Ripple Effects - Polluted Waters
Polluted Waters – Challenges Abound
We have come a long way after nearly four decades of the Clean Water Act protecting America's waters from pollution and outright destruction. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio, poster child for the Clean Water Act because it routinely caught fire, can now support a trout fishery. Yet, approximately 40% of waters tested in Minnesota are still out of compliance for one or more pollutants. Our waters face pressure from multiple fronts. In some cases we see the classic pollution problems; direct discharges, land use pressures and runoff. In other cases, we have become increasingly aware of new threats, like global warming, as our science improves. Learn how water pollution has affected everyday Minnesotans and what they have done to fight back.
To read the full stories and watch the videos, click on the links below.
Vicki Hendricksen: Distrust of Drinking Water
Many Minnesotans pour themselves a glass of water from their kitchen faucet without a second thought. However, more and more people are becoming concerned about the safety of their drinking water.
“I don’t trust our water,” states Vicki Hendricksen, a Woodbury mom of three, “we get all our water for drinking and cooking from our fridge because it’s filtered.” When Vicki moved to Woodbury two years ago to be closer to work, she learned the city’s water was contaminated with PFCs— chemicals used in non-stick pans, stain resistant clothing, and thousands of other products. Even though the level of PFCs in Woodbury’s water is considered to be at safe levels according to the state, Vicki has her doubts. “I wonder if the level they set is really acceptable—will this change years later when they learn more?”
Read the full story and see the video here
Lisa Miller: New Brighton Water Contamination Has Lasting Legacy
Getting diagnosed with cancer is a life altering moment. Imagine learning three people in your family have cancer and it is probably a result of drinking contaminated water. That is what the Miller family, formerly of New Brighton, Minnesota, is currently experiencing.
Lisa Miller, mother of three, is only 40 years old yet she has battled brain cancer twice. Her cancer–which had been in remission for two years – is now back. Doug, her husband, was diagnosed in 2002 with chronic, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Lisa’s mom, Lynne, was diagnosed with bone cancer of the face. This is a cancer so rare there are only 10 cases in the world according to the Mayo clinic. “What are the chances I get a brain tumor and others in my family get cancer? We have no history of cancer in my family. ” states Lisa.
Read the full story and see the video here
Sherri Knuth:Working Together Leads to Lake Restoration
Minnesotans love their lakes. However, what do you do when the lake you live by is so weedy and smelly that you don’t want to be near it? This was the problem confronting Sherri Knuth and others living near Como Lake in St. Paul, MN. The shallow lake is largely fed by storm water runoff from the neighboring communities. Pollutants in the runoff coupled with a large duck and goose population contributed to the degraded water in the lake. Sherri and her neighbors in the Como area were concerned that if nothing were done to reverse this damage, their neighborhood lake would continue to get worse.