Effects of Pollution of Water - Report Example

Water Pollution Water quality has a long history behind it. Most researchers believed that the oceans and lakes were so vast, that they could manage an endless capability to dilute the contamination. Only in the early 20th century did marine contamination become an issue, and laws were legislated to secure the oceans. Currently, aquatic and human life is seriously affected by oil leaks, garbage dumping, and commercial waste materials in the natural water resources. Water pollution wipes out the natural beauty in our natural water resources; it is our responsibility to secure our natural water resources for the future of our children. Over 80 % of marine water pollution comes from land-based actions such as oil, toxic chemicals, solid waste, sewage, and fertilizers. Oil leaks are a massive problem and causes significant harm to marine life in our water resources. Oil leaks are only responsible for 12 % of the oil that goes into the ocean every year. According to a study by the Nation Research Council of United States, 36 % comes down from rivers as waste from cities and the industries (Marine problems: Pollution). Another cause of oil leaks is from the discharge of freight residues from huge cargo ships. These huge cargo ships contaminate the ports, rivers, and oceans. Water pollution is also caused when rain water washes off plowed fields to rivers, ponds and oceans carrying fertilizers and waste. Moreover, these suspended materials are loaded with toxic materials that are contained in fertilizers materials such as phosphates and nitrates. With excess quantities of these nutrients, the marine vegetation and planktons have difficulties in growth; thus, food for underwater marine life becomes limited. Another significant source of water contamination includes raw sewage that has harmful substances in it and cannot only harm marine life, but can as well, harm human life. Raw sewage carries a risky quantity of infectious bacteria, harmful substances and harmful viruses. Untreated sewage is supposed to be carried through wastewater pipes to treatment plants for processing. Although there are regulations to assist in securing the environment against raw sewage going into rivers, lakes and oceans, most of these facilities are old, and the wastewater pipes are broken and worn-out from the overload of sewage. Owing to this issue, there is direct release of raw sewer into lakes, rivers and oceans. There are a quite a number of other methods of releasing untreated sewage into the ocean. This release of raw sewage consists of overflows of sewage that usually occur when runoff water goes into damaged and corroded pipes. The sewer lines are not able to manage the quantities of heavy rainfall, thus forcing raw sewage into streams, rivers and huge water bodies. The issue is growing in the U.S. because of stronger storms that are caused by climatic change. The U.S. government needs to realize the issue and fix it soon before human activities become a threat (Clarence, Davies and Jan, Mazurek 16). Both human and aquatic lives are threatened by water pollution. Water pollution occurs when pollutants enter the body through the skin or by the immediate consumption of the polluted water. When marine life is subjected to infected water, they can develop different kinds of diseases that not only harm them, but people eating the foods from this infected water such as fish could become terribly ill. Direct exposures to these harmful substances are also a health issue for marine and aquatic vegetation. Toxic substances have shown to reduce the growth, disease resistance, survival and reproductive output of the exposed creatures. These effects have huge repercussions for the current and future marine life and human generations. According to Davidson, there are over thirty thousand or so; substances used commercially in America. These substances end up in our rich waters and cause immense harm to aquatic life. The issue is not just one kind of a toxic substance, but a combination of several kinds of toxic substances that are a hazard to the wellness of human and marine life. The kinds of conditions caused by eating fish from polluted water include; slow pulse rate, issues with the neurological system, and issues with the lungs. New studies have revealed a link between water contamination and libido problems among men (Davidson). These fertility issues are due to new groups of substances that pose as anti-androgens. The male’s hormone, testosterone, is attacked by these anti-androgens, which in return, reduces fertility (Davidson). Human effect on the surroundings has dramatically increased as the inhabitants increase and human activities increase. Negative human activities, which cause water contamination, are mainly due to growth of commercial companies that are setup near the rivers and the ocean. This growth creates several kinds of pollutants in our rich waters. Another activity that has led to increase in water pollution is the use of chemical fertilizers when planting crops. Chemical fertilizers have an ingredient called nitrogen that is vital for the growth of crops. The issue is when nitrogen is washed from the ground into the waters making the waters too rich in nutrients; this creates planktons and other bacteria get so much space in the water. The algae take up all the oxygen that is required by the water creatures and other marine life. Certain deliberations and laws have brought a positive effect on water contamination. During the nineteenth century, lawmakers passed laws that established high penalties for polluting water and required regional cities to implement these laws (Clarence, Davies and Jan, Mazurek 23). State government authorities have become more active and technologically advanced in