Environmental groups have filed a pair of lawsuits in federal district courts to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take tougher action to curb pollutants in the nation’s waterways.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental organizations say their lawsuits, filed March 13, are necessary to reduce the size of large algae blooms, or “dead zones,” that stretch for miles in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and other waterways across the nation.
But the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) says a court ruling in the environmental groups' favor could have “astronomical” financial implications for wastewater-treatment agencies, which would need to upgrade their facilities to comply with stringent new standards.