It’s never a good thing to see half a million gallons of human waste dumped into the Columbia River. But at least some are taking to the streets to call for cleaner waterways (“Tribes, environmental groups protest recent sewage spills,” Nov. 12, The Columbian).
The Columbia River provides us sustenance, great recreation and strong salmon runs, among other things. Anyone who uses the river should be able to fish, swim or drink in its waters, free of concern about pollution. Yet, the release of 500,000 gallons of human waste into the river shows we have a lot of work to do.
It’s good that members of the community are holding our leaders accountable for this pollution. We need our state officials to hold the city of Vancouver accountable for the recent spill, and to pledge action to ensure this will not happen again.
