To: Governor Terry McAuliffe Date: November 16, 2016
From: Dylan Williams Re: Water Pollution
Problem Statement: What actions could Governor Terry McAuliffe pursue to reduce water pollution in Virginia?
Background:
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
It is cited that the largest contributors to water pollution are power plants, pulp, paper and paperboard mills, slaughterhouses and poultry plants.5 In smaller farming operations, contamination is considered “non-point source” because the animal waste and fertilizer of farming are brought into the soil and washed away by rain and into the water supply.6 These
Furthermore, factory farms pollute drinking water sources. Manure and fertilizers are rich in nitrates and phosphates, which are very unhealthy for living things. They pollute groundwater sources by seeping in through lagoons of waste sewage that factory farms create. Lagoons of animal feces and spent fertilizers are a very cheap way of dealing with waste (NRDC). The chemicals travel through the soil to groundwater that the local communities depend on. Ingesting nitrate tainted water will lower the amount of oxygen a person can intake. This can lead to death for infants. Some of the pollutants can reach open waters if they are carried by rain or irrigation water, called runoff. Runoff pollutes ponds, lakes, oceans, and other open bodies of water. Polluted waters with high levels of nitrates kill fish, aquatic plants, and other aquatic organisms because they experience the same problems with oxygen intake. High levels of phosphorus in our waters cause algae blooms in open bodies of water. Algae blooms disrupt the ecosystem in the water and kill the organisms living in the water. They use up all the oxygen in
In the article, “Water Pollution: A Surefire Story in Your Community,” from IRE Journal, Robert Mcclure, investigates waterways that were supposedly “cleaned up” by the federal government. Factories and large businesses are the main contributors to water pollution in seas and oceans. The Clean Water Act was supposed to help clean oceans and ocean fronts from pollution and polluters, but the act was never initiated. Mcclure mentions that “The result today: Beaches, streams, and bays across the country are not being protected enough for people to safely swim and fish there” (1). He has performed many studies, starting with a Statewide look of investigation of water pollution. In his research, he revealed, “all the factories, sewage treatment plants and other
This paper will inform the reader why the Delaware River was polluted and how it is being solved. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to clean up all rivers and lakes to make sure that every waterway in America is healthy and not harmful to humans or animals. With the coordination of the EPA, and the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) are trying to fix the problems that have occurred over years that humans have been around the Delaware River. The use of a Combined Sewer Overflow Program also known as a CSO is very important for the protection of drinking water in major cities including New York City and Philadelphia. The toxic chemical levels are at an all-time high making this one of the dirtiest rivers in North America. This paper will talk about what results were received from the multiple tests that were taken from multiple sites along the Delaware River and its tributaries. Also, what solutions are being used to solve the problem that is at hand to make sure the public has knowledge of the toxic levels in the water and to make sure that everyone including the animals nearby have clean and safe drinking water?
Imagine an Earth devoid of clean rivers with no inland marine life or readily available freshwater. This situation may arise if humanity does not volunteer to end its polluting tendencies. Initially, each individual should focus on taking steps towards decontaminating his or her nearest water body. For those living in Delaware, this is the Delaware River, which is in need of drastic reform. “The Delaware River . . . is the fifth most-polluted river in the country, according to a report released . . . by Environment New Jersey” (Augenstein). However, this obstacle did not arise spontaneously. A recognized problem by the early eighteenth century, Delaware River pollution remained a serious issue for the next 300 years and mostly stemmed from rapid population growth and booming industrial activities (“Delaware River Water Quality”). As the years progressed, Delawareans continuously disregarded the Delaware River, and it is now immensely besmirched as a result of accumulating neglect for the river. Because of this, Delaware waters continued to befoul past the threshold of safety. Delaware waterways are currently unsafe for commercial use due to the presence of pollutants and parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium in the river that can cause significant health problems, especially in individuals with weakened immune systems (“Delaware”). The polluted Delaware River, sullied by companies despite the Clean Water Act, may cause a decline in Delaware’s’ marine life, human
In order to have a thriving and healthy society a clean water supply is a very simple but necessary resource. Dating back to the beginning of civilizations the need for clean water was an essential need. The Clean Water Act dates to Franklin D Roosevelt’s administration. In 1972 Congress amended and passed what is now known as the Clean Water Act to protect our precious resource of water. The clean water Act prevented the dumping of pollutants into navigable waters without a permit. Many municipalities and commercial entities had previously dumped sewage and unregulated waste in to our rivers and streams contaminating a great percentage of our drinking water. This wreck less contamination of our waterways not only affected humans but also affected our wildlife including fish and animal’s life that depended on these waters. Any municipality or company that could affect our waters would need to apply for a permit to do so. While the Clean Water Act was a landmark legislation that was supported by both Democrats and Republicans alike over the years has seen expansion of the EPA’s interpretation of the law and has created a controversy in Administrative Law that has many challenges up to the Unites States Supreme Court. (Television, n.d.)
