WATER POLLUTION |
| Our water sources are polluted by many complex means. At first rivers were natural sewage systems used to clean ore from surface mines or wash coal used in home heating. Then man began to use dyes and bleaches. Farmers next began to use pesticides in increasing amounts to rid themselves of “pests”. Not only do we build our homes on the banks of our water sources; we built our factories there, too. The confluence of all these different types of pollution now infest our waters worldwide (Cousteau 418). |
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A recent Federal Water Quality Association report stated that 7% of sewered communities in the U. S. were dumping raw sewage into the nearest body of water with no treatment process at all. Of those areas which were using treatment facilities, 60% were found to be inadequate (Cousteau 413). |
| Every lake, due to its isolation from other major water
sources, is eventually condemned to death. It fills up from the bottom with sediments from eroding soil and with particles from runoff from our plants and farms. Eutrophication is also an important process causing death in freshwater lakes. When there is an algal bloom (usually due to excess nutrients in the water induced by humans), there is too much food for the animals to eat. Therefore, the algae die and are consumed by oxygen-consuming bacteria. As the process continues, the oxygen levels continue to drop until the oxygen content of the water is too low to support life. |
| Excess nutrients in the water from sewage, agriculture, and atmospheric pollution cause blooms of algae through a process called eutrophication. This causes a decline in oxygen because it is used in the decomposition of this algae. Low oxygen levels cause death of sensitive creatures. These “red tide” blooms also prohibit light penetration, causing problems for organisms dependent on light. The blooms normally occur in species which are toxic to other organisms. Therefore, they are stronger than the species usually encountered in the ecosystem. These toxins are passed through the food chain, growing in intensity as they travel. This causes damage in the form of deformities of offspring and infertility of adults. Sometimes organisms simply die from the poison of the toxins (Thorne-Miller and Catena 18-19). As these poisons are passed up the food chain, they eventually reach fish which are eaten by humans; and the poison is spread to our population. |
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THERMAL PROBLEMS Changes in water temperature are often deadly to aquatic organisms. Yet, man is responsible for many such occurrences. Heat and hot water are byproducts of many manufacturing processes, and these are often dumped directly into water sources. |
| Marine life is extremely sensitive to changes
in water temperature. For many species, warmer water signals spawning. If this signal is a false one propagated by man, the offspring will be premature. They will often be unable to withstand the harsh weather conditions to which they are subjected, or their usual food source will not be available. |
Warmer temperatures make fish more susceptible to toxins in the water because their metabolic rates increase. Their need for oxygen is higher, yet warm water does not contain as much oxygen as cooler water. If the temperature change causes a decrease in one species, it may precipitate an increase in another species, thereby altering the entire ecosystem. |
| Solid waste dumping is also a major problem which is on the
rise. Waste disposal at sea increased fourfold in the United States in the
twenty years following World War II. The amount and
dispersal of our solid waste is incredible. Almost everywhere in the ocean a bathyscaphe diver will land within sight of our litter – to such an extent that it becomes difficult to keep these trivial objects out of camera range! (Cousteau 417). Because the sea is accessible to all nations, it is possible for everyone to dump waste in these waters. There is really no effective way of enforcing dumping restrictions. (Picture from Antarctic Sea bottom.) |
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OIL SPILLS Oil spills are a major concern in our waterways, whether fresh or marine. Fortunately, today we are often able to track the culprit who has caused the spill. However, this does nothing to alleviate the enormous problems these spills cause other organisms. Oil smothers and suffocates animals and causes disastrous effects to every living organism at the site of the spill. Refer to the Environmental Protection Agency website for details on the Oil Pollution Act and other environmental regulations. |
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LOCAL CATASTROPHE
Story from The Courier Journal, October 20, 2000, Louisville, Kentucky
| On October 11, 2000 in eastern Kentucky an estimated 250 million gallons of coal sludge (wastewater from coal operations) burst from its mountaintop holding pond and filtered its way through creeks into the Big Sandy River. From there it began to make its way towards the Ohio River. The sludge contains measurable amounts of several toxic minerals which are deadly to many organisms. The spill is up to six feet deep and runs as wide as 70 yards. Species ranging from turtles to frogs to fish have been found smothered by the sludge in tributaries of the Big Sandy. Wayne Davis, environmental section chief of the Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife believes that this is only the beginning of the impact. This was characterized as one of the worst environmental disasters in the southeastern U. S. |
| In addition to the impact on animal species, the disaster forced many communities to resort to the use of bottled water or to using their reserve supplies because the water is too contaminated for human use of any kind. The company responsible for the spill is paying for temporary water lines in several counties. They are actively involved in trying to clean up the spill, but the consequences of the accident are already high. Many businesses and schools have been forced to close as they await cleanup efforts. |
| Currently the water pressure from the faster-moving Ohio River is maintaining the sludge in one area. However, the sludge will eventually filter into the Ohio River and make its way downstream. Officials hope the deeper, faster water of the Ohio will help disperse the pollution and cause less problems further downstream. The Ohio River borders on several states which could be affected by the disaster, and eventually it runs into the Mississippi River where further damage could occur. |
A MYRIAD OF PROBLEMS
| There is no one science that can address these problems. Chemistry, physics, marine biology, oceanography, and limnology are all involved in these issues. That is why it is so important for us to treat this global problem with an interdisciplinary approach. |
Refer to the Environmental Protection Agency website for
details on the Clean Water Act and other environmental legislation.
