Our local economy is tied to our beaches and our waters. When beaches are closed due to spilled sewage or harmful algae blooms, it trickles down to the hotels and merchants, then the whole area gets a bad rap. In fact, I had friends from out-of-state here last week that wanted to go kayaking and then found out that the beach was closed due to high coliform. Local groups have also had to cancel kayak outings due to these types of conditions.

13 plants are on the DEP’s violation list for non-compliance. Some violations go back years, but the plants remain on the list until they have met all compliancy orders. The violations were compiled from DEP’s latest available public records.The list is after the jump.

Have you been enjoying your summer, splashing in your stream and swimming in your local lake? You may think you know whether it's safe to take a dip, but depending on where you live, there's a good chance you have no idea.

Given that there is no consistent national standard requiring sewage system operators to alert the public about spills, states play a critical role. But what states actually require public notification after a sewer overflow - in which states can you dive into your local lake or river confident that you won't be paddling through the waste your neighbor flushed down the drain the day before?

Ohio has considerable problems with sewage overflows and the state's public notification requirements are considered to be the worst in the Great Lakes. But it appears legislators in Ohio are taking notice of the state's sewage problems.

If you've been wondering lately what the most important medical discovery of the past 167 years is, you're not alone. The British Medical Journal asked its readers to vote on the most important medical milestone since the first issue of the journal was published in 1840. The nominations were narrowed down to 15, with experts writing supporting articles for each discovery.