New Report: Wasting Our Waterways 2012

A new report called "Wasting Our Waterways 2012: Toxic Industrial Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act" was released in March by the Environment America Research and Policy Center. This report outlines the effect of pollution from industrial facilities nationwide, and estimates that over 14,000 miles of river, and 220,000 acres of lakes, ponds, and estuaries have been negatively affected by this kind of pollution.

This map, accessed via Environment America, shows the pounds of toxins discharged, by state, in 2010. According to the report, millions of pounds of chemicals released by industrial facilities are dangerous to human health, linked to cancer and other disorders, as well as harmful to the environment. The report asks for the United States to "restore Clean Water Act protection to all of America's waterways and improve enforcement of the Clean Water Act," as well as reevaluating regulations for toxic chemical release by industrial facilities.

Click here to access the report and a summary by Environment America.