Fracking: Water Pollution and Hydraulic Fracturing
What Water is Worth
SCI/275
March 3, 2012
Karen Marasigan
What Water is Worth
We Need Clean Water to Survive
Thomas Fuller, an English author, once wrote, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” Humans are not the only organisms dependent on water for survival. Plants, animals, and the entire planet Earth are dependent on water. The Earth is made up mostly of water, but only three percent of that water can be considered fresh enough for human consumption. With only three percent of the Earth’s water able to be consumed, it is imperative that the cleanliness of the water be sustained by all humans.
Water pollution was such a growing issue in the US that the government established the Clean Water Act in 1948, and then revised in 1977. The Clean Water Act made it illegal for anyone to “discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2/12). Under the original Clean Water Act in 1948, no dumping was allowed by anyone in order to protect the cleanliness of the water. In 1977, it was amended to add that if a permit was obtained, dumping was acceptable. Because of the amendment, the Clean Water Act now only reduces the amount of pollutants going into our water system.
Water Pollution: A Growing Issue
Water pollution has become a large global issue, especially in developing countries where it is a struggle to find clean drinking water for the inhabitants of the region. There are currently seven different types of water pollution; sewage, disease causing agents, sediment pollution, inorganic plant and algal, organic compounds, radioactive substances, and thermal pollution. These seven types can be categorized into three main types; biological, chemical, and physical. This paper will discuss chemical pollution in main water systems.
Chemical water pollution can be caused by pesticides, metals, solvents, or petroleum through oil spills or runoffs. One
SCI/275
March 3, 2012
Karen Marasigan
What Water is Worth
We Need Clean Water to Survive
Thomas Fuller, an English author, once wrote, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” Humans are not the only organisms dependent on water for survival. Plants, animals, and the entire planet Earth are dependent on water. The Earth is made up mostly of water, but only three percent of that water can be considered fresh enough for human consumption. With only three percent of the Earth’s water able to be consumed, it is imperative that the cleanliness of the water be sustained by all humans.
Water pollution was such a growing issue in the US that the government established the Clean Water Act in 1948, and then revised in 1977. The Clean Water Act made it illegal for anyone to “discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2/12). Under the original Clean Water Act in 1948, no dumping was allowed by anyone in order to protect the cleanliness of the water. In 1977, it was amended to add that if a permit was obtained, dumping was acceptable. Because of the amendment, the Clean Water Act now only reduces the amount of pollutants going into our water system.
Water Pollution: A Growing Issue
Water pollution has become a large global issue, especially in developing countries where it is a struggle to find clean drinking water for the inhabitants of the region. There are currently seven different types of water pollution; sewage, disease causing agents, sediment pollution, inorganic plant and algal, organic compounds, radioactive substances, and thermal pollution. These seven types can be categorized into three main types; biological, chemical, and physical. This paper will discuss chemical pollution in main water systems.
Chemical water pollution can be caused by pesticides, metals, solvents, or petroleum through oil spills or runoffs. One
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