Water pollution in Washington DC - Essay Example

?Letter to the Editor: Water Pollution in Washington DC To the editor, The water pollution is not a new issue at the worldwide stage. Poor sewerage systems and outdated treatment processes in the metropolitans throughout all the inhabited continents of the world has created inconvenience for the residents of these metropolitan cities of the world and the rivers are extremely polluted as a result making the river water inappropriate for consumption. It is not just the humans who have been affected as a result of this ignorance on the part of the authorities but also the wildlife. Although a majority of the major metropolitan cities have been slow to react to the developments such as population increase and geographic expansions, one of the most prominent and most affected cities as a result of water pollution is Washington DC. This is why I am writing in this newspaper in order to highlight the areas where these problems are at their worst and how these issues can be addressed by the government authorities as well as on a private basis. A huge proportion of the sewage and contaminated water has been disposed off into rivers which pollutes the water and makes it unusable and medically disastrous for those who consume the river water as well as the wildlife. Recent studies have shown that the water in the river of Washington DC has been found to be extremely contaminated. The wildlife is suffering from this polluted water to such an extent that the fish are displaying instability in their traits. Many fish have even been found out to be intersex in nature. By intersex in this case means that many male fish have shown signs of feminine fertility. This is something of a great worry for the authorities as this means that not only the water in these rivers is bad for human health but also these fish are unfit for consumption by the people. Research studies have shown that many of the sample male fish of the rivers of Washington DC have displayed mixed sexual behaviors and patterns such as sign of fertility in the testes of male fish (Goldenberg). Authorities on often occasions have tried to curtail this pollution process of the river water but their efforts have gone in vain so far. Either the authorities do not consider the problems to the right measure or they are short of resources and planning to solve this problem. The sewerage system working right now in Washington DC is extremely outdated and unable to fulfill the demands of the current population. The system that has been running the sewage water to the treatment plant and further was installed in the 1960’s and at that time, the population of the city was very low when it is compared to the current population. The treatment system is simply not good or updated enough to fulfill the demands of the current era. The Washington DC has a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system installed which means that when the rainfall is at its peak, this system is up and running and it has a lot of water to carry to the treatment plant and eventually into the river. The system carries water from the rain which then flows into these drains and the sewage water as well. When the water pressure in this drainage system is very high, the water inflow exceeds the capacity of the sewage water treatment plant and thus much of the water overflows and the untreated water flow into the river. It has been estimated that around 52 million gallons of untreated sewage water flows into the river at an annual basis (Rock Creek Conservancy). This is an alarming figure since this much toxic water is capable enough of destroying the purity of the river in the long run. As I have mentioned earlier, the authorities have shown little interest in improving this situation either due to their ignorance or that they are short of resources to be allocated to this sector. However sooner or later, the related government departments, NGO’s and the general public will have to realize that this ignorance will cost the city and the people themselves very dearly. Therefore, the concerned authorities should bring the need to improve this situation into consideration. One of the first options of how to improve this situation is to upgrade the existing sewage water treatment and disposal system so that it is line with the requirements of the current population in addition to bear the burden of the next few years when the population is expected to increase further. If the water pipelines are upgraded and thicker pipes are installed underground to carry the water, there will be less pressure building up in the drainage system in the days of peak rainfall. In addition to up gradation in the pipeline system, the water treatment plant needs to be expanded and more processing units need to be installed to support the water pressure and ensuring that the sewage water does not over flow into the rivers. Another method of solving this issue in the long term and also to raise the necessary funds to finance such a project of sewage water treatment is a public-private partnership. The private companies can be invited to invest in this project and the terms of agreement can be resolved. In a big metropolitan city such as Washington DC, there surely will not be any lack of interest in investing and setting up a completely new sewage water treatment project. The bidding process can shortlist the appropriate interested companies who have the financial resources and expertise to make this project a success. This has been done in all of the major cities of Australia where the government has given a contract to major conglomerates to invest in the water treatment facilities and this strategy has worked well for their country (Melbourne Water). The private companies, selected by the government via bidding, have set up their drainage systems and treatment facilities and since they have invested so much money into the projects, the efficiency rate of these projects is very high to obtain as high a return as possible. This will be win-win situation for all the stakeholders including the government, the investors as well as the residents of Washington DC. Conclusion Sooner or later, one of these options would have to be chosen to solve this issue and therefore for the benefit of the community and wildlife, it should be sooner rather than later. If any of these alternatives are considered and implemented upon, I am sure that the disposal of untreated sewerage water into the rivers of Washington DC will be solved in quite a short period of time. I have done plenty of research on proposing as to how this issue can be dealt with to benefit the people of Washington DC as well as it wildlife. I hope that after my letter gets published in the newspapers, the concerned authorities react to this and work for the better of the community and the wildlife conservation. Works Cited Goldenberg, Suzanne. 'Toxic stew' of chemicals causing male fish to carry eggs in testes. 21 April 2010. . Melbourne Water. How Our Sewerage System Works Today. . Rock Creek Conservancy. Water Quality. . Read More