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Clean Water Action's national campaigns work on Federal laws and policy. State offices campaign on the same issues locally. Get more information about our work in each state and around the country.
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toxics
Make Looking Upstream To Protect Our Water The #1 Idea For Change In America
"We all live downstream" is more than just a slogan or a blog title, it is the truth of our drinking and sporting waters in America.
You've seen the reports on "gender-bending" fish in waterways around the country, and pharmaceutical drugs detected in drinking water sources. And the thousands of water pollution or safe drinking water violations that go unpunished each year.
For every "regulated" contaminant there are tens of thousands for which safety standards have yet to be set. Under-funded government agencies are years behind in meeting environmental cleanup, research and health protection targets.
We need to move away from our system of after-the-fact treatment and clean-up, which requires the conclusive proof of harm only us human lab rats can provide, before action is even considered.
Looking upstream means holding companies accountable for their products' "downstream" impacts. Proof of safety should be required before any new chemical enters the marketplace, rather than proof of harm once the contaminant shows up in our water and our bodies.
Our idea to look upstream to protect our waters from toxic pollution has made it to the final round of voting in Change.org's Ideas for Change in America competition...and you helped put it there! Now, please vote and ask your friends to vote to make our idea that every American should have access to clean, safe water free from toxic pollution #1 of the Top 10 Ideas for Change in America!
Ripple Effects
Minnesotan’s Stories on our Environment and Health
How do new threats to our water and health impact Minnesotan’s lives and communities? In Ripple Effects, Minnesotans share their personal stories on how global problems such as climate change, toxic chemicals and polluted waters are being experienced locally.
Below is a sample of the stories covered in this project. To find additional stories about a particular issue, click on the issue links below.
Vicki Hendricksen: Distrust of Drinking Water
Many Minnesotans pour themselves a glass of water from their kitchen faucet without a second thought. However, more and more people are becoming concerned about the safety of their drinking water.
“I don’t trust our water,” states Vicki Hendricksen, a Woodbury mom of three, “we get all our water for drinking and cooking from our fridge because it’s filtered.” When Vicki moved to Woodbury two years ago to be closer to work, she learned the city’s water was contaminated with PFCs— chemicals used in non-stick pans, stain resistant clothing, and thousands of other products. Even though the level of PFCs in Woodbury’s water is considered to be at safe levels according to the state, Vicki has her doubts. “I wonder if the level they set is really acceptable—will this change years later when they learn more?”
Read the full story and see the video here
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To share your story, email us at mncwa@cleanwater.org.
Rocket Fuel in California Drinking Water? Take action now!
The drinking water of between 15 and 20 million Californians is contaminated with perchlorate, a salt that is used as the primary component of solid rocket fuel.
Perchlorate poses a health threat by impacting the thyroid's ability to take up iodide and produce thyroid hormone. Even a short term reduction in thyroid hormone can irreparably impair brain development in fetuses and infants, and impact iodide deficient individuals and those already with thyroid problems.
Despite these serious health impacts, there is no federal drinking water standard for perchlorate thanks to pressure from the White House and polluters such as the Department of Defense.
Take action now: Tell Governor Schwarzenegger that we do not want rocket fuel in our drinking water and that we support lowering the perchlorate public health goal.
Clean Water Action Campaign Victories in Connecticut
Since 1998, Clean Water Action has won a number of legislative and regulatory victories.
2008
Lead Levels in Children's Products Restricted
Clean Water Action and allies in the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut turned back intense opposition from big chemical companies, the toy industry, and dozens of in-state retailers and recently won new legislation to phase out toxic lead and asbestos in children's products.
Governor asks health officials to consider banning some products with BPA
Governor Deval Patrick has asked state health officials to look into a limited ban of bisphenol A, a chemical found in food and drink containers that the state last summer warned parents of young children to avoid.
"We are disappointed that the Governor's starting point for this process does not address the contamination of baby formula from BPA cans as well as other products for which there are safer alternatives," [Lee Ketelsen co-director of Clean Water Action] said in a statement. "Connecticut has passed into law a phase-out of products with safer alternatives on the market and we urge Massachusetts to match the health protective standard of our neighboring state."
Published Date:
03/02/2010
News Source:
Statement of Lee Ketelsen in response to Massachusetts BPA products ban announcement
We are pleased that Governor Patrick is seeking a phase out on bisphenol A (BPA,) a hormone disrupting chemical, in children’s products. However, we are disappointed that the Governor’s starting point for this process does not address the contamination of baby formula from BPA cans as well as other products for which there are safer alternatives.
Published On:
03/02/2010 - 17:50
Contact Name:
Namasha Schelling
Contact Email:
Controversial dredging begins
NATIONAL PARK, N.J. -- After more than two decades of debate and lawsuits, on Monday an Army Corps of Engineers dredge contractor carved away the first loads of silt in a $310 million project to deepen the Delaware River shipping channel.
But minutes after the dredging pipe was scheduled to bite into the river bottom, New Jersey's governor vowed to push on with a fight against the deepening, saying the work "makes no sense economically and it is dangerous environmentally."
Gov. Chris Christie made the remark as Delaware officials conceded that the first section of the dredging project would begin without a state permit.
Published Date:
03/02/2010
News Source:
Judges clear way for dredging
Supporters of a $310 million Delaware River channel-deepening plan won the latest round in a court fight Wednesday, clearing the way for dredging to start as early as Friday.
A three-judge federal appeals court panel denied a request to block the project until an appeal by a coalition of environmental groups and the State of New Jersey can be heard.
Critics accused the Army Corps of Engineers of violating federal and state environmental laws as well as the corps' own rules in pressing ahead with a proposal to deepen the 102-mile channel to 45 feet from its current 40-foot depth between Camden and the Atlantic Ocean.
Published Date:
02/25/2010
News Source:
Killing at the Seaport: Port Pollution a Silent Killer
Many, if not most, of the products that we have in our homes first passed through one of the country's seaports. As gateways of global trade, our seaports give consumers access to a wide range of goods at a low cost. However, these gateways also create enormous amounts of pollution. And for those Americans that happen to live near a seaport, this pollution is a serious health hazard leading to negative health outcomes and even death.
But Los Angeles is not the only city where port activities impact local residents. In the communities surrounding the Port of Newark and Elizabeth, the health consequences of port-related emissions are just as real.
Published Date:
03/01/2010
News Source:
