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If man does not become aware of their negligence and carelessness towards the environment, rivers, lakes, and other water supply systems will be depleted. The Clean Water Act in 1972 and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NAPES) program is what the nation has put forth to bring back and look out for the quality of our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Water pollution has been divided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into two categories: point and non-point. Point sources are created by sewage, factories, and ships.
Non-point sources include agriculture runoff, mining activities, and paved roads. These pollutants reach our water systems when rainfall or snowbell moves over and through the ground. As this runoff moves, all natural and human-made pollutants are deposited into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even underground sources of drinking water (Water Pollution, 2010). Every human contributes to water pollution without knowing about it. People do not realize that a source that was once plentiful is rapidly becoming contaminated due to negligence and carelessness. Waste disposal has always been an issue.
This is not due to the mount of wastes, but the improper disposal of this pollutant. Humans unknowingly contribute to water pollution when bathing and washing clothes. One is not concerned with whether or not their product is environmentally safe but if it makes their hair and clothes soft and smell good. Purchasing more environmental products can help water pollution and rid the environment of one polluter (Main Causes of Water Pollution, 2010). Besides improper and careless waste disposal, toxic substances from industrial, agricultural, and domestic use is another cause of water pollution.
If chemical stories were equipped with better facilities that can release treated wastewater, lakes or rivers would not be harmed when dumping their products (Main Causes of Water Pollution, 2010). If home owners associations would build and provide subdivisions with sewage treatment facilities, transportation could be controlled and dying bodies of water could be saved. Transportation refers to an increase of nutrients in a body of water. Transportation is rapidly accelerated by human activities which are known as “nutrient pollution. The leading cause is from fertilizer and manure runoff from farms. As these nutrients enter water supply, they increase the growth of plant life and algae. Plant life drastically reduces the amount of available oxygen in which chokes out animal species and creates a “dead-zone. ” A sign of transportation within lakes and rivers is a bright green or red color. These are serious signs to scientists that show ill health, and major concern. Environmental agencies have stepped in and made farms closely monitor their fertilizers and manure deposits.
If these farm do not comply, they may be fined for runoff above authorized levels (What is Transportation? 201 0) Sedimentation is also another factor of water pollution. Deforestation, farming, and soil erosion causes solid particles to accumulate and settle in water. These sediments cloud the reproduction grounds of aquatic animals thus leading to eventual extinction (Main Causes of Water Pollution, 2010). Around the sass and 1 sass, environmental concerns arose that affected the definition of what clean, pure water really was and if the government was responsible for providing this water.
In the sass, lobbyists started making progress in their fight for the environment. Several acts were passed through Congress in show of their efforts to include Earth Day becoming a national holiday, the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Air Act, and most importantly to water pollution, the Clean Water Act of 1972. Due to this act every city in the United States had to build a water treatment plant (The Clean Water Act of 1 972, 2010).
Water technology has progressed since the passing of this law but water treatment plants are still not able to provide 100 percent uncontaminated water. Water within these lands is contaminated with disease-bearing pathogens, pesticide chemicals, and industrial sludge to only name a few. Because of these pollutants, city residents receive chlorinated and fluoridated water. Chlorine causes asthma and other respiratory diseases, and large amounts of fluoride intake can cause dental problems, and other serious health issues in children.
After water is purified in treatment plants, it picks up lead and other chemicals when traveling through a home’s plumbing system. Removing these lead based pipes would be one way of eliminating this polluter (Water Filtration in he Present- Whole House Water Filter Systems, 2010). While the Clean Water Act in 1 972 concentrated on water filtration for homes, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NAPES) program concentrated on protecting and restoring the quality of our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.
In 1980, one-third of the nation’s water was thought of as healthy. Now, about two- thirds is healthy (Protecting the Nation’s Waters through Effective NAPES Permits, 2001). The NAPES permit specifies what a certain state deems acceptable in levels Of pollutants in a discharge. It is up to the permit holder to choose what technologies they want to use to reach that level. Permits are renewed every five years. Each time a permit holder tries to renew, the permit is tightened to reduce the pollution that is discharged.