Thus, water pollution is not as big an issue as people make it, and the country can deal with it simply and effectively by simply ignoring the problem, and looking for bigger fish to fry. Other reports show that pollution has increased: "The number of national pollutant registers worldwide has grown rapidly in recent years, fueled by public demands for the right to know about the hazardous substances produced by local industries" (Bast 11)
How can that be? One hysterical writer warns, "Residential streets and driveways are inundated with oils and metals from cars and trucks, while lawns and gardens release fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides and pets deposit waste along curbsides. According to the EPA, stormwater runoff from urban areas is the leading pollutant of rivers and lakes" (Billow)
These laws tried to limit "point discharge" of pollution into rivers, lakes, and streams, but they, like most laws, were flawed. These researchers note, "Originally, it was expected that by gradually eliminating point source pollution discharges, the 1985 goal of no pollution discharge would be achieved which, in turn, would lead to clean water" (Freedman and Jaggi 21)
An expert in water pollution writes, "Added to the pressures from expanding populations in the countryside, undeveloped rural regions can also attract industrial development. Some industries contribute their own source of contamination to streams and groundwater systems" (Goldstein 120)
Another writer notes, "Only a tiny fraction of the Earth's fresh water reservoirs is easily accessible for human use. Lakes, wetlands and rivers, however, do not comprise the remaining major fresh water compartments" (Krautz 144)
When mass deforestation occurs the wood sources for the region can become limited. This is a product that is used for paper, construction, fuel and other needed elements of modern society, therefore when the product supply is diminished the products garnered from that wood also become limited (Peters, 2002)
Diseases that could be transmitted via this route include but they are not limited to dysentery and cholera. To underscore the seriousness of the problem, the author points out that in developing countries, the United Nations estimates that "as many as 10 million people, half of them children, die each year from drinking pathogen-contaminated water" (Girard, 2009)
According to Goel (2006), given the presence of various minerals as well as gases in water, no water can be regarded pure in absolute terms. According to the author, pure water - for practical purposes, "is considered to be that which has low dissolved and suspended solids and obnoxious gases as well as low in biological life" (Goel, 2006)
Where there are intense downpours, harmful chemicals amongst other waste materials end up being flushed into waterways. On the other hand, river flows that help in the dilution of waste could reduce as a result of prolonged draughts (Miller and Spoolman, 2008)
Further, the flight of marine birds is affected once their feathers catch the spilled oil. It is also equally important to note that when agricultural runoff and fertilizers find their way into water bodies, they enhance or encourage algae growth which then leads to oxygen depletion (Moigne, Subramanian, Xie, and Giltner, 1994)
Groundwater Facts According to William M. Alley, writing in the peer-reviewed journal Environment, groundwater exists "…almost everywhere beneath the land surface" and it plays a "crucial role in sustaining streamflow between precipitation events" and in particular during "protracted dry periods" (Alley, 2006, p
In addition to the problems related to hydraulic fracking (or fracturing, as some refer to it) and abandoned wells, the USGS released a report in 2010 that "Elevated concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus…have remained the same or increased in many streams and aquifers" in the U.S. since the 1990s (Dubrovsky, 20110)
And leaks due to hydraulic fracturing, from "failed casing seals, pipeline breaks, abandoned wells, deep-well disposal of flowback or produced wastewater," all can pollute groundwater resources (USGS). A Discussion of a Contemporary Issue -- Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Some twelve million holes have been drilled into the ground in the United States over the past 150 years, in search of gas and oil (Kusnetz, et al
Is fracking a safe technology? The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) supports federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act based on data that the NRDC has gathered showing negative impacts to the environment. For example, in June, 2010, when hydraulic fracturing began on a gas well near Tracy Dahl's ranch in Las Animas County, Colorado, the ranch owner discovered "…approximately 500 gallons of grayish brown murky water where water had previously run clear for years" (Mall, 2011)
The global shortage of clean, safe drinking water and basic sanitation is associated with a tremendously elevated incidence of human disease, mortality at every age group, infants in particular (Schulte, 2007). Future estimates from acknowledged scientific authorities and multinational governing organizations like the United Nations includes dire predictions that the situation caused by overuse of available water resources for commercial purposes and unregulated pollution of natural water sources could become critical in the second decade of the 21st century (Barber, 2007)
Water Pollution in China Fresh water is the most important natural resource for human beings second only to oxygen. The average person requires approximately five gallons of water per day for drinking and bathing to maintain minimum acceptable standards of living with respect to normal metabolic and other biological functions and hygiene (Schulte, 2007)
However, some of the most unfortunate examples of water shortage anywhere in the inhabited world are occurring across China. What makes the situation even more unfortunate than its number of victims is the degree to which, unlike the rest of the world, fresh water shortages in China are preventable because man-made industrial pollution is their primary cause (Zhang, 2006)
The World Health Organizations' permissible limit for nitrate in drinking water is 50 mg/l. In many areas of the world this limit is exceeded, and in India concentrations that exceed 500 mg/l in drinking water are common (Gupta et al
Further, the toxicity that is often attributed to aluminum may be influenced by other constituents in water such as calcium, pH, and fluoride. As such, the link between aluminum and brain disorders remains to be conclusively established (Rifat)
Similarly, tap water in the United States is treated for public safety. However, a number of individuals in the United States drink water from wells, potentially exposing them to harmful chemicals and microorganisms (Schubert, Knobeloch, Kanarek and Anderson)