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ORSANCO Campaign
Thank you for helping to protect the Ohio River!
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO); the interstate compact designed to protect the Ohio River, was planning to lower Water Quality Standards at its June 2006 meeting. These proposed, lowered, standards had national implications. If these standards were adopted for the Ohio River, the EPA would likely look upon this as a model to allow other rivers throughout the United States to dump sewage into the water and lower water quality standards instead of properly dealing with combined sewer overflows.
The Safe and Healthy Communities Conservation Initiatives Committee funded the ORSANCO campaign; the goal being to garner sufficient public comment and outcry to stop adoption of the lowered standards at the June 2006 ORSANCO Commission meeting.
We asked for your help and you came through in record numbers! The best evidence of the success of the first phase of the campaign is the following announcement on the ORSANCO web site:
"The comment period on proposed revisions to the ORSANCO Pollution Control Standards has now closed. All comments received through May 31, 2006 will be considered. Due to the unprecedented number of comments received, it will take longer than usual to consider them. The Commission will not take any action on the adoption of proposed revisions to its Standards at its next meeting (June 15 in Evansville)."
However, it's not over yet as ORSANCO is still considering the adoption of the lowered standards. The next ORSANCO Commission meeting is in September 2006 and phase two of the campaign is in the works. You will be hearing from us as we continue to fight for high water quality in the Ohio.
Campaign Summary
- A coalition of environmental, boating, hunting, fishing and community organizations throughout the Ohio River Basin joined to oppose the standards
- Nearly 8,000 postcards voicing opposition to the standards were sent to ORSANCO Commissioners as a result of our direct mail campaign
- Public hearings throughout the Ohio River Basin were dominated by environmental concerns
- School children made posters in class to present at public hearings
- Hundreds of comments were posted on the ORSANCO web site in opposition to the standards
- There was excellent media coverage throughout the Ohio River Basin highlighting the shortsightedness of proposed standards
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