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh, PA, and winds through West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before converging with the Mississippi River near the small town of Cairo, IL. The Ohio River provides drinking water for approximately 5 million Americans and recreation and fisheries for millions more.

The Ohio River is also one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S., according to the U.S. EPA. Its banks are highly populated and industrialized, and it's served as a dumping ground for local cities and industries for generations. States across the watershed came together to found the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) by 1948, one of the first collaborations to establish multi-state environmental standards in the country. We've seen progress on cleaning up the river in some ways, but there is still a lot of work to do.

What is ELPC Doing?

ORSANCO - ELPC is part of the ORSANCO Watershed Organizations Advisory Committee. Recently, we've focused on a successful effort to keep pollution control standards in place, which set baseline water quality for the whole river. Moving forward we'll ensure these standards are uniformly implemented to protect clean water all along the length of the river.

Mercury - Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that impairs fetal brain development and harms children. ELPC and our allies are asking ORSANCO to uphold its ban on industrial mercury "mixing zones." The ban was passed in 2003 and expected to go into effect in 2013, but the Commission has been delaying implementation and granting exemptions to many companies.

Nutrient Runoff - There is growing concern - and evidence already - that toxic algae blooms fed by high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus impact Ohio's environment and economy. More testing and tracking of nutrient pollution in the Ohio River is an important step toward reducing this harmful runoff from urban and rural sources.

High Temperatures - Coal plants discharge waste water that reaches 110 degrees, and they are asking ORSANCO for permission to discharge at even higher temperatures. These extreme temperatures disrupt aquatic ecosystems and in turn reduce the quality of water in the Ohio River.

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Ohio River - Environmental Law & Policy Center

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The 981-mile Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh, PA, and winds through West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before converging with the Mississippi River near the small town of Cairo, IL. The Ohio River provides drinking water for approximately 5 million Americans and recreation and fisheries for millions more.

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If too much is in water can cause GI problems along with spreading diseases like hepatitis and samlinia
-JS

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organic mercury is what actually threatens human health
-ingested typically by fish
-Large predatory fish can contain as much as 100,000 times more methyl mercury than the surrounding water
-when consuming the fish, children are more at threat to nervous system damage bc they absorb it more easily

MG

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Excess amounts will cause large algal blooms and decreases oxygen levels -MM

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If water is too warm it can't hold enough oxygen for aquatic organisms so they can't survive-KH

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Arsenic is toxic to most living organism resulting in an overall health decrease in organisms living in the watershed. Long term exposure to Arsenic can also cause cancer such as in Bangladesh where 200,000-270,000 people will die next year from arsenic caused cancer.

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Excessive amounts of nitrate can cause algae and other plants to grow excessively which harms water quality and food/habitats. KS

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Low pH (acids) can break down heavy metal molecules and fill the water with toxics like aluminum which stops reproduction and growth. High pH (bases) damage fish gills and converts harmless ammonium ions into toxic ammonium, skyrocketing mortality rates.
TB

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-An excess amount of algae and aquatic animals will grow wildly with a high level of phosphate
-HS

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When mercury gets into water bacteria can change it into a form called methylmercury which is absorbed by tiny aquatic organisms, usually fish.
-HT

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Excess phosphate in water causes an increased growth of algae and large aquatic plants, which can result in decreased levels of dissolved oxygen– a process called eutrophication. High levels of phosphorus can also lead to algae blooms that produce algal toxins which can be harmful to human and animal health.
-AF

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Construction workers are most often exposed to this chemical due to dust.

Cancer

Flu like symptoms

Can damage lungs

Kidney, Bone & lung diseases

test animals in labs have also been seen with these issues.-CL

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Too much phosphate can cause increased growth of algae and large aquatic plants that can lead to decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. -dp

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could reduce DO if discharged in river. Enough could kill aquatic life AS

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A fecal coliform (British: faecal coliform) is a facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-negative, non-sporulating bacterium. Coliform bacteria generally originate in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliforms are capable of growth in the presence of bile salts or similar surface agents, are oxidase negative, and produce acid and gas from lactose within 48 hours at 44 ± 0.5°C. The term "thermotolerant coliform" is more correct and is gaining acceptance over "fecal coliform".

Coliform bacteria include genera that originate in feces (e.g. Escherichia) as well as genera not of fecal origin (e.g. Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Citrobacter). The assay is intended to be an indicator of fecal contamination; more specifically of which is an indicator microorganism for other pathogens that may be present in feces. Presence of fecal coliforms in water may not be directly harmful, and does not necessarily indicate the presence of feces.

