Mike Levin: “5 years ago Congress directed EPA, in consultation with NOAA and the Army Corps, to conduct a comprehensive survey of…”

“5 years ago Congress directed EPA, in consultation with NOAA and the Army Corps, to conduct a comprehensive survey of data regarding aquatic sediment quality in the United States. Sometime within the next few weeks, this long overdue report will be submitted to Congress. Because of the widespread contamination that EPA, working with the Army Corps and NOAA, has found, this report should sound an alarm for all of us. While we have made great progress on preventing pollution from many sources, we have severely neglected the problem of contaminated sediments. This contamination is a legacy of decades of hoping that pollution would flow down the drain or off the land and out of sight never to bother us again. But, now we know where a significant portion of it is and it's not going anywhere soon until we do something about it. The report, "The Incidence and Severity of Sediment Contamination in Surface Waters of the United States," identifies approximately 96 areas of probable concern [APC's]. In these watershed areas, sampling indicates there is a significant possibility of adverse aquatic wildlife or human health effects due to contaminated sediments. These APC's can be found throughout the country including Boston Harbor, the Detroit River, Green Bay, along the Mississippi, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay, Seal Beach, Mobile Bay to the Middle Savannah, to name a few.”