In late 2013, an EPA report found that, over the next 30 years, climate change could increase phosphorus levels in Lake Champlain by an average of 30%. The report’s implications for nutrient-impaired waters across the country are significant – more pollution, and its devastating by-products, will only stress our waters more.
Our most iconic waterscapes – Cape Cod, Great Bay, Lake Champlain, and Narragansett Bay – are slowly being choked by nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution is traced to fertilizer runoff from agriculture and lawns, animal waste from factory farms, and overflowing sewage. CLF is fighting against nutrient pollution and for clean water in New England.
With healthcare costs and rates of obesity and other chronic disease soaring – especially among low-income populations – community groups and public health organizations are increasingly aware that improving neighborhood environments can boost health outcomes. But, traditional financing sources simply aren’t capable of addressing those needs at the project level.
When it comes to clean water in New England, two big challenges stand in the way: nutrient pollution and stormwater runoff. CLF is working to solve these challenges by pushing local and state governments and the EPA to enforce clean water laws and hold polluters accountable for their damage.
“New Englanders living in low-income and communities of color are more deeply impacted by our current environmental challenges than society at large,” says Veronica Eady. That’s why CLF, in collaboration with community groups and residents in environmental justice communities, is working to reduce the environmental hazards that threaten public health across New England.
It’s tempting to leave the problem of stormwater runoff to cities, towns, and businesses. But our houses also takes away the landscape’s ability to soak up precipitation naturally. Solutions to start greening our home landscapes, however, can be as simple as buying a rain barrel and planting a rain garden.
CLF and our partners are championing a new approach to managing stormwater. Green infrastructure is about trying to design our built environment in a way that restores the ability of the landscape to soak up precipitation and filter out pollutants before the runoff reaches our waterways.
When news broke in 2013 that Brayton Point, New England’s largest – and reportedly most efficient – coal-fired power plant would close in 2017, CLF heralded the news as a victory in one of its signature battles: the demise of coal in New England.
The Mystic River Watershed is the most urbanized watershed in Massachusetts – and one of the most polluted. So when a neighborhood group approached CLF in 2010 with concerns about stormwater runoff from a large scrap metal facility, we agreed to take a closer look.
Elena Mihaly is the Vice President for Vermont. Having joined CLF in 2013, Elena leads advocacy initiatives in Vermont related to climate, water quality, public health, and environmental justice. Her past successes include fighting for stronger water quality protections for Lake Champlain under EPA’s TMDL clean-up plan, working to protect children from lead poisoning in… Continue reading Elena Mihaly
