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Archive for the ‘water pollution’ Category
Karst Conservation Is Essential To Protect Our Drinking Water
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Karst’s are above or underground caverns, usually made of limestone or calcium carbonate, that over time tend to collect water and create aquifers. When such aquifers are found near residential areas, they make ideal sources of water as the water is assumed to be pure and the supply often endless. However recent studies show that this may be a serious misjudgment as human contamination transported by groundwater runoff is increasingly having an impact on these once pristine sources of drinking water. Without continued proactive karst conservation legislation, many of these delicate ecosystems will eventually be destroyed and lost forever.
Across every continent, except Antarctica, are found above ground and underground caverns. When water dissolves this very soluble rock, the result is a cavern, a waterfall, a lake, a sinkhole, or any number of topographical changes. This is referred to as karst topography.
Recent testing of some karst aquifers have revealed groundwater contamination. Groundwater flows into the underground through conduits allowing little opportunity for filtration or sorption of contaminants before reaching the karst. Reports of karst contamination is appearing more frequently in the news and sometimes resulting in the need to abandon the use of these karst springs and aquifers as a source of drinking water entirely. Some recently impacted regions in the US have been Kentucky, Virginia, and just this past May, Tennessee.
Basin type draining tends to collect anything and everything off the surface of the land and this can leave the water unfit for human use as fecal contamination containing e coli bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals used by industry can sometimes find their way into these aquifers. The best way to protect a karst aquifer from pollution is to practice karst conservation, requiring humans to limit industry and other polluting activities over the groundwater basin.
In the meantime, there are new risks that we face from karst drinking water. First, individuals coming across a karst in nature may assume that the clear water is safe to drink. This is becoming less and less the case. The other concern is for those who have relied on a karst for decades to supply them with water. A karst aquifer can provide pure drinking water for 100 years, but can become contaminated very quickly once exposed to chemicals or contaminants.
As the population grows and pollution continues, the risks of contamination also increase, and thus routine testing of these karst aquifers should become a mandatory requirement. Fortunately, there are some glimmers of hope as citizens begin to better understand the sensitivity of these essential ecosystems and endorse karst conservation. Just this month, in British Colombia, karst conservation legislation was introduced to do just that.
Do not assume a clear pool in a natural setting is automatically sanitary. If you are hiking, it is best to take your own water along, even if you will be a long way from any sign of life. Another option is to take along a portable water filter such as the sport berkey that will remove bacteria and contaminants.
If your primary daily water source is from a Karst, a recommended precaution is to filter it prior to ingestion. Even if the water has been tested and deemed safe for drinking in the past, an unknown contamination could occur quickly and put your family’s health at risk. Berkey water filters are one way to accomplish this. They are able to filter out bacterial contamination and other chemicals to undetectable levels while also leaving in the important beneficial minerals that karst aquifer’s regularly possess.
Gulf Oil Spill - Another Reason To Improve Corporate Environmental Ethical Standards
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Corporations need to start taking more responsibility for their own actions, and if it means backbreaking financial penalties, then so be it. This is fundamental to driving proper corporate environmental ethical behavior that is still sorely lacking across many industries. However, while oil is still spewing out at 200,000 gallons of oil per day, the blame game is already well underway.
The CEO of BP has been on a PR media campaign taking some responsibility, but more importantly trying to place ultimate accountability on their Oil Rig lessor, Transocean, and Haliburton, who was responsible for capping/pressure control. “We are responsible, not for the accident, but we are responsible for the oil and for dealing with it and cleaning the situation up,” chief executive Tony Hayward said Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He said the equipment that failed and led to the spill belonged to owner Transocean Ltd., not BP, which operated the rig, the Deepwater Horizon.
BP attorneys are well aware that the law caps the company’s liability for economic damages - such as lost wages, shortened fishing seasons or lagging tourism damages - at 75 Million according to government regulations, but what should be interesting is the amount of compensation that will be paid out to account for liabilities under the Natural Reserve Damage Assessment. Under this legislation, there is no payout cap for damages BP is deemed responsible for, and the damages are looking severe.
The valves that failed at the blowout point are tied into a reservoir that’s under extreme pressure, so any hopes of a natural slowdown in leakage from this oil reserve due to lowering reservoir pressure are far off. There will be attempts to release pressure at another drill point, but that event is at least 90 days off, Secretary of the Dept of the Interior, Ken Salazar said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “You’re looking at potentially 90 days before you ultimately get to what is the ultimate solution here and that’s a relief well.” Three 70 ton relief containment domes to be placed over the leaks may be a success and much of the public is watching how this plays out closely.
Just last year we had the Coal Ash Spill in Tennessee that was compared to the Exxon Valdez, and now only 16 months later we are experiencing the BP gulf spill. If you pay heed to the opinions of experts in oil rigging, this will wind up being worse than those two environmental disasters combined. Many are not aware that small communities in Alaska are still reeling after the Valdez spill, as oil still lingers on some beaches a full 21 years later. The damage to marine life and birds was devastating and post mortem reports being released just recently later are still finding deeper and deeper layers of environmental damage that is frankly saddening. This will be just as saddening as federal agencies have already banned fishing in large parts of the gulf with local fishermen and related economies feeling the pain.
BP can attempt to push responsibility onto the contractors equipment and processes that failed, but the highest ethical responsibility needs to be fully placed on those who are reaping the highest financial rewards for harvesting these natural resources. That means BP needs to pay the highest in damages, period. Otherwise a terrible message will be sent, supporting large corporations that are increasingly making a habit of outsourcing their liability to smaller companies. At the end of the day, when things go very wrong, many of these smaller companies do not have the financial deep pockets to pay for these damages, and they essentially become compartmentalized scapegoats. We need and should demand healthy environmental ethical corporate behavior, not the privatization of gains and socialization of losses that we should all be extremely tired of by this point.
