Report finds EPA has “neglected its duty” under the federal Clean Water Act

More than 700,000 miles of America’s rivers, streams and creeks and more than 11 million acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs are so excessively polluted that they are classified as “impaired,” according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

The tally means that more than 50 percent of assessed river and stream miles and 55 percent of lake acres are so heavily polluted or otherwise impacted that they are not safe for swimming and fishing or as drinking water sources. The same is true for a quarter of assessed bay and estuary square miles, according to the report.

The figures may be a vast understatement of the pollution problem as about 73 percent of river and stream miles have not been studied in more than six years. Regardless, they underscore a significant failure by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state regulators to enforce the Clean Water Act, enacted 50 years ago.

Intensive animal agriculture is a significant contributor to the contamination of waterways, according to the report, which was released on Thursday by the nonprofit group.