Air-pollution controls lead to more water pollution

Based on new evidence that power plants across the country are dumping toxic chemicals into waterways, the Environmental Protection Agency has said it intends to impose new restrictions for the level of contaminants plants can dump. But the problem stems from an existing cleanup measure; power plants are using scrubbers to comply with stricter air pollution standards, and putting the pollutants in the water. (AP photo)

"Plants in Florida, Pennsylvania and several other states have flushed wastewater with levels of selenium and other toxins that far exceed the EPA's freshwater and saltwater standards aimed at protecting aquatic life, according to data the agency has collected," reports Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post. "While selenium can be beneficial in tiny amounts, elevated levels damage not only fish but also birds and people who consume contaminated fish."

As air pollution standards continue to get tougher it is expected that the level of chemicals in the waterways will also continue to rise. "Scrubbers will help clean our air, but let's make sure that the toxic metals stripped out of coal-plant smokestacks don't end up in our water," Eric Schaeffer, who used to lead the EPA's enforcement office and now heads the Environmental Integrity Project. "It's crazy not to have limits on toxic discharges this big."

The danger is that the pollutants collect in fish, which "can trigger a range of effects in birds and humans," writes Eilperin. "Birds that eat selenium-contaminated fish experience effects such as deformation of their beaks and jaws and problems producing viable eggs, while humans can suffer neurological damage as well as hair and nail loss."

Contamination from fish is a threat for rural residents who may have river fish as a signiifcant part of their diet. For example, Duke Energy once let let residents near Princeton, Ind., fish in the lake it created as a cooling reservoir for its coal-ash ponds. The practice was stopped after test showed elevated levels of selenium in the pond. (Read more)