In general, increased levels of fecal coliforms provide a warning of failure in water treatment, a break in the integrity of the distribution system, possible contamination with pathogens. When levels are high there may be an elevated risk of waterborne gastroenteritis. Tests for the bacteria are cheap, reliable and rapid (1-day incubation).

The presence of fecal coliform in aquatic environments may indicate that the water has been contaminated with the fecal material of humans or other animals. Fecal coliform bacteria can enter rivers through direct discharge of waste from mammals and birds, from agricultural and storm runoff, and from human sewage. However, their presence may also be the result of plant material, and pulp or paper mill effluent.

Failing home septic systems can allow coliforms in the effluent to flow into the water table, aquifers, drainage ditches and nearby surface waters. Sewage connections that are connected to storm drain pipes can also allow human sewage into surface waters. Some older industrial cities, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States, use a combined sewer system to handle waste. A combined sewer carries both domestic sewage and stormwater. During high rainfall periods, a combined sewer can become overloaded and overflow to a nearby stream or river, bypassing treatment.

Pets, especially dogs, can contribute to fecal contamination of surface waters. Runoff from roads, parking lots, and yards can carry animal wastes to streams through storm sewers. Birds can be a significant source of fecal coliform bacteria. Swans, geese, seagulls, and other waterfowl can all elevate bacterial counts, especially in wetlands, lakes, ponds, and rivers.

Agricultural practices such as allowing livestock to graze near water bodies, spreading manure as fertilizer on fields during wet periods, using sewage sludge biosolids and allowing livestock watering in streams can all contribute to fecal coliform contamination..

Large quantities of fecal coliform bacteria in water are not harmful according to some authorities, but may indicate a higher risk of pathogens being present in the water. Some waterborne pathogenic diseases that may coincide with fecal coliform contamination include ear infections, dysentery, typhoid fever, viral and bacterial gastroenteritis, and hepatitis A.

Untreated organic matter that contains fecal coliform can be harmful to the environment. Aerobic decomposition of this material can reduce dissolved oxygen levels if discharged into rivers or waterways. This may reduce the oxygen level enough to kill fish and other aquatic life. Reduction of fecal coliform in wastewater may require the use of chlorine and other disinfectant chemicals, or UV disinfection treatment. Such materials may kill the fecal coliform and disease bacteria. They also kill bacteria essential to the proper balance of the aquatic environment, endangering the survival of species dependent on those bacteria. So higher levels of fecal coliform require higher levels of chlorine, threatening those aquatic organisms.

Fecal coliform, like other bacteria, can usually be inhibited in growth by boiling water, treating with chlorine, or UV disinfection. Washing thoroughly with soap after contact with contaminated water can also help prevent infections. Gloves should always be worn when testing for fecal coliform. Municipalities that maintain a public water supply will typically monitor and treat for fecal coliforms. It can also be removed by iodine.

In waters of the U.S., Canada and other countries, water quality is monitored to protect the health of the general public. Bacteria contamination is one monitored pollutant. In the U.S., fecal coliform testing is one of the nine tests of water quality that form the overall water-quality rating in a process used by U.S. EPA. The fecal coliform assay should only be used to assess the presence of fecal matter in situations where fecal coliforms of non-fecal origin are not commonly encountered. EPA has approved a number of different methods to analyze samples for bacteria.

Bacteria reproduce rapidly if conditions are right for growth. Most bacteria grow best in dark, warm, moist environments with food. When grown on solid media, some bacteria form colonies as they multiply which may grow large enough to be seen. By growing and counting colonies of fecal coliform bacteria from a sample of water, the amount of bacteria originally present can be determined.

Membrane filtration is the method of choice for the analysis of fecal coliforms in water. Samples to be tested are passed through a filter of particular pore size (generally 0.45 micrometre). The microorganisms present in the water remain on the filter surface. The filter is placed in a sterile Petri dish with a selective medium, growth of the desired organisms is encouraged, while other non--target organisms is suppressed. Each cell develops into a separate colony, which can be counted directly, and the initial inoculum size can be determined. Typically sample volumes of 100 ml will be used for water testing and filtered, with the goal of achieving a final desirable colony density range of 20 to 60 colonies per filter. Contaminated sources may require dilution to achieve a "countable" membrane. The filter is placed on a Petri dish containing M-FC agar and incubated for 24 hours at 44.5 °C (112.1 degrees F). This elevated temperature heat shocks non-fecal bacteria and suppresses their growth. As the fecal coliform colonies grow they produce an acid (through fermenting lactose) that reacts with the aniline dye in the agar thus giving the colonies their blue color.

