All News Releases By Date

Students, senior citizens join EPA in water monitoring to commemorate 30th Clean Water Act anniversary

Release Date: 10/18/2002
Contact Information: Roy Seneca 215-814-5567

Contact: Roy Seneca 215-814-5567
PHILADELPHIA - Students and senior citizens joined officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today to test the water quality of Darby Creek as part of the first national water monitoring day to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the year of clean water.

The sampling took place at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge with students from Patterson Elementary School in Philadelphia and the Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pa., scooping up water samples from Darby Creek with members of the Senior Environmental Corps from the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

“Water samples taken here today will help present a snapshot view of water quality in streams, lakes and coastal waters throughout the United States. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, we should be proud of the water quality improvements that have been made over the past quarter century, but also be aware that there is still much to be done,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

After taking samples, students and seniors used a water monitoring kit to perform four key tests for dissolved oxygen, pH, water clarity and temperature. The results will be recorded on a website along with water quality results from locations throughout the country. For more information, log onto https://www.epa.gov/water/yearofcleanwater

Representatives for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were on hand for the water monitoring, which coincided with the celebration of national wildlife refuge week.

The Heinz refuge includes about 250 acres of precious marshland that is fed by the ebb and flow of Darby Creek, its tributaries and the Delaware River. The marsh is a vital link for wildlife. It also serves as a huge sponge that absorbs floodwaters and slowly releases them, stemming the flooding often seen further upstream for folks who live adjacent to, and downstream from the marsh and refuge. The marsh also filters out pollutants and provides vital habitat for a wealth of fish and wildlife.

The Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 to make our nation’s water safe for swimming and fishing. The Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States. It gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry.

EPA is working with America’s Clean Water Foundation, federal agencies, states and local entities and citizens on events such as water monitoring throughout the year. Other ways to get involved include learning about local watershed organizations in your area; helping to organize a stream or beach cleanup; learning about water pollution and what homeowners and businesses can do to prevent it.