Lawsuit could stop poisoning of major river before it's too late: 'Hopefully, we've gotten to it in the nick of time'

A federal lawsuit is pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to establish new water quality standards for a 38-mile stretch of the Delaware River, per NJ Spotlight News. It may be the thing that saves the Atlantic sturgeon from extinction.

Wastewater treatment plants have been filling the river with ammonia for decades. This has resulted in dangerously low oxygen levels in the water, threatening not only the Atlantic sturgeon but several other native species. As egregious as that may sound, it doesn't violate the current legal standards.

Those standards have stood still since 1967. For context, that's three years before the first Earth Day ignited the environmental movement in the United States. While we still have much work to do, many of today's environmental standards are far higher than they were during the Summer of Love.

Meanwhile, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network has been fighting to improve water quality standards with what many consider to be an overdue update. The environmental group's lawsuit has resulted in a pending legal agreement requiring the EPA to raise the standards for the river's required oxygen levels by June 30.

While saving the Atlantic sturgeon from extinction is a huge deal, it's not the only reason to clean up the Delaware River. On top of all the other plant and animal life that depend on the river, humans depend on it too: It supplies drinking water to over 17 million people across 42 counties and five states — and that is facing enough threats already.

The Delaware River also provides fishing opportunities to countless people, which means both food and money to many. Beyond that, it's just a gorgeous, historic piece of the regional landscape.

Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?

Should the legal agreement to protect the river receive approval from a federal judge, it will be in what is potentially the 11th hour.

"A population like the sturgeon may very well disappear from the face of the Earth for forever," Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum told NJ Spotlight News. "Hopefully, we've gotten to it in the nick of time."

How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water?

Never 👎