A West Virginia environmental board has ordered the largest source of mercury dumping in the Ohio River to curtail discharges of the heavy metal. The PPG Industries chlorine plant near New Martinsville, W. Va., put 32 pounds of mercury into the Ohio River in 2004 -- the largest amount a single plant put into any U.S. waterway, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"They are going to have to figure out how to cut that down," said Evan Hansen, science adviser to the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, which had challenged the plant's permit from the West Virginia Division of Waste Management.
Several states, including Kentucky, warn people to limit or avoid eating fish from the river because of mercury in them. And because mercury, which can cause damage to the human nervous system, builds up in aquatic life and fish move up and down the river, the West Virginia discharges threaten all of the Ohio River, environmentalists contend. "Mercury in our water is bad for the health of everyone who uses that water," said Judy Peterson, executive director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, who has been following the issue.
PPG spokesman Jeff Worden attributed the ruling to a misunderstanding and said it would take several years to comply. He said the company intends to go to court to block the ruling, which was issued by the West Virginia Environmental Quality Board. The board determined that the company's discharges were illegal and that a state permit allowing them was inadequate.
EDIT
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS01/608080372
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
