From PennFuture (http://www.pennfuture.org):
Pennsylvania is a water-rich state with 86,000 miles of rivers and streams. We all benefit from access to clean water, and it’s our shared responsibility to ensure it’s available for current and future generations.
Despite this, with one-third of our waterways suffering from too much pollution, the promise of clean water doesn’t exist for everyone. In the Susquehanna and Potomac river basins alone, where more than 15,000 miles of streams are polluted, Pennsylvania is required to reduce 34 million pounds of nitrogen and 756,000 pounds of phosphorus by 2025.
Unfortunately, our lawmakers in the General Assembly in Harrisburg have shown little to no action in properly funding the programs and initiatives that are needed to reach our clean water goals, both here at home and in the Chesapeake Bay.
In the Susquehanna and Potomac watersheds alone, cleaning up our rivers and streams is estimated to cost $521 million annually. The General Assembly consistently fails to provide adequate funding and the health of our waterways continues to decline.
That’s why we are reaching out today with a request. The path toward reaching our clean water goals was spelled out in April 2021 when PennFuture published a report, “Underfunded and Polluted: Solutions to Fund Clean Water in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed” that puts forth a legislative agenda that, if acted upon, would provide the technical assistance, agency support, and public investments needed to put Pennsylvania on the path toward meeting our clean water goals.
Please help us elevate this issue to our lawmakers. Sign our petition at https://pennfuture.salsalabs.org/cleanwaterpetition/index.html and make your voice heard. Tell our elected officials that clean water is critically important for you, for our environment, and for our shared natural resources. Demand that they properly fund the programs and initiatives that will help us achieve our goals in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay.
Healthy waterways are not a partisan issue. They are an important part of our economy, public health, and communities. Investing in our water resources will in turn support job growth, fuel our state’s vibrant recreation economy, and enhance our water supplies.
Leave a Reply