...Clean Water The Controversy Up until the mid-20th century it was practice for cities to use bays, harbors, and rivers as dumping grounds and sewage run off. In fact major industrial parks built their waste pipes to spill directly into some of the rivers and lakes we use today as recreation (Congressional Digest, 1985). These are some of the Point Sources of water pollution. These are places that can be directly identified as points of pollution like city storm and sewer drains, sewage treatment plants ("Clean water act," 1972). Then there is a non-point source which is a combination of smaller sources that collect into lakes, rivers, and streams. These can come from agriculture farms or even contaminated wash from our freeways and roads. There are almost an infinite amount of water pollutants that run off into our waterways each day. Pathogens such has salmonella, novo virus, and parasitic worms grow and thrive within our waters. Chemicals such as insecticides, herbicides run off from farms and other agriculture areas. Storm water runoff can introduce many types of fuels and oils, and heavy metals. Then there is immense amount of industrial waste like ammonia, sulfur dioxide from power plants, trash from illegal dumping (Pitt, 2001). It’s it important to ensure our fresh water resources are protected and ensured. Although in most industrialized countries access to clean water is at 100 percent; in places such as Uganda and Mozambique where only 52% of the...
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...Contents…………………………………………………………………………..Page 1 Abstract…………………………………...……………………………………………………...2 History of the Clean Water Act..……………………………………………………...…………3 The Purpose and Intent of the Clean Water Act……………………….…......………………….5 Summary of the Clean Water Act...........................................................................................…. .5 How the Clean Water Act affects Businesses………………………………………..…………..6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...…………………..10 References……………………………………………………………………………………….11 Appendix Case Study …………………………………………………………………………...………..7 Abstract This paper was written with the attempt to educate the reader on the inception and brief history of “clean water act of 1972”. Before this important law companies used our waterways as liquid landfills. This law was one of many that was desperately needed to help make America a better place for generations to come. Antonio Hines Environmental Science November 3, 2014 The Clean Water Act of 1972 History of the Clean Water Act Dead fish floating in our river ways and different wildlife lying on the banks of our streams was common place in the early 60’s. In Ohio, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so polluted that it caught fire – for the tenth time! Time Magazine reported that Lake Erie was dying from all the waste dumped into it. Saint Louis took its drinking water from the muddy Missouri River because it had gotten to the point that no one wanted to eat or drink from the Mississippi...
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...The Clean Water Acts was created to regulate and prevent pollutant discharges into the water of the United States. The Clean Water Act made against the law for industries to discharge pollutants into the water without a permit by the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Although the CWA is meant to prevent pollutant discharges in the water, it seems to have some loopholes in some of their regulations. Mines industries had been taken advantage of two loopholes in the Clean Water Act, according to Targeting News Service: Under the new rule, wetlands, ponds and other small water bodies can only be protected if they are within 4,000 feet of a stream or river. However, if a wetland is just one foot over the arbitrary 4,000-foot...
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...- Do you really think that every bottled or tap water you drink is completely clean? Every soda, juice and energy drink all have to start off with water. Now you’re probably asking yourself why I should care about water pollution. There is an estimate of 14,000 people die every day from water pollution, and in a year that’s 5,110,000 people! There are two main types of causes for water pollution and they are animal manure and homes sewage. For instance, the main cause in industrial agriculture is manure and its effects toward the environment and towards human health, 2 how the sewages affect our homes and communities. Industrial agriculture is one of the biggest causes of water pollution in the United States because of manure. Organizations that were supposed to protect the environment have help pollute the environment. For instance, Environmental Protection Agency was found polluting forty eight percent of streams and river and forty one percent of lake waters. Most of the water pollution comes from storage and animal manure. Plants, animals, and humans die from lack of care for the environment. Industrial farmers store all the livestock manure into big tanks called lagoons. Lagoons hold over one million gallons of manure. Imagine what would happen if one of these tanks burst open? If farmers do not check the lagoons they don’t notice that the lagoons have cracks and leaks in them. So basically manure just is leaking out into vast areas. It gets really bad when...
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...in 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed as a response to unhealthy water due to pollution. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the Clean Water Act has been debated for the past thirty years. The issue of clean, safe water has been plaguing our nation ever since the Clean Water Act’s passing and has been exacerbated by the surge of plastic in our consumer-driven society. There is no doubt that plastic pollution has become a huge nuisance namely in our waterways, but what has been done about it and moreover, what can be done about it? In 1983 the...
