It is hard to believe that the incorrect application of the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) test, an important water pollution test developed in 1920, caused the failure of the Clean Water Act, the second largest federally funded public works program. Sadly that is the case and also true is that all official attempts to correct this test, during the past 30 years, failed, because clearly nobody wants to be associated with such an embarrassing mistake.
Therefore, sign this petition to demand that Congress forces the EPA to implement the Clean Water Act, as intended and promised, what only is possible if this essential test and regulations are corrected. If you like more information how this test should be applied, visit www.petermaier.net and read the BOD test description in the Technical PDF section. AND, if you want to do more, sent the following (or similar) email to your representatives in Washington and local media.

Dear Senator/Congressman/ Editor:

While signing a petition on Change.org, I learned that, while the Clean Water Act of 1972 promised the elimination of all water pollution by 1985, the EPA never implemented the Act, because, when it established sewage treatment standards, it used an essential water pollution test incorrectly and ignored 60% of the pollution in sewage Congress clearly intended to treat. Ignored was and still is, all he pollution caused by nitrogenous (urine and protein) waste, whiles this waste, besides exerting an biochemical oxygen demand (like fecal waste), also is a fertilizer for algae, and thus contributes to the formation of dead zones, red tides and the destruction of coral reefs. This is now called and acknowledged ‘nutrient pollution’, but mostly blamed on the runoffs from farms and cities.

Although EPA already in 1983 acknowledged the problems caused by this incorrect testing, it repeatedly has refused to correct the test and regulations, even tough, besides the ‘nutrient pollution’, we still do not know how sewage is treated in sewage treatment plants and what the effluent waste load is on receiving waters.

Without correcting this test and regulations, we will keep wasting time and money on programs to stop this type of ‘nutrient pollution’. This while EPA already in 1978 acknowledged that not only much better sewage treatment (including nitrogenous waste) was available, but actually can be built and operated at much lower cost, compared to conventional sewage treatment.

Elimination of all water pollution may not yet be economically feasible, but we at least should stop using our rivers as urinals. Your attention and action will be highly appreciated,
Sincerely,
Name