Don’t Let Pollution Crash the Party

Dead Zones & Pollution in the Gulf of Mexico Threaten Coastal Economy

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND – Environment Texas along with Surfrider Foundation, elected officials, and spring breakers called on Congress to protect Texas beaches by passing the Clean Water Restoration Act. The message comes during “Texas Week,” a time when Spring Break vacation allows between 60,000 to 75,000 students to venture to South Padre Island to enjoy the white sand beaches and the Gulf of Mexico.

Unfortunately, increased pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and around Texas’ coasts threaten South Padre’s ability to remain a popular spring break destination for years to come. “In order to ensure that Texas tourism remains a robust industry and that our beaches and oceans are clean enough for those who wish to enjoy them, Congress must past the Clean Water Restoration Act,” said Environment Texas Federal Field Associate Gerri Witthuhn.

The contaminated waters of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico are the Gulf’s main source of pollution. The nutrient pollution coming from these rivers is what creates the massive algae blooms, dead zones, and red tides that kill aquatic life and threaten the health of humans. The dead zone in the Gulf is currently the size of Massachusetts.

According to a report by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas-Lousiana Shelf is the largest dead zone in the Western Hemisphere.

Diminishing water quality off of Texas’ coast jeopardizes our ability to safely enjoy our beaches. “If the beach stops bringing the surfers, our tourism industry suffers,” said Witthuhn.

The occurrence of dead zone in our treasured Gulf is likely to increase if we don’t start watching what we dump into our waterways. According to a recent report by Environment Texas, the Mississippi River is the third most polluted river in the country. Companies like ExxonMobil contributed to the over 12.7 million pounds of toxic pollutants that were dumped into the Mississippi in 2007 alone. “We must decrease the amount of pollutants that are discharged into the Mississippi and then washed into the Gulf of Mexico if we hope to preserve the health of our precious beaches,” said Witthuhn.

To accomplish this, Environment Texas urges Congress to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act. This act restores the Clean Water Act’s original ability to protect our rivers, lakes and streams. “The Gulf of Mexico can only be as clean as the rivers that feed it, and those rivers can only be as clean as the streams and wetlands that feed into them,” said Witthuhn. Environment Texas warned that in order to sustain a lively coastal economy and keep our beaches healthy, our federal government must have the ability to protect all US waterways.

It is now up to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act and push it onto the House Floor. Congressman Solomon Ortiz, who sits on the committee, has yet to come out with his stance on the bill. Witthuhn added, “we are counting on Congressman Solomon Ortiz to support this legislation that will preserve our beaches, protect marine life, sustain our coastal economy, and keep South Padre Island’s Spring Break traditions alive for decades to come.”