It's Time To Stop Water Pollution In America

When you think of problems in the world today, water pollution isn’t one that would normally come up. In fact it is one of the worst problems in the world today. Water pollution, by definition, is the contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by any substances harmful to living things. All living things contain water and most need water to survive, so water pollution is a big problem. If severe, the pollution can kill off birds, fish, and any animals that use the water source. In some cases even killing an entire species.

Everyday, billions of people use water all over the world. They use water in drinks and food. They use water for bathing and hygiene. They use water in agriculture and industry. They use water for so many things. However, there are many problems with the usage of water around the world. In his editorial, “Our Water System: What a Waste”, Michael E. Webber explains how America has a water problem, and how that problem can be solved.

Groundwater pollution is a major problem that is growing in all over the world. Of course the united states America also facing this problem. People of Mississippi State are worried about groundwater pollution due to the several human activities. Groundwater is a main source of their water supply. Disposal of solid waste in landfills is an economic option for many municipalities in developing countries where alternatives like incineration and composting are costly. However, groundwater pollution from the leachate generated within the landfill and migrating through the bottom liner material into the underlying groundwater aquifers remains a major public health concern I studied chemical parameters of groundwater in Alcorn State University as a part of my project.

The presence of heavy metals is known to cause hypertension, damage to arteries leading to heart disease , Damage the brain cells increasing the risk of dementia, Parkinson's and other diseases, damage to the organs of the body increasing the risk of cancer.

There have been many adverse health effects of heavy metals, especially lead when dealing with

“Every year more than 3.4 million people die as a result of water related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world” (Berman Para. 1). Water, it is essential to all life on earth, nothing really would be here without it. But safe water isn’t always an option. Water contamination and pollution is one of the main issues behind this. This is such a major issue because it can possibly cause illness, disease, mental issues, death, and in some cases, it has lead entire species to become endangered and even to become extinct (Environmental pollution Para. 1). This issue must be taken into consideration and have something done about it. Water contamination and pollution must be eliminated from the environment and prevented

The amount of water pollution is growing rapidly. 80 percent of all water pollution comes from land and enters our lakes, streams, and oceans. Millions of cars leak antifreeze, oil, and gasoline every day that runs off into the main water source. More than one-third of the shellfish-growing waters of the United States are adversely affected by coastal pollution. Nations spend millions of dollars on cleanup in our local lakes, streams, and

Everett, Jason M., editor. “Water Pollution.” UXL Sustainable Living, vol. 3, UXL, Farmington Hills, MI, 2016, pp. 637–644. Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=unio34164&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE|CX3629600133&asid=11e26f20a65a3f2af34deb631d13d131. Accessed 2017.

Currently in the United States, there are a multitude of pollutants affecting Americans in their daily lives. One of the most significant detriments to their health would be lack of a consistent source of clean drinking water. The contamination of water derives from environmental challenges as well as human carelessness. The recent event in Flint, Michigan highlighted the availability of clean drinking water and what it entails if it is not provided to its citizens. There are several federal agencies established to address the issue of pollution, especially clean drinkable water. This should be a concern of most importance as American citizens cannot function or survive without the intake of clean and safe drinking water. Of all the environmental issues faced daily by Americans, none is more critical than contaminated drinking water.

Contaminated water is the cause of many life-threatening diseases including diarrhea, the second biggest child-killer in the world. Diarrhea is estimated to cause 1.3 million child deaths per year. Water contamination can spread diseases such as hepatitis B, dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever. High levels of arsenic, lead or fluoride may lead to both acute and chronic diseases in children.

Unfortunately we as humans are contaminating the water supplies all around us every single day. Water becomes contaminated when anthropogenic, or people-made, substances get dissolved or mixed into water. This results in an overabundance of deadly contaminants in the water, which have a direct effect on the animals that live in it. Some of these contaminations are extremely difficult, or even impossible, to clean up. Although huge oil spills, such as the BP oil spill, get a majority of the news coverage, there are many different ways people pollute the earth. These various ways include landfills, leaking gasoline storage or septic tanks, and even farm land that is treated with pesticides. A lot of these contamination methods are poorly researched,

I am guilty of some of these negative effects on our water supply. On a typical day I usually do not think about how much water I am using and I take it for advantage. I am aware of how many people struggle to get clean water but I never see this take place around my community, causing me not think of it and take into consideration as much as I should. I have never had to deal with obtaining clean water. Clean water has always been provided for my family and I ever since I can recall. My family lives in Hickory which means that we get our water from Hickory City. I typically use a lot of water I take a 25 minute showers every other day. I drink about 1 water bottle a day, I wash the

The amount of clean water available to people is simply not near what it should be and everyone should band together to find a solution to this dilemma.

Clean and abundant water provides the groundwork for flourishing communities. Still, as a nation we are heading towards a national water crisis. Ocean and marine dumping, leaking chemicals, dredging, and run-off all participate in the depletion in quality water in the United States and little to nothing is being done to stop it. Our country is struggling with keeping an abundance of clean water to support its life, yet its life needs uncontaminated water to survive. There are many easy solutions to jolt a foundation in attacking this problem, but the lethargy of American’s are stopping them.

According to Duhigg (2009) of the New York Times, more than 100 wells were polluted by agricultural runoff within a few month time period, affecting livestock such as pigs and cows . Water pollution is a silent and deadly pollution - bacterium can be tasteless, colorless, and scentless. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009) says that the United States has the safest water supplies in the world, but states that when water sources became contaminated, they can easily cause widespread sickness and disease from waterborne germs including Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Hepatitis A., and other pathogens. Despite progress reducing water pollution from the largest sources, our country still faces serious pollution challenges. Violations are still too widespread, and enforcement too uneven. We need to do better controlling pollution.