EPA Declares More than Half of US Rivers Unfit for Aquatic Life

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared that an astounding 55 percent of rivers and streams in the country are in “poor condition for aquatic life.” The results of their first comprehensive survey of waterway health, the EPA found shrinking vegetation cover alongside high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen, as well as pollution from mercury and bacteria—none of which are all that great for human health either. These stresses pose a threat not only to 1.2 million miles of waterways, but also the coastal areas, lakes and bays that are served by those rivers and streams. Additionally, as the EPA emphasizes, the polluted, unhealthy waterways include vital sources of drinking water.

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