Greenpeace’s ongoing efforts to pressure governments and companies to stop pollution paid off. Just last month, Chinese authorities blacklisted 20 factories that were spilling toxins into the Pearl River Delta. In fact, three of the offenders were part of an investigation Greenpeace conducted last year in their Poisoning the Pearl report. Which, no doubt played a role in the government’s action.

One of the companies blacklisted was a textile factory. The Qingyuan Top Dragon Textile Company was, according to the water samples collected by Greenpeace, discharging manganese at levels well above the allowed levels. Manganese exposure can lead to brain damage. In addition to the manganese, the factory was spewing arsenic and a whole slew of other metals and pollutants out with their waste water.

According to Greenpeace, “being blacklisted means greater scrutiny on these companies and their industrial discharges which could in the future translate to deadlines by the government for the companies to stop polluting the Pearl River Delta. This is a warning to the factories and it may also affect the company’s financial status in terms of ability to launch a stock market listing or apply for a loan.”

Of course, punishing these 20 companies is only a drop in the bucket. When over 70 percent of China’s water is polluted, it’s safe to say the government has been slow to set regulations and take action against the untold number of factories dumping millions of gallons of polluted, toxic waste into China’s water.

If anyone knows who contracts with the Qingyuan Top Dragon Textile Company, please leave it in the comments below. It would be very good to know if their garments were ending up on the shelves here in the United States.

The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the abundance of dirty water running through the pipes of American homes. In fact, according to the article, “20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about this problem. The Times’ on-going series Toxic Waters has talked about this issue a number of times this year. Earlier this year, Frontline on PBS documentary Poisoned Waters did an excellent job documenting the extent of the problem.

What is clear is that the U.S. government and the Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) have not put our safety first, despite the enactment of the 1972 Clean Water Act.

While we all have a lot to do, especially at this time of the year, we think it’s worthwhile for you to take a few minutes to do what the EPA doesn’t seem to be willing to do: enforce the clean water standards.

Educate

A good place to start is the EPA’s website which lays out the national drinking water standards.  Another valuable resource is the American Water Resources Association’s May 2007 edition of their Water Resources IMPACT magazine, which they have made available for download. It’s quite intense, but if you’re really into the details, they’ve got them for you.

Verify

Check to see if your own local water system is providing clean, safe drinking water or if they are one of the many violators. Often you can simply pull up your local water company’s website and look for the most recent water quality report. Of course, if you can’t find it online, call!

Act

If you find that you’re an unlucky customer of a violating water treatment system, don’t just sit there. And just buying a water filter isn’t good enough either. Take action.

1. Write a letter to the water company demanding to know what steps they are taking to remove the contaminants from their system. Ask your neighborhoods to sign it as well.
2. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Make sure your entire community is aware of the problem. It affects everyone.
3. Join or start a local watershed organization. You can see what’s available in your area using the EPA’s Surf Your Watershed tool.
4. If things are really bad, take legal action. The Poisoned Waters website says:

Leon Billings, former U.S. Senate staff member and the law’s co-author, said the provision is ‘absolutely the single most important provision in clean water and air law in the vast narrative of environmental law enacted since,’ because it introduced accountability to the government — meaning EPA had to implement the congressional mandate. ‘If they failed to do so,’ Billings says, ‘citizens could go to court and force them to do so.’

5. Of course, you should also make sure you’re not polluting the local water system. You can take your car to a car wash, refrain from rinsing off your driveway, stop using toxic chemicals in and outside your home. More tips are in this post.  And those are just the tip of the iceberg.

We’d love to know what you found when you looked up your local water quality measurements. If your water is healthy, great, work to keep it that way. If not, what are you going to do about it?

photo credit: Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

+ Proof that water conservation works—even in the desert.

+ Designer Jurgen Bey wants you to pull up a trunk and get comfy with his eco-friendly bench:

+ The Cash for Clunkers program gets a much needed infusion from the Senate.

+ The EPA explains why conservation is critical, even with a renewable resource like water.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who represents Oregon’s 3^rd district, is probably best known for authoring the 2005 “Water for the Poor Act,” which provides the world’s poorest populations with clean water and sanitation. He recently passed an amendment to the bill, securing an extra $25 million for clean water.

In true Oregonian fashion, Blumenauer’s most recent bill, the “OUTDOOR Act,” alleviates hefty tariffs for manufacturers of active wear and outdoor apparel. With a reduction in overhead for small businesses, the bill hopes to create more local job opportunities. The companies that benefit from the reduction in tariffs are, in turn, required to donate a portion of their savings to research initiatives that target ways to keep America’s apparel industry competitive and environmentally responsible.

Congressman Blumenauer’s environmental initiatives are admirable, but rare. Are your local representatives driving toward sustainability? You can locate and write to your local representative on the U.S. House of Representative website.