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.

Ohio State HouseHere’s a quick update on HB 235, Ohio Sewage Community Right-to-Know bill. The bill just received its first round of hearings on Wednesday, June 20th 2007. Ohio Game Fishing members Dennis Malone, Officer Brandon Smith and I gave testimony in support of the bill before the Ohio House of Representatives Economic Development and Environment Committee at the State House in Columbus Ohio.

As we look forward to celebrating the Clean Water Act's 35th birthday this week we've discovered that a lot of work remians to be done to meet the goals of this landmark piece of legislation.

In a report we just released, Troubled Waters: An Analysis of 2005 Clean Water Act Compliance (available for download below), our research found that more than 57% of Clean Water Act permitees are out of compliance with their issued permits.

It's no secret that Ohio has considerable problems with sewage overflows. With a majority of the population living in communities with combined sewer systems, overflows are common, particularly in high recreational areas on Lake Erie. In light of this major threat to the environment and the public's health, the Ohio EPA is taking steps to better inform the public about the locations of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). The Ohio EPA has made available to the public a user friendly mapping system pinpointing CSO outfalls across the entire state.

While this tool is far from perfect (leaving out critical information about when the overflows are occurring), it is a huge step in the right direction to keeping the public informed about the safety of the waters in communities across Ohio.