State water-quality officials rarely deny sewer permits, even when urged to do so by their own staff, and never revoke existing permits, even if the plant is a chronic polluter and has amassed thousands of dollars in fines.
     Our COASTKEEPERS^® reached those unmistakable conclusions after reviewing state records on sewer plants in southern and central coastal counties. They found 60 plants in that eight-county region had violated their pollution limits so often that they were fined at least twice in the last five years by the state's Division of Water Quality. The state fined the worst ones dozens of times. Yet, the repeated fines and stern warnings did little to prevent many of the violators from renewing their permits to continue polluting coastal waters.
     "These permits are always renewed and never revoked," said Frank Tursi, the Federation's Cape Lookout COASTKEEPER^® and the lead researcher. "We found numerous instances in the files of state regulators writing stern warnings to polluters one month and then renewing the permits a couple of months later. What we uncovered is a considerable chink in the conventional wisdom that sewer plants aren't problems anymore."
     In an effort to call attention to these chronic polluters, the Federation's three COASTKEEPERS^® have launched this Sewer Patrol website.

Knowledge: The Key to Success

• Monthly Polluters: An updated list of the most recently fined dischargers.
• Know Your Polluter: Monthly profiles of the most chronic violators.
• The Dirty Dozen: A ranking of the top polluters by the number of times they were fined during the last five years.
• The Polluter Database: A comprehensive list by county of all the chronic polluters in the eight-county region.
• The Citizens' Guide to Discharge Permits: Provides information on how the state and federation governments regulate sewer plants and industrial discharges.
• Know Your Watershed: A list of state and federal websites that include important reports on water quality in individual river basins.
• Become a Sewer Rat: Provides detailed information on how to monitor discharge permits by reviewing state files and reporting violations.
• Glossary: Definitions of the bureaucratic and scientific words and terms you need to know.