Factories dump 2.4 million pounds of toxic waste into local waterways: report

Environment protection advocates have once again raised their demand for restoration of Clean Water Act protections to curb the growing problem of toxic pollution in waterways.

According to a new report by Environment California Research & Policy Center, factories dumped 2.4 million pounds of toxic chemicals into waterways throughout California in 2012. The report ranked the Golden State 26th worst state in terms of water pollution in the U.S.

The report named ConocoPhillips San Francisco Refinery as the biggest cause of water pollution in California. As per the report, this refinery dumped 741,459 pounds of toxic waste into the San Francisco Bay.

Collectively, factories dumped 1.67 million pounds of toxic waste into the San Francisco Bay during 2012. It represented 71 per cent of all toxic water pollution documented for the state’s waterways in 2012.

The “Wasting Our Waterways” report released on the bank of the San Lorenzo River on Thursday underlined that waterways should be clean for drinking, swimming and supporting wildlife.

Nathan Weaver, an oceans and preservation advocate with the environmental group, added, “But too often, our waters have become a dumping ground for polluters. The first step to curb this tide of toxic pollution is to restore Clean Water Act protections to all our waterways.”

The report has been released as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a new rule to restore Clean Water Act protections to thousands of waterways across the nation.