Can't blame it on the rain.

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Across New England, stormwater pollution has emerged as the major pollution threat to the health of our rivers, lakes and streams. Some of the region's most treasured waters--the Charles River, Great Bay Estuary, Lake Champlain, Blackstone River and Casco Bay--are suffering due to polluted stormwater runoff.

Dramatic growth in development and sprawl has eliminated natural landscapes and expanded parking lots and other paved areas. During rain storms, stormwater runoff flows from these paved areas, picking up oil, toxic metals and other pollutants, and gets dumped directly into rivers and streams with little or no treatment. This polluted stormwater increases nutrient levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, triggering toxic-algae blooms, and causes many rivers, lakes and streams to fail even basic water quality standards.

Using first-of-its-kind legal advocacy, CLF is working across the region to enforce the Clean Water Act and clean up polluted stormwater to restore New England's treasured waterways. Not only has CLF's clean water team held big box developers accountable for the impacts of construction, but our attorneys scored a major precedent-setting victory in May when a federal judge ruled the Massachusetts Highway Department had failed to properly clean up stormwater pollution on its 2,500 miles of roads and bridges.

Here's a look at how CLF is leading the charge to combat stormwater pollution and protect some of our region's most treasured waters:

NEW HAMPSHIRE--VICTORY FOR GREAT BAY ESTUARY

Nitrogen pollution has been steadily rising in the Great Bay estuary, leading to an increased presence of nuisance algae that causes oxygen depletion and declines in critical eelgrass habitat. Great Bay now has nitrogen levels similar to those that led to the collapse of Chesapeake Bay. Last January, a legal settlement signed by CLF, the City of Portsmouth and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put Portsmouth on the path to long-awaited reductions in wastewater and nitrogen pollution flowing into the Piscataqua River--an important part of the Great Bay estuary.

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In the settlement, Portsmouth agreed to include nitrogen removal as a key consideration in its ongoing assessment of future wastewater treatment options. Additionally, as part of the settlement, the City must conduct a detailed study, with input from CLF and EPA, of measures it can implement in the short-term.

MAINE--RESTORING THE HEALTH OF...