Three environmental and public health groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to establish water quality protections for a widely used weedkiller that's contaminating rivers and streams across the country, including parts of the Mountain West.
Atrazine is primarily used on crops like corn and sorghum. While most contamination is concentrated in the Midwest, affected watersheds extend into eastern Colorado and New Mexico.
A recent report from the Center for Biological Diversity estimates that atrazine contaminates 25% of river miles in the continental U.S. at levels the EPA considers harmful to aquatic life.
“It's a problem chemical. It goes where the water is,” said Nathan Donley, the center's environmental health science director. ”There's basically no way to keep it out of the water.”
Scientific research has linked atrazine exposure to harmful effects on aquatic plants and wildlife. The pesticide has also raised concerns about human health and drinking water.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network and Center for Environmental Health filed their lawsuit on Oct. 14 in U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California.
The groups say the EPA began developing water quality criteria for atrazine under the Clean Water Act in 1999 but never finished. Those criteria would help states establish limits to protect waterways from contamination.
“We've got a problem in this country. [The] EPA actually acknowledges that we have a problem,” Donley said. "The data on rivers and streams contaminating the U.S. is their data."
Atrazine isn't limited to agricultural fields. Donley said the chemical can also be used on residential lawns, golf courses and athletic fields throughout the West. However, there's little data on how widespread that use is.
The EPA is separately considering whether to reapprove atrazine under federal pesticide law. Environmental groups argue the agency's proposed protections would leave many contaminated waterways at unsafe levels.
The EPA has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. The federal agency declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Atrazine is banned in more than 60 countries, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Donley believes the U.S. should follow their lead.
“We're falling behind,” he said. “And other countries are cleaning up their messes while we're still making them here in our backyard, unfortunately.”
To read the full 38-page lawsuit, click here.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
