Clean Water In the News

Two well-known waterways here in Southeast Texas are filled with hazardous chemicals. A 2006 report released by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, says the Sabine River above the Toledo Bend Reservoir ranked 5, the worst when it comes to bacteria. The entire Neches River received the same ranking. The data was used by Environment Texas when they compiled a 12-month report. The Report stated the city of Beaumont and the Lumberton Municipal Utility District both ranked in the top twenty in Texas for exceeding their clean water permits. A spokesman for the group says many municipalities don't have the money to make the necessary improvements. Environment Texas says the city of Orange dumped nearly twice the acceptable level of copper into the Sabine River back in 2005. The group warned if the pollution continues at these levels, it could spell danger for Southeast Texans playing on the waterways.