For 4.54 billion years, nature and the ecosystems of the world have outlasted generations of humans. That may all change tomorrow. Since the industrial age, rivers in New England were utilized for their waterpower and factories lined the banks of countless rivers. Wastes from the brass mill, rubber chemicals, textiles and sewage were dumped into these rivers. According to the Connecticut Community Foundation, at one point, 6 municipal and 29 industrial waste sources were in the Housatonic River alone. Now it is our responsibility to reverse the rising tide of water pollution. The state of Connecticut claims the Clean Water Act made in the late 1900’s are fixing the damage by performing studies and prohibiting any more sewage to be dumped in rivers. Yet if they think that by just requiring pollution companies to have a permit, and mandating technology-based pollution controls, it will save the life that depends on the rivers, they are surely wrong. There is still a lack of concern around Connecticut shorelines and its rivers as tests have proven stronger pollution measures are needed yet no new measures are being put in place by the government.
Inconclusive measurements have been taken by pollution control centers. The environmental protection agency (EPA) is still finding new issues surrounding the quality of river life. Just recently they found out that another site that has contaminated soil which is contributing to the pollution in the river. However, dredging and cleanup measures have already been done in the early 2000’s around these areas. With this in mind, one of three things are happening: the EPA and other environmental foundations are not releasing the whole story to the public, the studies are inaccurate with human error or simply that the “protection” agencies are not owning up to their mission of protecting the waterways of New England. Understandably, the cost is a factor on the ability to clean up and institute new technology to stabilize water quality, but that is not the underlying cause. The cause is miscommunication and a misconception that humans have little impact on the larger ecosystem.
The Clean Water Act was implemented to initially shift the burden of pollution harms from the government to polluters directly. A bold move; it sought to “clean up” the rivers by forbidding cities and industries from using rivers and lakes as waste dumps. Additionally, the act set a goal that by 1985 the nation’s waters should be “fishable and swimmable,” stated on the EPA website. Obviously “fishable and swimmable’ rivers have not been achieved as seen by the EPA concerns. It wasn’t until the Federal WPCA allowed investigation of non-point sources of pollution 1976 did sufficient groundwater protection plans were made. That was 4 years after the Clean Water Act was passed, providing as the old saying goes “change takes time.” Unfortunately, time is not something that is on our side when the degradation of the waterways and river life is occurring.
The alarming concern here is that while the DEEP and EPA have provided means for studies, they are lacking a permanent solution to break up concentrations of nitrate, dissolved oxygen and other pollution chemicals. The Clean Water Act is not sufficient enough to stabilize a deteriorating watershed. The fact is being kept secret is that perhaps the problem is too large for them to handle.
