Climate change is one of the most controversial topics of the time and will most likely continue to be at the center of debates for the foreseeable future. The reason climate change is such a hot debate is because of how widespread and complex it is; there isn’t just one cause and therefore there isn’t just one solution. As a result, everyone is quick to point fingers, and no one wants to take responsibility. The key to addressing such a big topic is to break it down into sections, and then divide the sections even more to make them manageable for each state or county to implement policies that create change. A perfect, yet often overlooked, example of a section to address are the watersheds.

A watershed is an area of land that drains or “sheds” water/other materials into nearby bodies of water. These lakes, rivers, creeks, etc. then flow to a major body of water. Examples of watersheds include the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Mississippi Watershed, the Delaware River Watershed, etc. These areas foster biodiversity and provide a wide range of ecosystem services that are beneficial to the environment and to humans. Unfortunately, these watersheds are either being filled in with sediment runoff or filled with damaging chemicals also from runoff. The agricultural development of watershed lands is leading to excess nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into the watershed, poisoning the ecosystem that relies on its waters.

The effects of the deterioration of these ecosystems are catastrophic. The excess nutrients cause algae blooms that are toxic to humans and other animals that have contact with the waters. These algae blooms also block out the sun from reaching the organisms in the deeper parts of the water. And perhaps the most dangerous of all, they use up all the oxygen in the water, so fish are unable to breathe in key parts of the water. Fishermen along the coast have noting more and more “dead zones” or places that fish either die in or no longer reside in because of the lack of oxygen.

Like many aspects of climate change, there are multiple causes of this problem. Converting important land cover to crops, overworking that land, improper draining systems from rural and urban areas, and using synthetic fertilizers/chemicals on fields are some of the key causes. Fixing these issues would have a wide range of benefits on the climate. The unaltered land filters pollutants and helps sequester carbon out of the atmosphere. Watersheds also improve the environment’s adaptability, so it protects against other aspects of climate change as well. Improving the health of the watersheds would also improve water quality, decreases infrastructure costs, and supports jobs.

There have already been steps in the policy-making process to restore the damage done to the watersheds. In 1970 the Environmental Protection Agency was created and not long after, The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. This organization and the policy were aimed at protecting the environment and had specific allotments for watersheds. This might seem like problem solved for the watershed crisis, however, bureaucracy and politics got in the way. These were great organizations and policies, but politicians quickly limited the enforcement of the EPA’s policies, defunded their programs, and replaced leaders in the organization with people who wouldn’t be driven to create change.

It wasn’t until recently that the EPA made Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) for key parts of watersheds mandatory. WIPs are state made plans that set manageable goals for reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment build up in waters that run to the watersheds. These plans are reviewed by the EPA and either approved or sent back to the drawing board. So far there have been two phases of WIPs and a third one on the way. Pennsylvania submitted their third one, but it was sent back by the EPA for not being enough. Pennsylvania has failed to meet important goals set in the WIPs in phases one and two, so the rejection was expected.

These WIPs break down the issue into small goals of chemical reduction that are meant to ease the state into more regulations that help protect the waters. But like the case of Pennsylvania, they aren’t nearly as effective as they should be. It’s because the EPA is in an active fight that is constantly changing with new office holders who have different agendas involving the environment and climate change. The organization is struggling to maintain control over their policies and the enforcement of their policies that there is little they can do in real time to actually do the enforcing. The Trump administration alone rolled back hundreds of policies and regulations, looking to give power back to the states.

These policies are essential protections for the environment, and they were once again becoming optional for organizations to implement. In order for the EPA to create lasting change for the watersheds, something needs to give. Yes, there are different sides to every argument and the business that are being regulated are stakeholders who are affected. But in hindsight, the government regulations don’t put a whole lot of strain on these smaller businesses and even if they are, there are relief programs meant to support them for this exact reason. There needs to be more protections for the EPA and the already existing regulations that have spent decades being scientifically researched and tailored to have the greatest impact with the less drawbacks.

The EPA is doing what it was made to do: break down big issues into small steps that states can implement for themselves to create change. It is a government agency with research and scientific backing behind it and yet it is at the whim of political minds who are only looking for reelection and only see the regulations without looking at the benefits, actual effects on businesses, or the years of planning behind the policy.

My take on climate change, specifically the issue of the watersheds, is that we already have the tools needed to fix our mistakes, we just get in our own way.

Sources:

“Benefits of a Healthy Watershed” – EPA Benefits of Healthy Watersheds | US EPA

“How the Trump Administration is Reshaping the EPA” – PBS News Hour How the Trump administration is reshaping the EPA | PBS NewsHour

“Protecting Agricultural Watersheds” – USDA, Department of Agricultural Research Protecting Agricultural Watersheds : USDA ARS