When you take a look at Earth from a spacial perspective, it is hard to ignore what covers the surface of the planet. Earth is coated in oceans and seas, making up about 71 percent Earth’s surface (says the United States government). Water, as you may know, is essential to life and, seeing that is makes up an incredible percentage of our home, it seems as though there should be few issues in keeping a clean supply of water readily available for use.
However, as we already generally are aware, that is far from the truth. Garbage, waste, and other unwanted material is often simply tossed into lakes, rivers, or oceans. Water pollution is a growing issue that threatens all bodies of water – whether its local water sources that are used for drinking or large bodies of water that host ecosystems of fish and aquatic wildlife. Water is used for much more than just consumption, however. Water is used for energy, to host ecosystems, and for industrial functions, as well. Polluting water supplies is not the only issue, also. Conserving water and limiting wasteful usage is an important factor in maintaining a healthy supply for the ever-growing population of the world.
Water pollution comes in many shapes and forms. As mentioned earlier, there are various types of water that can be polluted, and also varying types of pollutants that lead to different negative outcomes. One highly common form of pollution is groundwater contamination. Groundwater is one of the primary sources of drinking water, so this contamination can be especially detrimental to plant-life and even people that frequent that water source. The pollutant in this case is commonly chemical. Such chemicals that infect groundwater include pesticides, fertilizers, and oil/petroleum products (check here). There are plenty of recorded cases of groundwater infection. One such case took place in Washington County. On a farm that grew heirloom tomatoes and grapes, the pesticides and fertilizers used caused the groundwater to contain 2,600 times the allowed level of arsenic and well over the acceptable levels of mercury and selenium (other stats and cases here).
Another variety of water pollution is contamination of bodies of water, like rivers, lakes, and oceans. This type of water is less used as a source of drinking water, but still hosts aquatic life and can affect areas surrounding it. There is still able to be chemical pollution in bodies of water (BP oil spill), and many times waste is simply tossed into the nearest body of water. In India, for example, eighty percent of the nation’s sewage – untreated – flows directly into rivers and channels that are sources of drinking water for some (India water crisis). On top of that, garbage including plastics, paper, and metal are often disposed of in these same water sources. This country is not the only offender in this field, though. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive pile of trash that has accumulated in the Pacific Ocean. It spans an area about the size of Texas, or 700,000 square kilometers (yeah that’s huge). The currents of the Pacific Ocean cause trash in these waters to accumulate in specific areas. This is not specific to the Pacific; The Atlantic and Indian Oceans have similar anomalies.
With such an important resource being contaminated at an alarming rate, it makes sense that there is legislation in place to combat further pollution in this field. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was first implemented in 1942 (here). This was a fairly relaxed policy, and it was not until the Clean Water Act of 1972 that the United States government truly took action to secure the cleanliness of surface waters. Among some of the acts regulations, it made it illegal to discharge pollutants into navigable waters and set basic standards for wastewater released by industries. There have been significant reforms in the level of pesticides allowed on farms and a decrease in harmful chemicals released through agriculture. However, as mentioned in a previous civic issue blog, increased (unsafe) mining and drilling for fossil fuels could lead to further contaminants entering bodies of water.
Water – arguably our planets most valuable resource – although renewable, is facing the danger of becoming polluted beyond use. Although there are some (honestly, very few) policies in place to regulate water purity, it is a field of growing concern (take India’s water crisis) especially in an age where population around the world is growing at a rate that requires more and more fresh water to be sustainable. Water might be everywhere, but clean water is getting rarer by the day.
This issue is really important to me. I love looking at the current scientific research being done to formulate new ways to purify water. Life straws are a pretty cool filtration system for hikers and people living in areas without abundant access to clean water. I think the government needs to intervene to better regulate water pollution—although I highly doubt this environment-hating administration will do it. I guess it’s on us as global citizens to do more to limit our waste and preserve our ecosystems.