The agency with a mission to control and reduce pollution in the Ohio River is considering lowering water quality standards. The mayor of one riverfront city is urging the agency to maintain pollution controls.
Indiana, Kentucky and six other states are part of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission.
In a letter to the commission this week, Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said pollution controls must be enforced because the Ohio River provides drinking water to five million people and serves as a vital recreational resource.
The Courier and Press reports water quality in the Ohio River has greatly improved since the commission was formed 70 years ago. But the river remains threatened by raw sewage from storm overflows, agricultural runoff and industrial chemicals.
The Kentucky members of the commission are Secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet Charles Snavely, Lieutenant Governor Jenean Hampton, and President of the Northern Kentucky Water District Ronald Lovan.
The commission will review current pollution regulations at its next meeting in Lansing, West Virginia on October 4. F
