The Windy City Blows Off Toxins to the Ocean

Chicago is famous for dyeing its river green on St. Patrick’s Day, but it is rarely known for muddying waters thousands of miles away. According to a U.S. Geological Survey study, polluted water from the Windy City has helped kill marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, Chi-TownDailyNews.org reported Friday.

The study, released Thursday, ranks the city on top of a list of sites discharging nitrogen and phosphorus – an effect of the use of fertilizer and detergent. The tainted urban water has helped create a dead zone in the ocean basin, where algae is taking over marine flora and fauna, the study says.

But according to Albert Ettinger, an Environmental Law & Policy Center lawyer, Chicago’s rank can be deceptive. “You can be number one and still only be 5 percent of the issue,” he said.

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Source: United Press International