Summary:
This article, published by National Geographic, touches on a very sensitive topic that many Americans tend to overlook: the diminishing quality of our nation's drinking water. Our drinking water is threatened by "the interactions of thousands of different compounds that are taking place in our lakes, streams and aquifers" (Friend, Tim). These compounds are introduced into our tap water by chemical spills, severe weather, and chronic pollution. The West Virginia chemical spill, which left 300,000 Charleston residents without tap water, is one of the most recent tragedies to shed light on the importance of protecting our water sources. However, this task is hindered by the fact that a large percent of America's coal ash ponds are located near major waterways. These ponds threaten to spill the toxic waste produced by power plants into our water supplies at any moment, which would directly affect our drinking water quality.
Floods and droughts have also proved to have a dramatic effect on water quality, but even these factors do not carry out their destruction alone. For example, communities in North Carolina suffered from fecal contamination of their drinking water when Hurricane Floyd flooded hog waste lagoons in the state. Farming communities in California have also induced the risk for water contamination by continuing to rely heavily on fertilizers, a habit that facilitates the nitrate contamination of their groundwater. Droughts only increase the concentration of nitrates in groundwater by forcing farmers to rely on this water to irrigate their fields. Furthermore, the deterioration of our nation's drinking water infrastructure may prove to be an even bigger threat to drinking water safety in the near future, considering that we continue to wash chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products down our drains. In short, we are the biggest threat to our nation's water supply.
Floods and droughts have also proved to have a dramatic effect on water quality, but even these factors do not carry out their destruction alone. For example, communities in North Carolina suffered from fecal contamination of their drinking water when Hurricane Floyd flooded hog waste lagoons in the state. Farming communities in California have also induced the risk for water contamination by continuing to rely heavily on fertilizers, a habit that facilitates the nitrate contamination of their groundwater. Droughts only increase the concentration of nitrates in groundwater by forcing farmers to rely on this water to irrigate their fields. Furthermore, the deterioration of our nation's drinking water infrastructure may prove to be an even bigger threat to drinking water safety in the near future, considering that we continue to wash chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products down our drains. In short, we are the biggest threat to our nation's water supply.
Reaction:
I was not surprised to read about the damage that chemical spills and severe weather conditions have had on our nation's water supply. These allegations go hand in hand with other articles that I have read, which concern water pollution. I am also aware of the desert-like conditions that have been imposed on farming regions in the American West as a result of droughts and population growth. However, there are other parts of the world that struggle more than the United States in providing safe drinking water to their people. Being aware of this, I was intrigued to learn that much of our drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. If this is true, then I agree with Robert B. Jackson, an environmental scientist at Duke University, who states that resorting to bottled water is not the solution to a potential drinking water crisis. This reaction may indicate awareness, but it also causes people to ignore a real issue concerning the quality of our water.
Although it would be an expensive renovation, I believe that that investing in our nation's waterworks is worth the time and money. There are many other approaches to this issue, such as finding new water sources along political frontiers or implementing new chemical-specific standards; however, investing in our nation's drinking water infrastructure is the most viable solution, in my opinion, because it would protect our water from pollution that would otherwise be impossible to cease. It has already been proven that "personal care products and pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics and steroids, are widely present in the nation's water supply" (Friend, Tim). Unless we stop washing these chemicals down our drains, or cut the nation's population in half, then I see no easy way to guarantee a certain quality of drinking water. The article employs the phrase "Polluters 'R Us," a phrase which makes it clear to me that investing in our nation's sewage treatment plants is only part of the solution. The rest of it lies in our reassessment of how we consume and manage water.
Although it would be an expensive renovation, I believe that that investing in our nation's waterworks is worth the time and money. There are many other approaches to this issue, such as finding new water sources along political frontiers or implementing new chemical-specific standards; however, investing in our nation's drinking water infrastructure is the most viable solution, in my opinion, because it would protect our water from pollution that would otherwise be impossible to cease. It has already been proven that "personal care products and pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics and steroids, are widely present in the nation's water supply" (Friend, Tim). Unless we stop washing these chemicals down our drains, or cut the nation's population in half, then I see no easy way to guarantee a certain quality of drinking water. The article employs the phrase "Polluters 'R Us," a phrase which makes it clear to me that investing in our nation's sewage treatment plants is only part of the solution. The rest of it lies in our reassessment of how we consume and manage water.
Vocabulary:
Wetlands- lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface.
Aquifer- a layer of rock or sand that can absorb and hold water.
"Coal ash"- residue generated from combustion of coal or petroleum, which contains arsenic, mercury, lead, thallium, and other dangerous contaminants.
Dike- an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river.
Groundwater- water beneath the earth's surface, often between saturated soil and rock, that supplies wells and springs.
Nitrate- a chemical compound that contains oxygen and nitrogen and that is used in fertilizer.
"Canaries in the coal mine"- someone or something used to indicate when a situation might be turning dangerous.
Aquifer- a layer of rock or sand that can absorb and hold water.
"Coal ash"- residue generated from combustion of coal or petroleum, which contains arsenic, mercury, lead, thallium, and other dangerous contaminants.
Dike- an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river.
Groundwater- water beneath the earth's surface, often between saturated soil and rock, that supplies wells and springs.
Nitrate- a chemical compound that contains oxygen and nitrogen and that is used in fertilizer.
"Canaries in the coal mine"- someone or something used to indicate when a situation might be turning dangerous.
Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140217-drinking-water-safety-west-virginia-chemical-spill-science/