Environment Task Force Newsletter
Ohio State University Extension
Fall, 1997, v1 #3

Beyond the Soundbite: Is Ohio's Water Clean?

Eric Norland, Ohio State University Extension Natural Resources Specialist

The Ohio EPA has released the most recent assessment of Ohio's waters. In agency jargon, this report is referred to as the "305(b) Report." It's a biennial report required by the Clean Water Act that evaluates water quality, inventories all point sources of discharge pollutants, and identifies which water bodies--rivers, streams and lakes--are attaining their designated uses (e.g., warm water habitat).

The media covered the release of the report, and the headline in one newspaper said, "Nearly half of Ohio rivers clean, EPA says."

Here's the "rest of the story" that went unreported:

• The Ohio EPA does not describe the rivers as "clean." The report says nearly 50 percent of the monitored stream miles were fully supporting the aquatic life that they should. That is very different than "clean." The Ohio EPA is a national leader in the development of water quality monitoring procedures that use the fish and aquatic invertebrate communities to assess the health and well-being of Ohio's surface waters.
• Ohio has more than 25,000 miles of named streams and rivers, and a 451-mile border on the Ohio River. Of those 25,000 miles, the Ohio EPA only has sufficient data on 8,000 miles. It is half of the 8,000 miles that are fully supporting aquatic life, not half of the 25,000. In other words, there is not enough information on about 17,000 miles to fully understand their condition.
• Sewage plant improvements have, indeed, accounted for much of the improvement in Ohio's surface waters, and point sources--from pipe outlets--are the most rapidly declining source of pollution. The emerging problem that, until now, has been masked by the point sources is nonpoint source pollution, such as soil erosion resulting from human activities--agriculture, forestry, road construction and development. Nonpoint source pollution now accounts for 67 percent of water quality impairments.

What are the implications of all of this? It means that if significant progress is going to continue in water quality improvements, it will depend on each of us, as individuals, to adopt methods to prevent soil erosion from gardens, fields, forests and construction sites. Individuals should get involved in local community efforts to tell public officials of their concern for our water resources and to urge adoption of guidelines and policies that reduce the potential for pollution from all sources.