One of the key factors of Richmond, Virginia is the James River. The James River has been a part of Virginia’s history from way before the first settlers, and before it was even Virginia, up until present day. A problem the James River has faced is that some businesses abused it. Back then, the manufacturing plants on the James did not care or realize the harm that occurs when they persistently dumped waste into the James. Since the James is such a huge factor in Richmond, it is imperative to keep it clean and healthy. All that the James has provided us with, it isn’t fair the way it has been treated in the past.
The reason why there are so many efforts to clean the James River now is because in the past, there have been several companies
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The most known chemical being dumped is a type of pesticide named Kepone (Reich). Manufacturers on the James had been dumping this in the river for about a decade in Hopewell, Virginia (Kepone: More News). An ironic thing about this situation is that in 1972, The Clean Water Act had been passed; clearly there weren’t many efforts to enforce it (Jravirginia). Sixteen months before everything was shut down, one of the sole polluters started manufacturing the chemical Kepone for a larger corporation; this manufacturing plant got away with poisoning many of it’s employees and the environment surrounding it (Reich). In 1978, a news article estimated the cost of cleaning the river to be in the billions; but, since at the the time they didn’t have the right technology to go through with the cleanup, they would have …show more content…
The JRA was founded by a group of concerned citizens in 1976, basically right after the Kepone disaster. Since then, the JRA has been restoring the James to its health slowly but surely. Restoring the James included much more than just the water quality, they helped restore the wildlife too (Jravirginia). Species like the bald eagle, which in 1977 there were only 33 pairs in Virginia, none of which lived in the river’s watershed; but, due to the JRA’s restoration efforts, there were roughly 236 breeding pairs of bald eagles residing all over Virginia (Jravirginia). Other species were aided including the sturgeon and Great blue heron (Jravirginia). However, the water quality hasn’t been this good since before the disaster. The JRA gave the river a B- rating in 2015, this is a total gathered by the quality of: fish and wildlife, the habitat, pollution reductions, and protection and restoration actions; compared to the grade of a C- in the year 2005, there has been much improvement (Jravirginia). The JRA wouldn’t have been so successful in their mission if so many local volunteers hadn’t joined in to help. Their mission includes being the voice for the river by educating the community on how the James River’s health affects everyone in its watershed and by using all its efforts to clean the river leaving it better than how they
As I looked out the window of the restaurant, I could see the sun bouncing off the sparkling water below. Boats and other water craft scatter the water as well as people on water-skis and inner tubes. The picturesque view makes life seem so much better and just looking at the river makes a person calmer. The scene just described is the view from the window of a restaurant called Sophia in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the corresponding river is the mighty Mississippi. Although Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, this scene could be found right here in the valley of Phoenix. The way this is possible is through the Rio Salado Project.
...ry for entertainment. Should Surry County want to keep the ferry, due to its historical aspect; the ferry could be made into an attraction that would take tourists around the James River for a fee. The ferry would then be an attraction and not a mode of transportation, also adding revenue for the county.
Entire towns and rural households that lack wastewater treatment systems discharge raw wastewater directly into rivers and streams through open lines known as “straight pipes.” (O’Dell, 2005). The lack of proper wastewater disposal promotes environmental degradation and creates potential health hazards, including contamination of drinking water sources.
In Chicago’s early days of rising to become a major US city, its population exploded, causing the city to modernize quickly and businesses to cut corners to keep their edge. The river soon became the dumping ground for both sewage and toxic waste dumped by the slaughter houses. By demand of citizens, a canal was built “which later would be named the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal (Hansen, pg. 41). The proposed canal “called for an excavation that woul...
Overall, this is really a good experience for me to participate in this interdisciplinary project. I like the implications under it, because this is a meaningful project. It is concerned about not only the Delaware River, but also us all.
The non-profit organization that I researched is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. They have spent the last 40 years educating people who live near the Chesapeake Bay or near one of its tributaries on things that need to be done in order to create a safe habitat for the aquatic and terrestrial life living near these waters and creating healthier, cleaner water within the bay.
There are many causes and solutions to the deterioration of the Colorado River. The Colorado River is not the great river it used to be, with an abundant amount of healthy water, thriving wildlife and abundant plant life. With climate change, water salinity, pollution, and natural runoffs, the river’s water quality has deteriorated immensely. However, if communities and environmental groups join forces to research and raise money to find ways to help improve the Colorado River, it can get back to its original condition. This issues affects those who live by the river, concluding that I live somewhere near the river, I would love to see a change in the rivers condition to not only help the nature around it, but to help myself and others.
The Earth Island Journal comes from the Earth Island Institute, an environmental foundation which is dedicated to the protecting of our worlds environment, plants, and animals. It did seem strange that in the mission statement they mentioned one living thing to save, the sea turtle. They were created in 1982, and have 32 worldwide projects. Their journal, the Earth Island Journal, is said to be a “tree free” print. What is it printed on I wonder? This article focuses on more than Lake Powell; it talks about the 11 dams which are now on the Colorado, and the ecological changes which are taking place along the whole of the river. It uses examples from the Glen Canyon dam to help the argument, but still does not talk about any positive changes in the Colorado River ecosystem.
The Brazos River Authority is the organization that is mostly involved in watershed projects in the Bosque River Watershed. It has been working to coordinate efforts to improve the watershed. Its efforts have been made possible by the Clean Water Act. Its main objective has been to identify all projects dealing with pollution prevention, monitor their progress, track the rules and regulations, identify trends in water quality, assist in the efficient use of resources, and enhance communication between the relevant parties. The Authority also provides a point of contact between the various stakeholders a...
The Chesapeake Bay is polluted with agricultural waste. We see things like 1.5 billion pounds of chicken waste that no one wants to take responsibility for. Ignoring standards, a waterway was tested for E. coli; the standard is 125 FCU/100ml of water. Yet this waterway’s level was at 48392 FCU/100ml. An industry that will go to great lengths to make sure that Congress doesn’t impose sanction against them.
Hooker admits to burying about 21,800 tons of various chemicals in the canal. There are at least twelve known carcinogens in the canal including benzene which is well-known for causing leukemia in people (Gibbs 22). The air, soil, and water tests have found chemical migration throughout a ten block residential area. The extent of the chemical migration is still unknown.
As the river flows through Virginia into West Virginia, it picks up several warm water tributaries, making it a strangely warm water river. The New River is wide, shallow, stony and clear, which allows the sun to augment the warm water conditions even more. The river can reach temperatures as high as 85 to 90 degre...
In Victorian London, the aroma of the Thames River was impossible to avoid. Huge amounts of raw sewage were dumped into the River due to the increasing popularity of the flush toilet. The flush toilet, while improving the personal hygiene of residents of a typical London home, flushed sewage directly into sewers located underneath London streets (Wilkinson). This increased drinking water pollution until the river’ s content was so befouled that it was devoid of oxygen, plant life and animals. The river was said to give off the smell of rotten eggs due to the production of hydrogen sulphide (Sinha-Jordan).
Hennigan, Robert D. "Water Pollution." Oxford University Press 19.11 (1969): 976-78. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
Way back in the early 80’s, neighbors surrounded along the river were once lucky enough to benefit from it. The water was crystal clear and through that it creates rapids. Sometimes you could see them catching a lobster, a shrimp and most of all the local fish called Tilapia by using their home-made fishing nets. Some had benefitted the river for their household needs wherein they dig a deep hole at the sand dune that is five meters away from the river and three meters deep to filter a crystal clear, clean drinking water. Since the pipe from the water district at that time is limited only for those residences along the main road. While for those staying in the interior vicinity at the ...