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...How to Flush a Tankless Water Heater Tankless water heaters are popular among homeowners and many other users, thanks to their ability to continuously supply hot water on demand. Remarkably, they are environmentally friendly. But, do you know how to clean tankless water heater? It is imperative to do this regularly. I personally prefer doing this twice a year. However, if you check your model manual, chances are you will come across a recommendation to flush your tank annually. This is because the tank’s functionality and design require maintenance in order to function efficiently and effectively with time. In the long run, you increase its durability. Flushing your tank helps save significant amounts of energy as opposed to traditional tankless...
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...Clean Water Project Report Day 1- “The Balanced Equation” Documentary Notes In the documentary, “The Balanced Equation”, a group of high school girls tells their story of traveling to Kenya and the Dominican Republic to investigate and learn more about issues dealing with water in developing countries. The girls focus primarily on problems with water that exist in these countries and the water filtration systems being provided. According to the video, approximately 3.5 million people die from water-related illnesses each year, and over 800 million people do not have access to clean water today. The girls discover that portable point-of-use filtration devices are given to those in developing countries who don’t have access to clean water. Permanent water solutions, such as digging wells, have been tried, but often fail due to lack of maintenance and education. Wells often become contaminated with runoff water among other issues, so over 50% of these permanent solutions fail after 5 years. Instead, point-of-use water systems are distributed since they are portable and can be used at home. The girl’s spent their first night of their adventure in...
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...For our environmental ethics paper, we decided on the Clean Water Act (CWA). The history behind the CWA goes back longer than one might imagine. Most people think the CWA was originally started in 1972 when Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Contract Act Amendments, which would commonly be referred to as the Clean Water Act. The CWA was originally passed under President Harry S. Truman in 1948 as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act designed to control water pollution. The original 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act “authorized the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, in cooperation with other Federal, state and local entities, to prepare comprehensive programs for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate...
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...years especially 1980s - 90’s decade. Development was further speeded up in 2000s with the nation vision of achieving an industrialized status by year 2020. However, the rapid development process sometimes was carried out without really taking into consideration, that the possibility of such development will impacts on the environment, in this case, impacts towards the rivers. Table 1 below shows the number of polluted river (suspended solids) from year 1998 – 2008. Table [ 1 ]: Number of clean, slighly polluted and polluted basin in Malaysia (Suspended Solids) A) Economic Growth and Water Pollution As the country which moves towards the realization of its vision 2020 to becoming a developed nation through the implementation of its policy agenda for heavy industrialization, infrastructures, and urban-expansions, the water demands increase steeply. There is greater pressure to preserve the current water resources as well as to find alternative course of actions to improve the water quality. In other words, the consistent and rapid growth of urban-industries in Malaysia has undoubtedly resulted in an increase in economic well being of the citizens on the one hand. After all, for the first time in years, the external value of Malaysia’s currency, the ringgit, shrank by nearly 50 per cent while the stock market contracted by even more at about 60 per cent. The ringgit fell from an average of 2.42 to the U.S. dollar in April 1997 to an all-time low of 4.88 to the U.S. dollar...
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...” When you finish, turn in your test and remain quiet until others are finished. 1. Which of the following lists contain only the EPA’s important beneficial uses for watersheds? A. Agriculture, Urban Development, Drinking water B. Urban Development, Recreation, Fish and Shellfish consumption C. Fish and Shellfish consumption, Aquatic Life habitats, Drinking water D. Swimming, Boating, Canoeing, Rope swinging, Cleaning stuff. What Federal agency is responsible for assessing and monitoring the bodies of water in the U.S.? A. Environmental Precipitation Association B. Environmental Principle Agency C. Environmental Protection Association D. Environmental Protection Agency What Act of Legislation gave them the power to monitor and assess our nation’s watersheds? A. Clean Air Act of 1972 B. Clean Water Act of 1972 C. Clean Air Act of 1792 D. Clean Water Act of 1792 If a body of water receives a level 1 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty If a body of water receives a level 3 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty If a body of water receives a level 5 assessment by the EPA, it means that the water is: A. Clean B. Dirty C. Not too clean and not too dirty 7. Which of the following is NOT an example of a watershed? A. Trinity River Basin B. Cooper Creek River Basin C. Lake Ray Roberts Watershed D. The Pacific Ocean Which of the following has the Highest Albedo...
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...being carless and uneducated about the things I do and don’t do that have a direct impact on the environment. Such as eating out almost every night, constantly purchasing new gadgets every time they come out, never buying used clothing etc. Before this class I never gave a second thought to these things. Learning about the clean water act as well as the clean air act was really interesting. I take clean water and air for granted all the time. I am used to going outside and just expecting to breathe clean air as if it’s a right and not a privilege. When I want to brush my teeth or take a shower I don’t think about how my water got clean or where it comes from I just expect it to be there and to be healthy for consumption and use. It amazes me how we take so many of our resources for granted and we just assume that they will always be here for us to use. I couldn’t believe how much resources and energy we use in the United States alone and how much waste we generate. Seeing video of water being so dirty that it catches fire and witnessing the death of a sea because of pollution and waste was uncanny. To know that one day we will be at war over clean water bothers me. In my opinion we have advanced firsthand knowledge of a lot of our issues. It’s not like we wake up one day and these things just appear we are forewarned and we take too long to take action which results in disaster. Lately I have noticed that more people...
