Blog post by Lauren Goldberg, Riverkeeper’s Staff Attorney—
February 25, 2014. One of the most fundamental parts of Riverkeeper’s work is ensuring local fish are safe to eat. We take this work very seriously. As massive toxic spills grip national headlines, we are working hard at home in Oregon and Washington to use the power of the people and environmental laws to protect our fundamental right to eat fish without fear of toxic contamination.
As part of our Toxic Free Fish Campaign, we recently submitted a detailed letter, report, and coalition letter to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality urging the agency to take the necessary steps to keep toxics out of otherwise healthy local fish. Here’s the backstory: In 2010, we celebrated a major victory when Oregon adopted the nation’s most protective water quality rules for toxics. But, the rules are only the first step. Oregon needs to use its full authority to implement the rules and identify rivers that need toxic recovery plans, called “Total Maximum Daily Loads.”
Here on the Columbia we have a chronic problem with certain types of fish being too toxic for pregnant women and kids to eat. This is unacceptable. Fish advisories—telling people to stay away from certain types of fish or stop eating them altogether—are not the answer. Toxic pollutants like mercury, PCBs, and copper have no place in our rivers and streams. So, Riverkeeper is working on all fronts to keep toxics out of fish, from educating the next generation to enforcing environmental laws to working with tribal nations on policy reforms.
Learn more about our Toxic Free Fish campaign.
