Unregulated Storm Water Pollution Damages Lakes

Lack of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Support Hampering States; Report Focuses on Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

According to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), the environmental protection agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin are unable to inspect "even a fraction" of the 20,000 storm water permits for industrial and construction sites in those states in order to minimize the water quality damage resulting from runoff pollution, and groups in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. The report also finds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is failing to provide the states with the regulatory guidance needed to curb storm water pollution.

The EIP report, Weathering the Storm: Controlling Storm Water Pollution in the Great Lakes States, details how heavy metals, bacteria, oil, debris and other pollution from construction sites, industrial lots and city streets pose a serious threat to the water quality of the Great Lakes region and the rest of the U.S.

According to the International Joint Commission's 2004 Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, major storm water-related discharges to the Great Lakes exceed 100,000 tons per year of sediment, oil, grease, metals and other contaminants. Recent state water quality assessments show that urban runoff and storm sewers alone contribute to 15 percent of impaired Great Lakes shoreline."

Despite that fact, in April 2004 federal officials decided to drop consideration of a two-year old plan to adopt technology-based pollution control measures for construction storm water dischargers. If implemented, these measures would give state and local agencies stronger and more enforceable storm water pollution standards.

"We have to prevent erosion on construction sites and keep the sediment and mud out of streams to protect Ohio's wildlife," said Keith Dimoff, Deputy Director of the Ohio Environmental Council. "Unfortunately, the Ohio EPA does not get enough funding to enforce the Clean Water Act across Ohio, so many industrial sites and other storm water problems go un-inspected."

Most storm water dischargers are regulated under the federal Clean Water Act and are required to obtain pollution permits from state oversight agencies. The vast majority of construction sites, municipalities, and industrial lots are covered under state-issued general permits or permits-by-rule, instead of site-specific individual permits.

For a full copy of the new report, go online to www.environmentalintegrity.org.

Only about one-half of industrial sites and one third of construction sites comply with getting a permit. The lack of knowledge about who needs a permit means that Great Lakes states are spending precious enforcement resources simply getting sites to apply for a permit, when those resources might be better spent making sure that regulated entities are complying with their permits. In 2003, 35 out of 57, or more than 60 percent, of all storm water violation notices issued by Illinois were for failure to have a permit. In Minnesota, seven out of 11 administrative penalty orders in 2002 were for failure to have a permit.