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Contaminated water in the United States
Contaminated water in the United States
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Florida is known for various things but we are most famously known for our bodies of Water and our Agriculture, while our state is known for this we do have and see issues surrounding this in the near future. Florida currently has a problem with our water management; though Florida is the Sunshine State, we have a lot of rain, and this rain becomes an issue when it overflows into man-made sewer drains, this runoffs into our drains and into our oceans, and then starts to leak into our groundwater, carrying pesticides and other dangerous substances into our drinking water and other unwanted places. 90% of the pesticides in our groundwater can result from only one inch of rainwater. When a high level of pesticides enters the aquifer, the quality
of our water diminishes. Our methods of energy generation and usage are another valuable resource that we must watch and use responsibly if we are to protect it. According to the Florida Energy System Consortium, Florida was ranked 10th in the nation, with only 2.3% of our electricity coming from renewable sources. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's states that natural gases fuel two-thirds of Florida's electricity. There are many current programs that Florida has to help with resource conservation such as Agricultural Management assistance, Lake Restoration, and Environmental quality Incentives.
Florida became a state in 1845 and almost immediately people began proposing to drain the Everglades. In 1848, a government report said that draining the Everglades would be easy, and there would be no bad effect. Canals and dams were dug to control seasonal flooding. Farmers grew vegetables in the rich soil of the drained land, Ranchers had their cattle graze on the dry land, and new railways lines were constructed to connect communities throughout south Florida; but the ecosystem of the Everglades was not suited for either farming or ranching. The natural cycle of dry and wet seasons brought a devastating series of droughts and floods. These had always been a p...
The use of dangerous and also deadly chemicals by Florida’s tomato industry is due to the insufficient regulations made by the Department of Agriculture. Florida’s soil is pure sand, making it impossible to grow tomatoes. The plant also faces completion with other plants as well as being attacked by diseases and insects. The only reason then that Florida’s farmers grow is because it’s summer in Florida, while the rest of the United States is experiencing winter. Greed, the want for larger profit, is the reason why the fresh market tomato industry is located in Florida. ...
Scientists have always made predictions about climate change causing major disasters around the world. Florida is one of the areas being affected by climate change at this exact moment. It is experiencing a huge amount of severe flooding throughout the whole the state, but especially near the coast. The climate change is affecting the sea level in Florida to rise higher than it was before. Even with the flooding and sea level rising being a major issues in Florida, state officials are not taking any type of action because they fear that if they do, they will show that they can’t control it or find a solution. In the article “The Siege of Miami,” by Elizabeth Kolbert, she talks about her trip down to Florida. While Kolbert is in Florida, she meets with the University of Miami’s chairman of the geological science department, Hal Walness to talk about climate change and how it may or may
Humans need water. In a world that is overpopulated, we use a lot of water and other natural resources. Currently, in our world, clean water is getting scarce. Recently, for example, Flint, Michigan, had a water crisis. In early 2016, the water was discovered to be tainted with lead and other toxins. Long before that, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Governor Rick Snyder along with his council, knew about the lead, but to save money for the city of Flint in early 2014 Snyder had changed the city’s water source to the Flint River which had corroded pipes, causing people of all ages to be sick from the high amounts of lead
Fifty percent of the original wetlands doesn’t even exist today. The water supply in the Everglades is changing and that has affected the Everglades in many ways. For one, population is decreasing and mankind needs to restore it somehow. Next, the Everglades are in need of some money to do that restoration, but where will they get it from? Last, the water supply is poisoning the humanity around it with much bacteria and many bad and dangerous elements. The Everglades water supply affected it in fixing the Everglades and wildlife.
Maintaining ecological diversity is necessary for the survival of a biological community. In the United States, American citizens are on the verge of irrevocably damaging one of the country's most unique and diverse treasures - the Florida Everglades. This national park is now the only remaining patch of a river that used to span 120 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. Dikes and levees created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1940's drained this river to reduce flooding and increase useable water for the development of the region. This major diversion of water lead to a trickle down effect causing the continual decline of the environmental state of the Everglades. Since then, debates over the Everglades' future have silently raged on for years about how, why, and when the restoration will begin. This ongoing, but virtually unproductive effort has cost taxpayers a great deal without any apparent benefits. Recently, this debate has been amplified by the voices of the sugar industry in Florida, which was attacked for its major contribution to pollution of the Everglades. Now debates rage on with a new effort called the Restudy. Backed by the Army Corps of Engineers, this effort would change the flow of the Everglades, potentially restoring it into the viable community of life that it used to be. The question now is, will this latest attempt to restore the Everglades ever be realized (thus ending the cyclic Everglades debate) or will it simply add up to one more notch on the bedpost of inadequate and failed attempts to save this national treasure. The world is watching to see how the United States will handle this unprecedented cleanup.
