Robert Glennon's Argument Analysis

Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are

The Midwestern region of the United States, such a small corner of the world, is notorious for its prosperous agriculture and its abundant livestock population. Citizens of the Midwest, and consequently, the United States, rarely have to worry about where meals will come from or when the next time water will be available. Water fountains are a common sight within public places, specifically schools and workplaces, and each system reliably produces water at the touch of a button, every time, without fail. However, what happens when the dependability of water in the Midwest is compromised? Over the past decade, the water quality in Flint, Michigan, a town very close to Iowan homes, has seen a rapid decadence, given that the Flint River has been exposed to “the presence of fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients, oils, and other toxic substances,” though the main focus has

In the county of Waukesha lies a small city of the same name where there have been several issues with water. These issues, tainted / polluted groundwater, have led to the city’s need of Great Lakes water, specifically from Lake Michigan. This seems like an easy fix, however the Waukesha County and Wisconsin government is still a bit weary to allow all of Waukesha Lake Michigan water. Waukesha citizens see this issue as being “but a drop from the gigantic Great Lakes bucket.” There are several reasons why the government will not allow water from the Great Lakes to Waukesha, but also several good examples of why they need the water. These reasons being the 2008 compact made specifically for this type of incident and the fact that Waukesha

The local issue as described in the first Milestone submission is water quality. Independence is a rural area in southeast Kansas. With a population of 9,453 residents being reported in last year’s census reports of the town of Independence, you can imagine that it is a relatively small community when compared to even your hometown. This population total is significantly lower this year with the closing of the local hospital in December of last year, with a community lacking the basic necessity of an emergency room and medical testing facility, many residents have decided to make a change and move to a more stable area. With the closing of the hospital the city of Independence has decided to spend $3.5 million to renovate the vacant facility into a new city offices location, in an attempt to modernize the township and combine all of the city’s services into a central location. This decision was made by our local representatives because they felt this was the best way to spend the tax payer’s money, the irony of the situation is that the hospital needed $3.5 million to renovate the facility for themselves in order to pass the states medical inspection and remain open to the public.

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.

As a mere second-grader I remember learning the definition of ‘essential’, along with a list of items essential to the human body, one of those items being water. Living on a planet that consists of approximately 71 percent water, it only makes sense that each of Earth’s inhabitants have access to water. Unfortunately not everything that makes sense is realistic. Many third world countries have little to no access to water and in America we have experienced several issues of water contamination. The most recent and tragic incident involving water contamination occurred in Flint, Michigan. Due to economic issues government officials switched to a cheaper water resource that was known to be very dirty. Officials failed to adhere to federal policy in treating the new water source, sending lead and iron filled water into the homes of thousands causing several cases of lead poisoning. Although I've never experienced a full blown water crisis the incident in Flint troubles me.

The human body is contained mostly of water. Plants and animals will stop to exist without water. Water is used in transportation, cleaning, and other walks of life. It is not hard to figure out that water is one of the planet’s most valuable useful things (Bottcher 2012). However, the previously-mentioned walks of life create many of the concerns connected with the consumption of water. Water contamination is a hot topic in America. Americans are concerned with the contaminants that may be waiting in a creepy way their tap

Opponents of increasing water regulation assert that the regulatory framework governing water in the United States is already too complex and onerous. Alleged threats to water quality, they argue, are overblown. Imposing aggressive new federal standards will burden businesses and farmers, they insist, and the Clean Water Rule should be

Americans utilize a great deal of water, in fact, the average American uses 90 gallons a day (Henshaw). So it is not surprising America has one of the cleanest water reserves in the world (“Water Quality”). A surprising statistic, however, is one-third of the American population drinks bottled water on a regular basis when the majority has clean drinking water at home (Olsen). This might be due to the fact that the bottled water industry has promoted itself as a healthier and more portable alternative to tap water. However, the truth is startling as bottled water is only a misleading, expensive, and dangerous gimmick to bring in revenue for large companies.

The biggest controversy surrounding the Walkerton case is that their management “engaged in a host of improper operating practices, including failing to use adequate doses of chlorine, failing to monitor chlorine residuals daily, making false entries about residuals in daily operating records, and misstating the locations at which microbiological samples were taken. The operators knew that these practices were unacceptable and contrary to environment ministry guidelines and directives” (Mastromatteo, 35). This improper management resulted in E.coli bacteria leaking into a drinking water well, ultimately causing 7 deaths and morea than 2400 illnesses (Mastromatteo, 34).This s hardly an isolated event: in Kashechewan – a First Nation community in northern Ontario – an excessive amount of E.coli was found in the local school’s drinking water supply. Authorities responded by adding a disproportionate amount of chlorine to purify the water, causing sickness in school-aged children. Ultimately Kashechewan, a community of 1200, was declared to be in a state of emergency and 946 people were evacuated (Christensen, Goucher and Phare, 5). It is clear that in order to have a functional society, proper management of water systems is imperative; drinking water quality should

Water is essential for life. Humans are made up of 50 to 75 per cent of water and can only last a few days without it. We use it for agriculture, power plants, and domestic irrigation. In the United States, about 410 billion gallons of water is withdrawn daily, about 85% being freshwater. The most easily accessible source of water is surface water which is from lakes, rivers, and streams. However, only about 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater and the cost of water around the world varies greatly. In the U.S., the biggest problem is in contamination. The EPA defines water contamination as anything physical, chemical, biological, or radioactive that is harmful to human health or degrades taste or color of water. About 5,300 water systems were

Society has to take stance on issues that could possible harm their drinking water. Not only the farmer and his wife, but the city man trying to make a fortune in resources in undiscovered territory that is full of nature resources. We have to stick together and

A study by___ found that one third of households who were drinking arsenic-contaminated water and had access to alternative, safe options did not use them (Inauen, 2013). This finding has two major implications: one, that changing behavior is more complex than just making people aware of a problem, and two, that many of the surveys done by governmental and non-governmental agencies over the years may have considerably underestimated the amount of people who are at risk of developing arsenicosis (Inauen, 2013).

Protecting groundwater by developing a “closed-loop” policy will reduce the use of pesticides and will help more Americans residing in farming regions have access to healthy tap water. Prevention of mostly the nitrate chemical is essential in terms of emphasizing safe drinking water since cleaning polluted groundwater requires a tedious, expensive and time consuming process. Sadly, in some areas the groundwater pollution has reached a degree of damage that’s irreversible. In short, implementing a “closed- loop” policy would be needed because people’s health is declining in agricultural areas. The industrial agricultural sector is a major contributor in water pollution because it heavily relies on the use of nitrate chemicals as means to improve soil fertility and keep pests away from crops. However, the high-input agriculture in the United States today needs modification since its exploitation is not particularly producing biodiversity. Also, the current use policies have affected the land and water conditions negatively. A “closed loop” policy consists in introducing non-polluting tactics by the federal government; it ranges from applying different farming practices to eliminating the use of insecticides and taxing those who don’t. This policy that aims to reduce nitrate suggests a rare win-win situation because it will

Few resources are essential to human survival. Access to clean water is the most critical of all. Water is a vital resource responsible for sustaining all life on earth. However, clean water is in short supply, but in high demand in all parts of the world. It is thought that most Americans have access to safe, affordable, clean water right from their taps. However, the media is uncovering the true nature of America’s deteriorating water situation. Americans have reason to be seriously concerned about the state of their drinking water. So what really is on tap in America?