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Story: Watch Where You Put That Snow! February 20, 2003 (AP) As cities in the Northeast dig out from a powerful winter storm, many are using local rivers to dump tons of plowed snow that doesn't fit in parking lots or other urban spaces. Some scientists say the river dumping carries an environmental risk. Robert East Jr., director of environmental studies at Washington & Jefferson College, said stone flies — just beginning to emerge in Pennsylvania's rivers — could be threatened by the salts used to melt snow along the state's roadways. With little space to pile accumulated snow, Philadelphia officials decided to dump it into the city's rivers. While Pennsylvania and West Virginia have no rules that prohibit dumping snow into rivers and streams, other states do, including Maryland and Massachusetts. New Jersey also prohibits dumping, but the ban was temporarily lifted after Gov. James E. McGreevey declared a state of emergency following the storm. Likewise, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection granted a waiver to the Coast Guard to dump snow from its base into Boston Harbor. In New York City, Department of Sanitation spokesman Vito Turso said the department stopped dumping snow into the East and Hudson rivers and New York harbor after a 1996 blizzard because of worries over pollution from rock salt and debris. River and watershed groups said snow should be hauled away...
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