LPOW joins in lawsuit challenge

SANDPOINT — Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper has joined a nationwide coalition of environmental groups in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Industrial Stormwater Permit, according to a news release.

The permit, known formerly as the Multi Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity, regulates stormwater runnoff across the country.  That runoff is one of the biggest and most harmful sources of pollution in our waterways, according to Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeepter executive director Shannon Williamson.

When rain falls on industrial facilities such as cement plants, scrapyards, or truck depots, it picks up pollution caused by industrial activity and carries it into waterways, which often serve as drinking water sources.

Industrial stormwater often contains a mix of environmentally damaging and toxic pollutants including sediments, oil; metals such as arsenic, lead, zinc, and copper; and persistent toxins such as mercury and PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, the press release said.

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