The Sun Foundation’s annual Clean Water Celebration drew hundreds of area middle and high school students to the Peoria Civic Center Monday. One goal is for students to exchange ideas on water conservation and recycling. Paul Ritter is a biology teacher at Pontiac Township high School. He says his students helped propose state legislation that would limit the use of plastic grocery bags:
“It’s very important to them that we don’t have these plastic bags floating around in the air and ending up in our water supply and winding up in the stomachs of animals.”
Other officials at the event say chemical run-off and plastic food-ware items are among the top threats to water quality in the region.