Toxic emissions, they’re in the water

After decades of hammering on corporations to reduce their toxic air emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now focusing on another source of nasty pollution, corporate water emissions. Although the Clean Water Act has technically been in place for well over three decades, the EPA has been lax in enforcing regulations, often due to thinly-stretched resources.

Coal-fired power plants are responsible for an overwhelming portion of the arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other toxic heavy metals that are polluting our waters. Charles Duhigg of the New York Times recently published a series, “Toxic Waters”, revealing astonishing information about the levels of toxic waste that are being dumped daily into rivers and holding ponds. The scrubbers that are used to remove the toxins from the air emissions are being sprayed down. Tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater are generated from this process. Every day this wastewater is flushing toxic contaminants into storage ponds or directly into our rivers.

As “green power” has risen into the spotlight, the side effects of generating that power have resulted in toxins such as arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and lead being discharged into large holding ponds and waterways. Onsite trace metal analyzers, such as those manufactured by TraceDetect, help corporations identify and monitor these types of contaminants. With quick and accurate information about the toxins that are present, companies can implement and optimize contaminant-removal technologies.

“It’s a huge issue that the power companies are facing. The ability to monitor the specific contaminants and levels that are present will allow these companies to determine a viable remediation plan to reduce emissions,” says Richard Brewer, CEO & President, TraceDetect. “On the positive side, we’re seeing lots of interest from many corporations with their efforts to reduce these toxic emissions.”

That is good news. “The time is long overdue for the EPA to re-examine its approach to Clean Water Act enforcement,” says EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson. She vows that the EPA will enforce much stricter compliance, holding these corporate polluters fiscally responsible for their emissions and damage to our nations’ waterways. It appears that responsible corporate citizens are heeding the message.

About TraceDetect

TraceDetect is a leading provider of on-site trace metals monitoring equipment. TraceDetect‘s patented products enable detection of trace metal concentrations down to sub-ppb in the drinking water, waste water treatment, power & energy, mining, industrial process, and semiconductor industries. TraceDetect offers online and automated products with real-time analysis results at a fraction of the cost and time.