NRDC’s Water Program is increasingly focused on solutions to our leading water pollution problems, one of which is urban stormwater.
The dirty runoff that hits our waterways after storms may not be as obvious as the pollution that comes out of factories or oil refineries, but it has an enormous impact on our nation’s beaches, nonetheless.
According to NRDC’s annual Testing the Waters report, American beaches violated public health standards more than 18,600 times last year, and stormwater was one of the main causes of those violations.
Even in the relatively dry 2009 beach season, stormwater runoff contributed to more than 80 percent of the closing and advisory days with a reported contamination source.
The good news is solution exists. Green infrastructure is a collection of techniques that make urban areas function from a water perspective more like the natural environment. These techniques are not only cost-effective, but they make communities more attractive to live in.
This post originally appeared on NRDC's switchboard.
David Beckman is a Senior Attorney & Director for the Natural Resource Defense Council's Water Program in Los Angeles. NRDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment, people and animals. NRDC was founded in 1970 and is comprised of more than 300 lawyers, scientists and policy experts, with more than one million members and e-activists.