This situation may arise if humanity does not take steps to mend its polluting tendencies. To begin with, each individual should focus on decontaminating his or her nearest water body. For those living in Delaware, the nearest major water body is the Delaware River, which is in dire need of reform. “The Delaware River, . . . is the fifth most-polluted river in the country, according to a report released . . . by Environment New Jersey” (Augenstein). However, this issue did not arise spontaneously. A recognized problem by the early eighteenth century, Delaware River pollution remained a serious issue for the next 300 years. This mostly originated from rapid population growth and booming industrial activities (“Delaware River Water Quality”). As the years progressed, Delawareans continuously disregarded the Delaware River, and now it is immensely polluted due to an accumulation of neglect for the river. Residents polluted the river without repercussions until the river’s deterioration began to adversely affect them. Because of this, Delaware waters continued to befoul past the line of safety. “Severe pollution was most evident by the prevalence of waterborne illnesses and in the sharp decline of migratory fish populations” (“Delaware River Water Quality”). Delaware waterways are currently unsafe for commercial use due to the presence of pollutants and parasites like Giardia and Cryptosporidium in the water. These can cause significant health problems, especially in
Water pollution is defined as “a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity” (1). Over the past 50 years, pollution in the Great Lakes has been a rising concern. Pollution in the Great Lakes includes the disposal of sewage, heavy metals, invasive species, and pesticides that come from factory dumping, runoff of agriculture, nautical transportation, and air pollution. According to an article published by the US Department of Commerce, roughly 40 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, sport, power (electricity), and transportation (McCartney). The negative consequences of water pollution include, but are not limited to, the killing off of vital organisms, an increase in birth defects, infertility, malfunctioning nervous systems, and learning disabilities (McCartney).
REMIEDIATING AGRICULTURAL WATER CONTAMINATION Remediating Agricultural Water Contamination: Problem, Solution, and Barriers Paper Problem Concerns about water pollution are generally focused towards sources that are highly visible and chemically oriented. However, the greatest causes of water contamination and quantity abuse in the United States come from agricultural production (United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2012a), which is defined as a nonpoint source that pollutes with nutrients. In 2011, nine
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.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) founds the elementary structure for regulating releases of contaminants into the water bodies of the US and also for surface waters it regulates quality standards. The origin of the CWA was passed in 1948 and was named the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, then the Act was suggestively reorganized and prolonged in 1972. as "Clean Water Act" this became the Act 's communal name after amendments in 1972.Further down to CWA, EPA has applied other pollution control agendas such as for industry, the setting wastewater standards. We similarly have set some water quality standards for all pollutants in surface waters.
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) (P.L. 80-845, 62 Stat. 1155) of 1948 was the first major law enacted by Congress to address the problems of water pollution in the United States (n.d). Legislators created over 100 bills in an attempt to pass legislation over the previous half century, but were not successful. Industrial and urban growth caused by World War II in 1948, led to obvious, notorious pollution of the country's rivers, streams, and lakes, urging Congress to finally address the issue. Unfortunately, the act was not designed well enough to achieve the goals set out to address the issue. It did not ban pollution, only gave limited power to the federal government, and provided an extremely awkward enforcement mechanism. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was not successful in preventing and reducing water pollution. Pollution continued to increase because of the federal government's inability to require any direct reduction in discharges. As a result, the quality of the nation's waters had no improvement. On the other hand, the act established a popular and political support for pollution control efforts. Congress rewrote the act in 1972 to provide more acceptable protection for the nation's waters. It also established the basic agenda for water pollution control, which was amended by Congress afterwards. Congress made changes to the act six times before rewriting it in 1972.
All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.
Within the last couple of month there has been a mere excessive amount of water being polluted and having toxic waste carelessly dumped. The Animas River of Colorado and flowing through Utah, New Mexico, and high Northern Part of Arizona. But it’s not just the that, there are plenty of lakes and rivers that are being contaminated with toxic waste all the time. And people seem to be very closed and okay with the fact their water sources are dirty.
Pollution is undeniably a problem for both humans and the environment, on both a global and local scale. One of the major problems facing our waters, both fresh and saltwater, is non-point source pollution. Point source is defined in section 502(14) of the Clean Water Act as “any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance... from which pollutants are or may be discharged.” Point-source pollution can be targeted by lowered emissions standards and less harmful waste disposal methods. Nonpoint source pollution varies, from animal poop to birth control, fertilizers, pesticides, sediments, toxic chemicals, and thus is much more difficult to regulate.
Water pollution, a serious incident that is happening currently, is damaging the environment. There are multiple cases if water pollution. "It usually occurs anywhere around the world in lakes, rivers, oceans, and ponds." (Amieddoleh). Just a few include the Colorado River, the New Zealand River, and the many American beaches. "The main places water pollution occurs is in coastal regions and down river from a major city" ("Water"). Water pollution is almost always occurring. Altogether there are many water pollution incidents, it is interesting to learn about the cases and find a possible way to resolve the environmental problem.