Water Pollution In The Movie : Poisoned Water

Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the Chesapeake Bay as a damaged ecological community in which millions were spent on research in efforts to save and restore this national treasure and few developments have been proven to be successful, “these actions included upgrading sewage treatment plants, controlling urban runoff, controlling manure and fertilizer runoff, reducing soil erosion, issuing stricter discharge permits, and banning the use of phosphorous detergents.” (Atkins & Anderson, 2003). In partnership, the Chesapeake Bay Program has also made progress in restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Its efforts include reducing pollution, restoring habitats, managing fisheries, protecting watersheds and fostering stewardship. This program has also set goals in relation to “wetlands, submerged grasses, nutrient reduction, toxins, sustainable development, and citizen involvement.” (Atkins & Anderson, 2003).

I hope that I highlighted how critical the Chesapeake Bay is today, and I hope that you agree with me. The Chesapeake Bay is considerably one of the largest resources here in Maryland that benefits not only our beautiful world of wildlife, but our education, economy, and health. Without the Chesapeake, millions of jobs would be lost, millions of gallons of drinking water, and millions of species could face extinction. The Chesapeake Bay

The Bay is home to not only the Blue Crab but other forms of life from plants to small fish. If we do not restore the health of the Bay then the Blue Crab could actually go exscinded. Many animals cannot adapt to the human take over. Meaning they are un-able to live around and change to be able to live with the pollution that the humans have brought with us. Humans have causes the extinction of plants like the atamasco lily. If we do not restore the Bay's health the atamasco lily will not be the only thing that goes extinct. The Bay's health isn't just about the animals it's also about the water and the health it is in. Ph. levels in the soil have dropped causing the soil under the water to be less healthy due to

Please briefly describe the different types of water pollution mentioned throughout the "Poisoned Waters" video. Fertilizers, Nitrogen and Phosphorous caused algae which poisoned the waters. It caused a dead zone. The farmers who own chickens was allowing the manure to pollute the water. The humans race is all responsible as we pollute our water by throwing garbage into it. Soap, household cleaning agents, toothpaste, and other plastic, lubricant and fuels are all poisoning our water.

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary with six major tributaries, the James, the Potomac, the Susquehanna, the Patuxent, the York, and the Rappahannock Rivers, feeding into the bay from various locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia (Chemical Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay – Workshop Discussion 1). These areas depend on the Bay as both an environmental and an economic resource. Throughout the last 15 years the Chesapeake Bay has suffered from elevated levels of pollution. Nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, farmland, air pollution, and development all lead to reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, which harm fish, crabs, oysters and

To begin, there are many types of human activities affecting the health of Chesapeake Bay. Residential developments have replaced wetlands, forests and meadows, taking away habitats of the native wildlife. Overuse of natural resources has caused the degradation of foods necessary for wildlife in the ecosystem. Intensive hunting practices have caused the extinction of several species in the area. Soil damage as a result of fertilization has contaminated nearby water supplies, causing damage in the Bay. Point-source pollution as a result of industrial businesses has also

Our watershed, the chesapeake bay stretches more than 64,000 square miles and is home to about 18 million people.The bay provides us with a lot of things like fishes,salt and water for farming etc. But, the bay is starting to get polluted and many organisms in the bay are dying because of sediments, algae blooms etc.

Lastly, I will explain the dead zone of the chesapeake Bay. Excessive Nitrogen and Phosphrous pollution from human activities cause “Dead Zones” , which are areas with low amounts of oxygen. With little or no oxygen, fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic animals literally suffocate. Further excess in nutrients also fuels the growth of dense algae blooms that block sunlight that underwater grasses need to grow in order to continue providing food for waterfowl and shelter for blue crabs and juvenile fish. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) (Dead Zones)

Overall the best solution from the three is to plant more trees around Chesapeake Bay so it will clean the air. A positive environmental consequence is that the more trees that they plant will make the air cleaner. When the air is cleaner it will decrease the chance of acid rain, and acid rain will make the water worse for the animals. If the animals stay alive then more of the wildlife will come back and that will revive the ecosystem around the bay. A negative environmental would be that the trees will take a long time to grow. It takes 3-4 years for a normal tree to grow, that is way to long to wait for the pollution problem to be

Did you ever wonder how things you do everyday effect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Its tributaries? Well, It turns out to be not so good. One of the main causes for the Bay’s bad health are nutrients which are caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water. Plants and animals need nutrients to survive but when too many nutrients are in the water they fuel the growth of algae blooms and create conditions that are harmful for aquatic creatures.

In the four centuries since the explorations of Captain John Smith, the Chesapeake Bay has lost half of its forested shoreline, more than half its wetlands, nearly 80 percent of its underwater grasses, and more than 98 percent of its oysters. Across the watershed, approximately 1.7 million acres of once-untouched land were developed by 1950. Development has accelerated dramatically since then, with an

Prevention is necessary to control many problems in the Chesapeake Bay. Prevention can range from something as big as a government issue or as small as a single person helping out. The greatest chance at total protection for water quality is when many people and organizations work together to prevent problems. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, “Federal, state and non-profit Bay Program partners are working with farmers, developers, homeowners and local governments to reduce pollutants from multiple sources and restore water quality for all to enjoy” (Chesapeake Bay Program).

I too am saddened by the damage done to The Chesapeake Bay over the past few years. In addition I find it sad how no one really talks about this problem either. I keep thinking of one particular scene in the documentary where David Fortier (The Waterman) asked a friend, “Where will you be in 20 years with crabbing?” The sad reality is he may not be a Waterman in 20 years, because of factors such as the recent budget cuts from the EPA. I am curious as to what the Chesapeake Bay will look like 20 years from now.

As humanity continues to prosper agriculturally, industrially, and in population, companies, as well as local communities, have obsessively used the Ocean to toss their waste without consequences. The formation of dead zones has been intensified by the increase runoff of fertilizers and the burning of fossil fuels. Enhanced primary production causes algae to bloom at a constant rate creating a layer near the surface. This layer acts as a roof to vegetation below resulting in a lack of oxygen which organisms use to live. According to Robert Diaz and Rutger Rosenberg, “Dead zones have now been reported from more than 400 systems, affecting a total area of more than 245,000 square kilometers, and are probably a key stressor on marine ecosystems.” Specifically, the Chesapeake Bay has been polluted to the point where areas have now been uninhabitable to marine life. Although waste disposal is a difficult issue to solve, polluting bodies of water endangers the marine life, environment, and health of organisms.

Water pollution, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund, “happens when toxic substances enter water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans and so on, getting dissolved in them, lying suspended in the water or depositing on the bed.”1 In 1948, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act was passed by congress, but was later amended in 1972 in response to great public outcry—this amended document is what is now known as the Clean Water Act.2 Despite these national efforts, in a report released by the Environment America Research & Policy Center in 2014, Virginia was listed as one of the top five states with the largest discharge of toxic substances into waterways, documented at over eleven million pounds.3 Furthermore, in a 2014 report conducted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, it was found that the water pollution has spread throughout sixteen-thousand miles of the state’s rivers.4