Newer methods for coliform detection are based on specific enzyme substrates as indicators of coliforms. These assays make use of a sugar linked to a dye which, when acted on by the enzyme beta-galactosidase, produces a characteristic color. The enzyme beta-galactosidase is a marker for coliforms generally and may be assayed by hydrolysis of enzyme specific glycosides such as o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactose. Assays typically include a second sugar linked to a different dye which, when acted on by the enzyme beta-glucuronidase, produces a fluorescent product. Because E. coli produces both beta-galactosidase and beta-glucuronidase, a combination of two dyes makes it possible to differentiate and quantify coliforms and E. coli in the same pot.

More recently, the chemistry behind enzymatic detection compounds has been updated so that the indicating component is redox active, as opposed to the more usual chromogenic format, allowing fecal indicator bacteria such as E. coli and E. faecalis to be detected electrochemically without any sample pre-treatment. Since the colour of the detection compound is of no consequence, this allows detection in deeply coloured matrices.

The 1989 EPA Total Coliform Rule (TCR) imposed major monitoring changes for public water systems. The testing requirements for drinking water under the TCR are markedly increased over previous requirements and thus are more thorough. Not only is the number of routine coliform tests increased, especially for smaller water utilities, but the regulation also requires automatic repeat testing from all sources that show a total coliform positive (known as triggered source water monitoring).

As of 2009, EPA is working on revisions to the TCR. Issues being considered by the Agency include sampling locations, sampling frequency and timing, analytical methods and corrective actions to be taken by public water systems.

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A fecal coliform (British: faecal coliform) is a facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-negative, non-sporulating bacterium. Coliform bacteria generally originate in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliforms are capable of growth in the presence of bile salts or similar surface agents, are oxidase negative, and produce acid and gas from lactose within 48 hours at 44 ± 0.5°C.

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-As water temperature increases so does the organism’s metabolism. When this occurs, they need more dissolved oxygen and more food supply. If the amount of dissolved oxygen needed is unavailable, they may die.

-KH

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Excess amounts consumed makes it hard for red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body; can cause "Baby Blue Syndrome" in infants -MM

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Excess salinity prevents freshwater organisms from maintaining an osmotic balance between their cells and surroundings, decreasing species richness. The increase in salinity can occur from irrigation, mining, and the use of salt for de-icing.  -RM

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When too much dissolved oxygen occurs, it can cause high saturated water which can cause gas bubbles diseases for fish and other aquatic animals. Significant death rates occurs when the dissolved oxygen rates are higher than 115%-120%. Healthy water is considered to be between 80%-120% or 6.5 to 8 mg/L.
-ND

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-High water temperatures can increase the solubility and toxicity of certain compounds

-KH

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varying levels of pH outside of the healthy range inhibits aquatic organisms to reproduce and survive because it causes them to become stressed and die off https://phys.org/news/2019-10-mystery-ocean-acidity-mass-extinction.html -cs

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Released from volcanoes and weathering of rocks. Too much in an ecosystem will affect the function of a food chain because as you keep going up in the food chain, the concentration of mercury keeps increasing.

SE

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-high levels of salinity can cause the native population to decrease along with the vegetation
HS

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High levels of phosphate cause algae bloom which results in decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. -BD

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Harmful toxins can be released from the excessive amounts of algae and causes the water to be cloudy and low in oxygen. KS

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- When water is exposed to Cadmium it becomes contaminated and undrinkable
- Cadmium is toxic to aquatic organisms at low concentrations
- Fish species respond differently to the varying amounts of Cadmium within the water
PJ

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when levels are too high it causes an increase in mosses and algae -AE

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causes soil erosion causing runoff into the watershed which can change the shape of the rivers
HS

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When consuming water contaminated by fecal matter it can cause water borne diseases like typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, and bacterial gastrenitis.

This water can also go back to our crops too

MG

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4-5ppm is the minimum range to support life, but healthy fishing waters are found at 9ppm. If there is too much oxygen found in the water, then it will lead to "Gas Bubble Disease" which causes the gas to block the bloodflow in the blood vessels of the fish. If there is too little, then aquatic life won't be able to be supported.
-LE

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Acidic water could lead to Mercury Poisoning. Basic water is toxic to your kidneys, which could cause throwing up.