the growth of water treatment facilities. Inexpensive techniques of treating water have been discovered by scientists and engineers. Waste water has proved a little bit more difficult to treat, but much-needed research is being undertaken to change that situation. There are other numerous laws that have been designed to prevent the disposal of specific material into the water. State health boards have been designed to ensure that the laws are implemented. A good example of water pollution is Lake Michigan. This problem of water pollution in Lake Michigan dates back as far as the eighteenth and nineteenth century, where the rivers were used as a “trash can”. The major source of water pollution in the lake is the sewage water plants (Prudhomme 18). This kind of water contamination makes it difficult to have fun at the beach during the summer. Another source of water pollution in Lake Michigan is when rainfall and snow move over the land towards the lake. As it moves into the lake it brings along pollutants that are picked up along the way. Examples of these pollutants include; pesticides, oil, fertilizers, salt from the road and grease. With these types of contamination that goes into the water, the people’s health is at risk, as well as, the organisms and creatures living in and around the lake. Environmental ethics and human values have created a serious issue when it comes to the pollution of water. In a big way, people have been one of the major contributors of water pollutions. The substances used on a regular basis are disbursed into the waters; hence, encouraging water pollution. The careless sewer companies and factories that dump the harmful sewage are also a big contributor to water pollution. The government is assisting states to establish and maintain laws for the prevention and control of ground and surface water pollution. These controls are done through grants to assist states in controlling water pollution. Progress has been made in Wisconsin, to clean-up the Lake Michigan. Partnerships such as the Lake Michigan Federation (LMF) assist in making use of resources to address water pollution. The LAMP (Lake Michigan Lake-Wide Management Plan) provides all updates on the activities carried out to recover Lake Michigan’s environment (Lake Michigan LaMP). These efforts and the nationwide focus on the Great Lakes will assist in ensuring a safer and cleaner lake for generations to come. Moreover, petitions through the internet demonstrate the support of full restoration of the Clean water Act for all rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. In conclusion, water pollution is risky for human and aquatic life and wipes out the natural beauty in our natural water resources. According to Nancy Stoner, rather than leading a retreat from the nationwide commitment to safe and healthy water, we ought to concentrate on cleaning and protecting our abundant quantities of water that we have for the future population (Stoner, 24). Nancy considerations are due to the fact that, the U.S. waters may be becoming progressively more dangerous and polluted. For this reason, she believes that the government’s retreat from the national commitment to safe and healthy water ought to be declined, and the business of protecting and cleaning America’s water resumed. Population growth, human waste, industrialization, city sewage, pesticides, fertilizers and industrial waste have drastically contributed to the constant increase in water pollution. These factors have such a wide range of effect on water pollution; hence, they need to be eradicated. Although it would be naive to believe that water pollution can be completely removed, it is true that certain levels of water pollution may not be avoided. However, so as to eradicate water pollution, people must agree that water pollution is a serious issue and affects different kinds of creatures. One way to get involved is through teaching one another about the issue at hand, and voicing our concerns to regional representatives. Water pollution awareness campaigns funded by the government may come in handy in teaching people how to conserve natural water resources. The government should allocate some funds to the water pollution awareness programmes so that they can reach many people. On the other hand, people ought to make suggestions on the creation and amendment of laws that are focused on ecological protection; for instance, the Clean Water Act should be amended since it excludes non-navigable tributaries and their adjoining wetlands. Pollution of non-navigable tributaries and their adjoining wetlands may have deleterious effects on navigable waters hence the Act ought to include their coverage through proper policy implementation. Works Cited Clarence, Davies and Jan, Mazurek. Pollution Control in the United States Evaluating the System, Washington: Resources for the Future, 1998. Print. Davidson, Garry. “The Dangers of Estrogen in your Drinking Water,” n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. Lake Michigan LaMP. “Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs),” 2000. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. Marine problems: Pollution. “A staggering amount of waste - much of which has only existed for the past 60 years or so - enters the oceans each year,” WWF Global, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. Prudhomme, Alex. The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century. Scribner, 2011. Print. Stoner, Nancy. Clean Water At Risk: A 30th Anniversary Assessment of the Bush Administration’s Rollback of Clean Water Protections. Natural Resources Defense Council Clean Water Network. 2002. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. < http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/cwa30/cwa30.pdf> Read More