Carson River needs clean-up

By Marla Turner, Las Vegas

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 | 2 a.m.

A lifelong resident of Nevada, I have great concerns about the Carson River. A 104-mile stretch of it, which crosses five counties in western Nevada, is considered to be a Superfund site or an environmental disaster zone. This means that 104 miles of the river has endured so much hazardous waste in one form or another that the EPA considers it and the areas surrounding it uninhabitable. The site is a risk to human health and/or the environment.

The Carson River and the land by the river is contaminated by an estimated 7,500 tons of mercury, the legacy of mining practices from the late 1800s. Mercury poisoning affects a person’s central nervous system over time, beginning with irritability and fatigue and potentially leading to hearing and cognitive loss, and even death.

The congressional budget proposed by the Trump administration would slash funding for the EPA by 31 percent. What that means for you and me is that this administration seems to be OK with allowing residents of the area to continue to be poisoned.

If Congress does not stand up for a fully funded EPA in the upcoming budget debate, the Carson River site is one of many Superfund disaster zones across the country that will jeopardize people’s lives. Wouldn’t it be better for all of us to just to clean it up?