Water Pollution Solutions

CORRECTING AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM:
"THE MIGHTY MISSISNIPPY"
Real Water Pollution Solutions are Necessary, Possible, and Affordable

It finally came time to write the fourth and final article in Grinning Planet's water pollution series. The topic: water pollution solutions ... for rivers like the Mighty Mississippi, for our vast oceans, for that little creek that runs past your house or neighborhood. The lazy gene in us made it tempting to just write:

WATER POLLUTION SOLUTIONS

Introduction

In the United States and other developed nations, there are strong laws to protect clean water. Unfortunately, good starts are not always accompanied by strong follow-though. For instance, implementation of the US Clean Water Act in the 1970s did improve water quality over the subsequent decade or two. But the act called for "zero discharge of pollutants into navigable waters by 1985, and fishable and swimmable waters by 1983." Yet almost all surface waters in the US still suffer some level of pollution; discharges are still permitted; the EPA still categorizes roughly 40% of lakes, rivers, and streams as unsafe for fishing or swimming; and the number of US river miles on which people have been advised to restrict their consumption of fish has risen sharply since the early 1990s.

Our first water pollution solution is simple: Enforce existing laws. A politician pontificating about a great new anti-pollution law they've sponsored means little if they continue to allow existing laws to go unenforced.

Beyond laws, there are some practical water pollution solutions that can be implemented by society and by you as an individual.

SOLUTIONS TO WATER POLLUTION

Reducing Nutrient and Pesticide Pollution

Solutions to water pollution caused by excess nutrients and chemical pesticides can be found in five broad categories:

Encourage smart agricultural practices...

Right-sizing applications of fertilizer and using techniques like biodynamic farming, no-till planting, settling ponds, and riparian buffer zones can help keep polluted runoff from entering streams.

Animal agriculture can be a problem too. For example, runoff from chicken-raising operations is a leading cause of nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. As a compassionate society, we should probably ban altogether the barbaric practices imposed on animals in concentrated feeding operations; but until we do that, these potent pollution centers must be made to meet strict water quality standards.

Reduce urban/suburban runoff of lawn fertilizers and pesticides...

If you put "normal" fertilizer, pesticides, and other chemicals on your lawn, landscaping, and gardens, you are part of the water pollution problem. While you may find these products helpful, much of their volume is washed by rain or blown by air to nearby streams, ponds, and rivers. They also tend to degrade your soil over time, making your future gardening efforts that much more difficult and reliant on chemicals.

You can find out how to have a nice lawn, stop wasting money on lawn chemicals, and stop polluting our waterways by checking out these two articles: lawn care tips and organic lawn care.

Prevent further destruction wetlands, and reestablish them wherever possible..

Both inland and coastal wetlands act to buffer surges in runoff and to filter pollutants from runoff and flows. Yet it has been standard practice in the US (and many other countries) to allow development concerns to almost always trump the value of "nature's services." It's time to get serious about preserving wetlands.

Drive less...

Nitrogen deposition from air pollution is a big part of the nutrient pollution problem. About a third of the nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay is from nitrogen deposition from air pollution, much of which comes from automobile emissions.

How much we drive, how large a vehicle we motor in, mileage standards, and many other factors all play a part in how much pollution we personally leave behind when driving. People are also constrained with brainless building codes that force separation between houses, stores, and work, forcing us to drive more than we'd like. But driving less is something we all can do better at, if we try; and all of the relatively small individual contributions will make a big difference when summed across millions of drivers.

Improve sewage treatment...

This is a big enough topic that we gave it its own section ... next.

More: http://www.grinningplanet.com/2008/01-08/water-pollution-solutions-article.htm

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.~  Jacques Cousteau