BARRINGTON — To the editor:
Growing up on Narragansett Bay, I know that the Bay is the heart and soul of life in Rhode Island.
As a kid, I explored its marshes with my sisters and all but lived on the beach during the summer months. Unfortunately, too many of the streams, rivers and wetlands that feed into waterways like the Bay are at risk of unlimited pollution due to loopholes in the Clean Water Act. This leaves them at the mercy of big polluters and developers.
Because of this, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than half a million Rhode Islanders get their drinking water from potentially unprotected waterways, posing an unacceptable and unnecessary health risk.
Fortunately, President Obama can protect Rhode Island’s rivers, streams and wetlands. As the Clean Water Act turns 40, President Obama should restore Clean Water Act protections to the tributaries and streams that feed into waterways like the Narragansett by finalizing guidelines and conducting a rulemaking to protect all of America’s waterways — including the bay. This will bring us closer to water fit for fishing, swimming and drinking for generations to come.
Maggie Ferrato
Providence
Ms. Ferrato is Clean Water Intern for at the organization known as Environment Rhode Island.
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