This is an important topic. It affects the overall health of the population surrounding the Chesapeake Bay, as we eat from it quite often and it can be used as a water source. The chemicals being released into the water are from coal-burning factories and runoff, which can be helped, but it’s almost impractical in this day and age to spend the amount of money required to do so without the technology that can guarantee a fix.
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
The Florida Everglades have been slowly and steadily diminishing in size for over many decades. Throughout the years, the Everglades have had an abundant, healthy environment. The massive swamps were once rich with marshland, and had ecosystems chock-full of wildlife. However, due to large corporations, natural disasters and most importantly, the growth of the human population, the Everglades are 50% smaller than they were hundreds of years ago. The destruction of the Florida Everglades includes not only a diminishing number of the marshland, but also the lessening of wild life, such as alligators, herons, and exotic plants. While there is a government plan set for the restoration of the everglades, it will take many years to make up for the
...overnment. This restoration plan is very controversial because it is the biggest environmental restoration plan in history. Many feel with a task this large many important ecological factors could be overlooked. The State of Florida has already spent billions of dollars on restoring various ecological problems in The Everglades, but it is not enough. The U.S. government has only given The State of Florida four hundred million dollars of the eight billion dollars due to them. Researchers say the quality and the hydrology of the water needs to be addressed now before it is too late. The expected completion of these fifty projects that will restore The Everglades is estimated to take around twenty more years. In 2012, twelve years after The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was created little progress was achieved restoring the core of The Everglades.
Hutton-Woodland, M. (2013). Florida Action Coalition proud recipient of a SIP Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from http://campaignforaction.org/state/florida
With the changes coming from global warming and increased greenhouse gasses, there will be many impacts to Texas over the coming decades. One of these impacts is the effect on our water resources. Texas’ main source of fresh water is precipitation, coming almost completely from rainfall. With temperatures rising and with an expectation that precipitation levels will most likely drop in coming years, this combination will put great stress on our water reservoirs. If we continue our current usage rates of water and if recent climate changes continue to persist then we will see a huge decrease in our water reservoirs. Also, given that we are in a drought, it appears that conditions are getting worse every year, posing a serious problem for the future if this issue is not addressed now.
Rising sea levels are becoming a prominent issue along with global warming and climate change for many regions near costal areas, Miami, Florida being one of the most detrimental areas. With a current population of 413,892 living just 6 feet above sea level, Miami is positioned as one of the first areas to feel some of the disastrous effects of climate change (Johnson). Within the next 100 years rising sea levels have the ability to damage South Florida’s fragile barrier island, the population that lives near costal areas, and its appealing subtropical beaches (Madigan A12). Coastal areas, which provide the largest area for disaster, however are not the only area that will experience the effects of climate change. Looking further inland, the Everglades, which provide Miami with source of fresh water could be contaminated through the high salt levels of the ocean, rendering them unusable (Madigan A12). The everglades of Miami depend upon precipitation as source of fresh water, however with the rise in sea levels the overwhelming amount of saltwater is detrimental to their health (Linhoss, Chambers, Wozniak, and Ankersen). The rise of sea levels will result in the plunge of the Florida Keys along with the Key West (Madigan A12). The high risk of flooding that the Florida keys are faced with propose a decline in environment for various species that are endangered (Linhoss, Chambers, Wozniak, and Ankersen). By the end of this century, effects from melting snow and ice reserves and the thermal expansion of the ocean water mass are significant factors attributed to the rise in sea levels affecting Miami (Sea level rise). Thermal expansion that was once the main factor in sea level rise has decelerated causing the acce...
“ The state of Florida needs to take at the factors that have caused this”. What this is that the toxic waste the polluted Florida needs to be check out. In Pensacola , a superfund site abuts a play area where most of the children are black. Toxic chemicals produced throughout the world are found in extremely high levels in Inuit people’s bodies and in
Florida is currently battling the growing issue of polluted water infesting local lake and beach regions. The problem is increasing at an alarming rate. Scientists, environmentalists, and the citizens of Florida are committed to finding a solution that will rid Florida’s pristine waters of toxic algae blooms. Toxic algae blooms pose a threat to Florida’s fresh water, wildlife, and tourism industry.