Nitrates In Drinking Water And It’s Health Effects
Monday, April 26th, 2010Since the 1950’s, farmland (and more recently lawns) have been soaked in nitrogen rich fertilizers. When these fertilizers leach into the surrounding natural water systems, harmful contamination results, and ultimately our drinking water is affected. If you are at risk, you have the ability to protect yourself with a nitrate water filter.
Though our bodies do not need nitrogen in this gaseous form, plants that we eat, do. In fact, all living systems need nitrogen in some form since the nitrogen is used to build many essential components such as proteins, DNA, RNA, and vitamins, as well as hormones and enzymes. The plants we eat use simple nitrogen such as ammonium nitrate and make complex nitrates such as amino acids and nucleic acids. This latter form of nitrogen we can use. Plants work as ‘mediators’ to take unusable nitrogen and convert it to a usable form for us. However, this also means that some forms of nitrogen that is good for plants can be poison to us.
Nitrate Pollution From Fertilizers
You have no doubt noticed three numbers on a bag of fertilizer such as 20-5-10. These numbers relate the percent of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the bag. This form of nitrogen is great for plants, but when it enters ground water or runs off into streams and rivers, it throws the surrounding ecosystems out of balance and becomes detrimental. Many times this results in the complete destruction of an ecosystem as in the case of large portions of the Chesapeake Bay.
Nitrogen fertilizers are not the only sources of nitrate pollution in water. Nitrogen rich manure used as fertilizer also pollutes water sources. In addition, nitrate-containing wastes are produced by many industrial processes including paper and munitions manufacturing. Burning of fossil fuels in power plants and cars, SUVs and all internal combustion engines results in the production of nitric acid and ammonia as air pollution. This air pollution eventually can enter our waterways when it takes the form of acid rain and falls back to the earth.
Nitrate Pollution From Fertilizers
Health Effects From Nitrates In Drinking Water
Methemologlobinemia, also called “blue baby,” is a serious problem caused largely by high nitrate levels in drinking water. These high nitrate levels interrupt the normal body processes of some infants, especially those under six months of age. Nitrate becomes toxic when it is reduced to a nitrite, a process that can occur in the stomach or in the saliva of the infant. Babies are especially susceptible because their stomach juices are weaker and therefore are more likely to permit the production of nitrate-reducing bacteria in their stomachs.
Nitrite in the blood combines with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin. This reduces the capability of the blood to carry oxygen around the body. The result is the “blue” condition of the baby’s skin. The blue coloring in the skin means the infant is being asphyxiated because oxygen cannot be transported by the blood. If it is observed, medical help should be sought immediately.
Boiling the water will not reduce the nitrate concentration; in fact, it actually increases the concentration by evaporating the water and thus concentrating the pollutants. Water that is high in nitrates should not be used for preparing infant formula or any food that could be consumed by a baby. Though fatalities are rare, methemoglobinemia can insidiously show no symptoms while it is affecting child or animal development.
A Nitrate Water Filter For Protection
According to the EPA, bacteria and nitrates are the only two water pollutants they believe cause an immediate threat to health. If you feel you are prone to exposure, purchasing a nitrate test kit is recommended, especially if you and your family rely on untreated water for drinking and cooking. Farm well water should be tested and, if necessary, run through a water filter prior to ingestion or bathing.
The good news is that the majority of nitrates and nitrites can be significantly reduced from drinking and cooking water simply by utilizing a nitrate water filter such as the Berkey water filter. Even if you don’t think there is an imminent problem of nitrates in your water source, it is still wise to consider filtering your drinking water to ensure you are providing the cleanest and healthiest water for you and your family.
Uranium Mine Contaminating Groundwater of Jefferson County, Colorado
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010The Denver Post has recently reported that an abandoned uranium mine located in Jefferson County, Colorado is contaminating both surrounding groundwater and a creek that serves the Denver’s Ralston Water Reservoir. Beneath the Schwartzwalder Mine, Uranium concentrations were found to exceed human health standards by more than 1000 times! Fortunately, the Ralston Reservoir is on temporary leave from serving Denver’s drinking water system, but local residents who are on wells in Jefferson County are rightfully nervous about this new development. However, it’s not such a new development.
Colorado regulators were aware of this contamination at least as early as July 2009, with uranium seepage likely underway for a considerable time beforehand, yet neither local residents nor the Denver water authority was notified of the problem. Negotiations with the owner for the clean-up of the mine and contaminated areas have been underway for some time, but a resolution has yet to be reached. In the meantime, Uranium continues to seep into the surrounding environment.
Poisoned Waters - A Documentary Worth Watching
Thursday, April 16th, 2009We see a couple commercials on the TV about some corporation that’s involved in an eco-friendly project and our conscious sets at ease. The mindset becomes, “we’re on the right environmental path, we’re starting to make change.” The stark reality is that it’s going to take much more for us to right these wrongs as we are still on an environmental downward trend in the US and even more so in developing countries. While we each have our own part to play in this life, and some may be able help turn the tide more than others, it’s imperative that we at least all fully understand the severe ramifications of our choices and actions.
Below are promotional clips from an upcoming PBS documentary called Poisoned Waters that is looking like a must see presentation on the environmental impacts of water pollution. It runs for 2 hours and debuts on PBS this upcoming Tuesday, April 21st at 9PM. It will also be available on the PBS website in it’s entirety after the premiere.
