Almost one third of rivers polluted, finds EPA water study

ALMOST 30% of rivers and streams are either slightly, moderately or seriously polluted, according to a survey published yesterday.

The report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carried out between 2001 and 2003, found more than half of groundwater sources surveyed were contaminated with bacteria from animal and human faecal waste.

However, the EPA report found that water quality overall was of a high standard and that the overall level of pollution had decreased slightly since the previous study covering the period 1998 to 2000.