The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality hosted a meeting on March 19th to update interested people on the process of developing and setting nutrient criteria for Mississippi. At some point in the next 2 to 3 years, after many delays, the MDEQ will finally release state-wide standards for nitrogen and phosphorous pollution limits either in …
Up and Down at the MDEQ Nutrient Criteria Meeting Read More »
Fertilizer being spread on Iowa corn field. Courtesy USDA NRCSThe Gulf Restoration Network, and its partners, has tried for 15 years to get state and federal governments to work with farmers to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution flowing down the Mississippi River that causes the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Much of this …
Walmart doing what State and Federal Program have failed to do Read More »
A public meeting on the Groundworx LLC wastewater land application permit was held at the Hattiesburg train depot on the evening of Tuesday February 25th. Around 85 people attended to hear MDEQ staff describe the draft permit for a new sewage treatment system that features no discharge to streams or rivers. Thirty people made verbal …
Effluent dumping into the Leaf River from one of Hattiesburg’s existing sewage treatment facilities. The City of Hattiesburg, Mississippi has signed a contract with Groundworx LLC to take over the city’s sewage treatment. The Hattiesburg sewage lagoons have been causing ongoing problems with odor and pollution, and while taking care of this problem is long …
Antiquated treatment ponds at the mill. GRN photo, flight courtesy of Southwings.Back in the Summer of 2011, the Temple-Inland Paper Mill in Bogalusa, LA dumped some really noxious “black liquor” into the Pearl River and killed hundreds of thousands of fish and other critters. Since then, they have been bought out by International Paper and …
Culprit of 2011 Pearl Fish-Kill Seeks Renewed Permit Read More »
“We have never had coal runoff get in the river from a hurricane. We have had a little get off their facilities, but not into the river, and they have always cleaned it up well” –Billy NungesserUnited Bulk hasn’t needed a hurricane to pollute our river.Each time we pass the United Bulk Facility, we find …
WATCH–Coal Terminals don’t need a hurricane to foul the river Read More »
We need to put the Mississippi River back to work building land in Louisiana, but a river full of coal runoff cannot build healthy wetlands. Help us make this message clear to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by attending a public hearing next week, Wednesday August 14th.The Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable …
Investors and Communities can agree: “Communities don’t want coal export terminals. They don’t want railroads trucking through town.”And they don’t want large piles of coal to blow all over them.Kinder-Morgan’s coal and pet coke pile, down in Myrtle Grove, regularly coats boats in a black film, and increases the amount of house cleaning for residents, …
A few fridays ago, I and Devin Martin of Sierra Club Delta Chapter walked the river to find coal and pet coke washing into the batture.On previous trips we had seen both mineral coal and slimy coal tar downstream of United Bulk, and watched as a river otter fed on blue crab in the anchorage …
Eric de Placeand David Kershnerof Sightline.org have recently written a summary of how coal exports can scum up our wetlands.Just because spilled coal is not as bad as oil, doesn’t mean it’s not pollution–especially considered that Louisiana Coal terminals mix their coal with petroleum coke from the refineries upriver.The black grit blocks out the sun’s …