It's Freedumb Friday! OH Water Commission Wants 2 Yrs. Delay, Possible Cuts To Mercury Rules

The eight-state commission that sets water quality standards for the Ohio River wants a two-year delay on enforcement of a more stringent mercury standard while it considers relaxing those rules.

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission needs more time to look into the potential implications of its decision a decade ago to eliminate “mixing zones” for pollutants such as mercury that concentrate in the environment, said the commission’s executive director, Peter Tennant. Mixing zones rely on dilution to minimize pollution’s effects.

With the improvement of sampling and analysis technology at ever smaller concentrations, the commission has found that as many as 60 industrial facilities along the river may not meet a tougher standard for mercury, he said.

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“Ten years after enacting the ban on mixing zones for these most dangerous chemicals, the commission is considering extending the deadline for all dischargers because no one has determined who may need a variance and who can comply with the limit for chemicals like mercury,” said Tim Joice, water policy director for the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, one of eight groups that signed on to a statement made public Thursday. “This is unacceptable and the public’s health should not be held hostage to industry’s failures.”

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http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130905/BUSINESS/309050032/Ohio-River-commission-may-relax-mercury-pollution-rules?nclick_check=1