ORSANCO Delays Vote On Rolling Back Ohio River Pollution Standards

ORSANCO has been monitoring pollution in the Ohio River for 70 years, and will continue doing so for a least a few more months.

The Ohio River in Aurora. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Cincinnati, Oh.) - A plan to remove uniform water quality standards for the Ohio River has been halted - at least for now.

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission’s board was to vote Thursday on removing the standards. However, committee members meeting in West Virginia voted to table a vote because the watchdog organization has received more than 8,000 public comments, with most of the feedback against the proposal.

The proposal would eliminate ORSANCO's water pollution standards followed by eight states along the river. Those standards help protect the 981-mile river by setting limits on industrial pollution and water flowing into it.

Removing the ORSANCO standards would allow states to set their own standards, with oversight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. State and federal water quality standards have improved greatly since ORSANCO was founded 70 years ago, supporters of the change say.

However, environmentalists believe ORSANCO ceding the pollution standards would make for a dirtier river, harm aquatic life, and impact drinking water for five million people. Ohio River Waterkeeper says there are 440 pollutants for which the ORSANCO numeric pollution limit is either more protective or no state water quality standard has ever been adopted.

The ORSANCO board’s next meeting is scheduled for February in Covington, Kentucky.

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