While the United States is well-aware of the highly-publicized Flint Water Crisis, water pollution issues are happening all over the country.
Tap water is used in many aspects of our home and work lives. Whether we use it for drinking, washing our hands, showering, cooking, doing laundry, or making coffee, we cannot avoid the consequences of polluted water. Residents of flint have to rely on bottled water for virtually everything. If the water is not safe to drink, it is not safe for much else.
Although a water main break in New Brunswick, New Jersey has caused the water to turn yellow, city officials claim it is still safe to drink without boiling. These same officials have refused to drink the water at a city council meeting on Monday, January 2nd. This water has shown "unusually high levels" of contaminants since August.
California groundwater is at risk due to oil companies disposing waste in underground supplies. The contaminated aquifers are currently closed for drinking in a state that already has a history of water shortage. Oil companies had used loopholes in the Safe Drinking Water Act in order to bypass regulation, while some of these companies never obtained that permission.
2016 was another year of significant civil rights and environmental battles, notably the struggle to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline was proposed to run under a key water body which supplies water to local Native Americans and many other North Dakota residents. Construction was halted in early December, but there is no clear vision on whether or not the pipeline company will find a way to continue the DAPL anyway. Over 200 water bodies are still in the DAPL's path.
In western North Dakota this past December, the Belle Fourche pipeline leaked over 180,000 gallons of oil, many of which spilled into the Ash Coulee Creek. The spill was not detected by the pipeline's leak detection equipment due to its construction. While officials claim that the spill did not pose a threat to drinking water, it is an example of failed leak control technology.
West Virginia experienced a leak of a coal plant chemical into the Ohio River in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of West Virginians were affected, many unable to attend work, school, and government offices. Much of this issue had to do with absent or ineffective systems and actions to prevent this from happening. On the other hand, the bureaucracy of the system demands "definitive proof" of contamination before action can be taken.
Elevated levels of copper and lead in the Mahoning County, Ohio area were not reported to residents until about January of 2016, six months after they were found. Lawsuits were launched against the Ohio EPA including a few key employees, some of whom were rehired.
According to a study between 2004-2009 by the Environmental Working Group, 40% of rivers and 46% of lakes in the United States were too polluted for fishing, recreation, or wildlife. It is more expensive to clean up and treat contamination rather than to take greater measures in stopping the contamination from the source. Repairing our infrastructure shows a similar story.
The problem will only become more expensive to fix every year. The problem with Flint, Michigan is that it could take decades to replace all of the pipes at the current rate. Congress is pushing money through to help Flint, but there is no way of telling what the actual cost will end up being. Replacing the pipes could be greater than the value of the home itself. Hindsight is 2020. It sounds like a much cheaper and ethical investment to not allow this to happen.
Depending on the situation, cleaning up a contaminated water system can take years, hundreds of millions of dollars, and irreversible damage to human and ecosystem life. This article barely provides the surface of water contamination issues all throughout this country alone. When only 1% of all the water on Earth is unfrozen fresh water, there has got to be a better way of taking care of it.
This is not solely an environmental issue. Water contamination with hazardous chemicals and waste are health issues. It is an economic issue when the cleanup costs more than the prevention and protection of water bodies. Most importantly, it is completely irresponsible and unethical to allow citizens to spend years drinking water which is known to be laced with environmental hazards.
Get involved with organizations such as "Clean Water Action" "Food & Water Watch", and "The Thirst Project".
