Water Resource Plan

As contradictory as it may seem since the definition of point source pollution is to a pollution that can be traced to a single originating source; the origins of point source pollution are both relatively unknown; yet blatantly obvious. While there is no clear-cut “starting point” I would venture to say that pollution as a whole begins and ends as most do; with us. As far back as the age of the cave people who chanced contaminating water by cleaning the carcasses of their animal kills in their rivers, lakes, and streams. Or as recent as the way our society disposes of its garbage and hazardous material. Humanity has been the father of point source pollution.

Point source pollution is a rapidly growing across the globe problem for a variety reasons. As wastes, oil, and other industrial by-products are dumped into our oceans and bays, fish and other marine life are injured, poisoned, or killed. According to Water Pollution and Society:

Many causes of pollution including sewage also contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates. In excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of these types of organisms consequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters. This, in turn, proves very harmful to aquatic organisms as it affects the respiration ability or fish and other invertebrates that reside in water. (Krantz, 2008.)

Another problem is the dumping or sewage. When sewage is dumped into the ocean it leaves behind a host or bacteria, toxins and viruses that are absorbed by shellfish, which are later consumed by humans who in turn are then affected by the bacteria and viruses. Take for example Hamilton County, Ohio where according to the NRDC (National Resource Defense Council, 2004) nearly 80 million gallons of sewage is spilled into Mill Creek where people often swim Yet another issue is the dumping and subsequent accumulation of trash, such as packing material and plastics, whose chemicals cannot only poison sea animals, but also cause them to become entangled in the remaining debris and die.

The thought of tackling such a problem might seem overwhelming. How can one person make a difference? Well the answer is one person cannot make a difference but a few billion like-minded people working toward a goal of change are the difference. My water resource plan consists of three steps: Educate, Apply, and Track or E.A.T. Each step in the plan will take approximately 4 months to execute with an estimated total completion time of one year. The education step begins with self-education or research. In order make a change we must first know what we need to change. Who are the biggest industrial contributors to point source pollution? What measures are they already taking to prevent it? How are we helping or hurting these efforts? These and many other questions have to be answered before moving on to the next step in the education phase which is public education. Educating the public starts by first sharing this newly acquired knowledge with them. This achieved by canvasing local areas and handing out pamphlets and flyers highlighting what point source pollution is and offering them the option to come to meetings to discuss the outlined issues further. At the meeting we would focus on local businesses and services that both are and could be contributing to point source pollution, and how we, as a group, can educate and work with them to alleviate the problem.

Next in the plan is the Apply phase. Let’s say for we have observed that XYZ Sewage is using a brand a pump that leaks heavily over time due to manufacturing problem and is believed to be contaminating a local bay. First we would assure that we have gathered all the information about both XYZ Sewage and their procedures and protocols, and the manufacturing process of the hose in question. We might then put together a package containing all the information about the hose. In addition perhaps a list of alternative brands and methods they might consider trying that are better suited for the job, and an evaluation of the company and its environmental safety practices.