Wednesday, April 19, 2006

FOR EARTH DAY, TEAMWORK SMELLS BETTER THAN SEWAGE

Guest Column by Becky McClatchey

Earth Day is a time for reflection:  As citizens, how are we doing when it comes to preserving the world for our children?  If we received grades for our effort to become cleaner and healthier places to live, what grade would Cincinnati receive? 

This Earth Day, I am feeling optimistic.  I believe we can find the solutions we need to protect the places in which we live, work, and play.

When I tell people I live in Cincinnati, they automatically associate my city with the Ohio River.  This is because Cincinnati is one of the nation’s great river towns. Although these are no longer the days of Mark Twain and the steamboats, the Ohio River continues to serve Cincinnati in many ways.  It is a huge economic asset, a base for growth and prosperity.  It is a playground and a refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life.  It is a scenic destination, a beautiful place to call home.  It is a gem.

As a river town, our fate is linked to the mighty Ohio.   Right now, our fate is hanging in the balance.

This June, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) will decide whether to adopt a proposal to lower water quality standards for the Ohio River.  This proposal will permit higher levels of raw sewage to enter the river.  ORSANCO is considering this proposal, at the request of the sewer districts and wastewater treatment plant operators, as a means to deal with the mounting problems with failing sewer structures.  Rather than putting their best foot forward to protect the Ohio River, ORSANCO may let sewer operators off the hook and turn a blind eye to the millions of gallons of raw sewage that are dumped into our river every year.

This proposal has implications for all the waterways in the region.  Standards set for the mainstem of the Ohio will likely be applied to its tributaries.  The Little Miami National Wild & Scenic River, a major tributary of the Ohio River, is already plagued with sewage pollution from 30 wastewater treatment plants.  Lowering standards for fecal coliform and E. coli will further endanger the health and integrity of the Little Miami.  While polluters are given free rein to dump sewage, the Ohio River, Little Miami, and others will be left to suffer in putrid silence.

Lowering water quality standards for one of the nation’s great rivers also sets a dangerous precedent for the nation.  Other cities that are faced with problems from sewage pollution may soon find their waterways threatened by this “polluter-friendly” loophole. 

And yet we can feel optimistic.  There is a better way.  Cincinnati, and all river towns, can choose to use their river as an asset instead of a sewer.  We can choose to finally reap the benefits of this great natural resource.  The tax revenue generated from recreation and development may prove to be more than enough to pay for the proper treatment of sewage.

The first step is for the ORSANCO Commissioners to vote NO on the proposal to lower water quality standards for the Ohio River this June.  ORSANCO must decide to follow through with its mission, which is to “control and abate pollution in the Ohio River Basin.”  The sewer districts can then accept responsibility, repair the failing sewer systems and stop polluting our river.  Finally we- the citizens- must hold ORSANCO, the sewer districts, and other polluters accountable for their actions.  After all, it is our river.

Every problem has its solution.  If we all pitch in to do the work, then all the problems we face with our environment won’t seem that impossible to solve. 

As for the Ohio River, I’d like to predict that by Earth Day 2007 both ORSANCO and the sewer districts would receive an A+ on their next Earth Day report card. 

Becky McClatchey is Community Organizer for Sierra Club Ohio Water Sentinels Program

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