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Virginia Finds More Polluted Streams

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By Sabri Ben-Achour

Virginia has released it's annual evaluation of water quality in the state, and nearly half of the state's waterways are in trouble.

Every two years, under the clean water act, states have to check in on the health of their waterways.

This year, Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality found about (2000 more miles)[http://www.deq.virginia.gov/wqa/305b2010.html] of impaired streams.

About 40% of waterways in Virginia have water quality problems somewhere along their lengths.

That can mean it's difficult for creatures to live there, or it can mean there's too much bacteria in the water for human recreation, or that fish are too polluted to eat.

Northern Virginia is about average compared to the rest of the state, but the worst areas are those that line the Chesapeake Bay.

There is good news - 700 waterways were upgraded to healthy as they met water quality standards.

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