Facts About Water Pollution Solutions
Water pollution solutions are more critical now than at any other time in our history. With the issue of global climate change reforms stalled and the world’s growing population, the next limited resource that countries may start going to war over may be simple H2O. We already see the beginning of these sorts of heated disputes and violence in certain countries in Africa where villages have been slaughtered by their poorer, water-deprived neighbors.
Water pollution however, is not just a problem for countries overseas; it is still a concern here in America. Despite our well-articulated legal system, the EPA estimates that industry has polluted more than a third of our natural waterways. Many legal provisions that claim to restrict pollution remain under-funded, thus making them protections against pollution in name only.
So how can we encourage water pollution solutions?
Pressure the Government to Enforce Environmental Laws
One of the best water pollution solutions is simply to pressure our government officials here in the United States, to simply enforce the environmental protections already on the books. Laws are important, but if your elected officials do not properly fund enforcement measures and don’t people these agencies with those individuals who are committed to protecting the environment, then these laws aren’t worth the recycled paper they are printed on.
What sorts of violations are going unpunished? One of the biggest areas where companies take advantage is in the maritime industry. Ships will often wait until they are on open seas to discharge their waste product into the waters, harming fish, and destabilizing aquatic eco-systems. So long as the government does not develop a tracking system for monitoring such discharges, shipping companies will continue to pollute our oceans and waterways with impunity.
Individual Awareness
You can do your part as well, to help curb water pollution. Avoid dumping harsh chemicals into the water system. Look to use more earth friendly cleaning products and, if you change your own oil, be sure to take you used engine oil to a designated disposal center. Dumping such chemicals into sewer systems may lead to contamination of drinking water.
Even more important, you should practice water conservation. In most parts of the country, the growing populations are putting unprecedented strains on the water systems. In many areas, the system that provides water to the populace is at the breaking point, just one natural or human caused event away from total collapse. In California, for example, the water system that provides drinking water to much of the state is over one hundred years old and was not built with current population growth in mind.
Finding Alternatives to the Traditional Lawn
One of the key water pollution solutions asks us homeowners to rethink our traditional lawns. Because pesticides and lawn fertilizers are one of the many unnecessary pollutants that enter our waterways, it is time that we simply do away with the traditional 1950’s lawn. Instead, one can replace lawns with rock gardens, or indigenous flora that require neither watering nor special pesticide protection.
Although gardens have their own environmental value, they need not be dependent on pesticides for their success either. Look to use natural methods of pest prevention in order to create a successful herb garden that not only helps feed your family but also does not add to the chemical run-off that is harming our waterways.
Making Environmental Issues Part of Your Political Thinking
The key, however, to our survival as a species will be our ability to organize politically and culturally to work together to save our planet. Doing so requires not just lukewarm support for environmental issues such as recycling, but a deeper everyday commitment to urging the government to act on environmental issues, even when some of these measures may hurt our pocket books. This should be an issue that concerns us as much, if not more, than our national security and until we make our elected officials act accordingly we will not have action on our concerns.