When you start pointing the finger of blame at certain industries claiming they cause water pollution, you have to turn it around in order that it’s pointing at yourself instead. During the mid 20th century, industrial waste was the main source of pollution, but after the government passed numerous acts in the 1970s which forced them to correct the way they disposed of waste material, so now industry isn’t the main culprit it once was. The truth is you and I are the ones polluting our lakes, rivers, and streams, and until we take it upon ourselves to avoid our dirty habits, the problem is only going to get worse.
The population in the USA continues to increase by leaps and bounds. The pollution caused by one individual may seem negligible, but when you’ve got the contaminants placed in the water sources by huge numbers of people… Well, you understand the problem. Your neighbor is out changing the oil in the car. Since he isn’t sure how to get rid of the old oil, you observe him throwing it down the storm drain. Your old car is leaking gasoline. You wouldn’t want it in your driveway, and that means you park the old heap out in the street where gas leaks out and runs down the storm drain. You help your brother paint his bedroom, and watch while he goes out to the street to wash the brushes with turpentine.
You must admit, these things happen on a regular basis. Be it children throwing things down the storm drains in play, a restaurant getting rid of rancid cooking oil, or you yourself spraying pesticides and fertilizer onto your yard which will at some point wash off in the drains, it’s all contributing to the issue of pollution in this country.
The damaging thing is, a lot of people aren’t even aware of what they’re doing. Few people put something into a storm drain and think about where it goes. They’re just glad to be rid of it. However, out of sight doesn’t signify it isn’t causing difficulties within the waterways. Water within the drains runs to lakes, rivers, or streams, merges with other polluted water already originating from upstream, and passes into bigger bodies of water, like the Mississippi River and also the Gulf coast of Louisiana. In the Gulf, all these impurities are killing the aquatic life that resides there.
Water pollution is known as a problem that will continue to grow in addition to our increasing population. With experts forecasting water shortages by the mid 21st century, we all need to get serious now with cleaning our major causes of water pollution such as through municipal water treatment systems or emergency water filter methods. If unfortunately we cannot, what type of a world are we going to leave to our kids?