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...Assignment 2: Using Your Manager Skills Due Week 10 and worth 240 points Note: The companies mentioned herein are merely hypothetical organizations with characteristics developed to enable students to respond to the assignment. You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment. In this assignment, you, in the role of a risk manager at Simply Green Products, will draft a document that is commonly used in the business world—a memorandum to your boss. Simply Green Products is a $10 million company that produces biodegradable packing materials that orchards use in the Shenandoah Valley to transport their apples, peaches, and pears nationwide. Biodegradable materials are more eco-friendly because they break down into the environment. Such packing materials are marketed under the name “SafePack,” which is heavily advertised in trade journals. Simply Green Products have had the name “SafePack” imprinted on all of their packing material since 2008; however, they never filed for either state or federal trademark protection. With the movement toward more eco-friendly agricultural production, the fact that such packing materials are biodegradable provides a primary marketing advantage over non-biodegradable competitors. The company president, Shep Howard, has recently become aware of several issues that may require referral to the company’s outside counsel. Because you serve as the company’s risk manager, Howard has asked you...
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...There are many risks for a company in the legal realm and it is important for them to minimize their tort and regulatory risks. A company should have a risk plan in place that can help them succeed. This plan can be a continuously changing plan depending on needed improvements on the plan. A risk plan can be developed easily when you look at the Alumina Inc. case as an example. A company such as Alumina can manage their risks through three basic measures which are preventative, detective, and corrective. Preventative measures are the easiest for a company to control and change. These can include anything from the company’s internal laws to the education of these laws. Freedom of speech is a civil right given to people and in cases such as Alumina vs. Kelly Bates; preventative measures could have helped controlled the case. Even though a citizen’s speech may be considered as disparagement, damage to the company can still occur. A major risk for a company in a situation like this is if they were to harm their own customers and alienate their business. This can really damage their reputation and that is why the CEO Roger Lloyd of Alumina was so concerned. They have a Duty of Care that they must ensure that they are protecting these individuals and are not guilty of negligence. A company can have a legal department that is proactively researching potential problems and ensuring their corrective measures are in place. This can help solve a problem quickly with minimal damage...
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...completion process that has been proven. It allows producers to recover natural gas and oil safely. This process reduces our national carbon dioxide, reduces our reliance on foreign fuel imports, and accelerates our transition to a carbon light environment. The development of natural gas and oil is critical to America’s energy needs and economic renewal. The process of hydraulic fracturing is using water pressure under tight controls to create fractures in rock that allow oil and natural gas to escape and flow up out of the ground. While in this process “fracturing fluids” are mixed in using high pressure. This creates fissures that allow resources to move freely from rock pores where they are trapped. (Chesapeake Energy) First, the way hydraulic fracturing works is a production drill is drilled through the rock layers to intersect the coal seem that contains coal bed methane, CBN. Second, fractures are created or existing fractures are enlarged in the coal seem so that the CBM can be drawn from the well and pumped to the surface. These fractures are created or enlarged by using a thick water-based fluid which is gradually increased by rate and pressure. Third, over time the coal seam is unable to keep up with the fracturing fluid which results in high pressure causing the coal to fracture along the weaknesses within. Sand is pumped into these fractures to keep them ‘propped’ open after the pressures are released. After a period of fluid recovery or groundwater extraction is when the...
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...greenhouse gas emissions. Unit 5 Individual Project – Environmental Policies Introduction This paper will discuss the Clean Water Act. This law was passed initially in 1948 and was known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It was reorganized and expanded upon in 1972 when it became known as the Clean Water Act (EPA, 2014). This paper will summarize the major provisions of this law as well as the economic impact. It will also describe what, if anything, the law has improved. Finally, global warming will be discussed and whether additional policies should be adopted to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Provisions and economic impact of the law The Clean Water Act was the first major law to address water pollution. One of the major provisions of this act are that it prohibits the discharge of any pollutant except those in compliance with the Act. The Act imposes limitations on existing sources and how the pollutant is discharged (whether the pollutant goes directly into an open body of water or to publicly owned treatment plant). This law requires the EPA to maintain water quality criteria, pretreatment programs and administration of the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permit program. It also requires states to identify waters that cannot meet water quality criteria due to non-point sources polluting the water, identify what is causing the pollution and create ways to identify the controls and programs for individual non-point sources...
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