Companies have discharged millions of pounds of toxic chemicals in the Delaware River the last five years, records show

On the Delaware River, between Trenton and Pennsylvania’s southern border, 11 industrial plants have released toxic chemicals into the water in legally permitted amounts over the last five years, according to reports they must file to federal officials.

However, only two facilities — the PBF Energy refinery in Paulsboro, Gloucester County, and the Monroe Energy refinery in Trainer, Delaware County — accounted for nearly all of the chemicals discharged. Together, they account for 4.4 million pounds of toxic chemicals emptied into the river since 2017.

The discharge caused panic in Philadelphia when residents feared it would reach the city’s Baxter water treatment plant in Torresdale. However, no traces of the chemical compounds were ever found, according to city tests. The cityRegardless, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, and Styrene all made their way during the spill down the river the Philadelphia Water Department uses to supply drinking water for much of the city as well as Lower Bucks County.

“They present an ongoing significant danger because of the number of facilities that very legally discharge pollution into the river and its tributaries,” van Rossum said.Under the TRI program, certain facilities are required to self-report toxic chemicals they release that could pose a threat to human health and the environment. A release means a chemical is emitted to the air or water, or disposed of on land. The Inquirer focused its analysis to water releases.

The Delaware River is actually far cleaner than it was in the 1960s and 1970s, before the Clean Water Act made it illegal to discharge pollutants into waterways without a permit. Before that, no agency was keeping track and the river’s dissolved oxygen — a key measure of water health — had dropped to near zero, creating an infamous dead zone for aquatic life. Regulation has helped restore its oxygen to healthier levels.

But we have to drink from paper straws now and pay for plastic bags at checkout 🤔

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