Water pollution is among one of the biggest issues in the United States. The source of its existence is not limited to just one source when actually it can happen without knowing it. Water pollution comes from sources such as fracking for oil, factories near bodies of water, and many more. In past years there have been many problems with regulating water pollution, but since then we have taken many steps as a society to help this issue. Policies on this issue are still far from perfect, but are also better than nothing.
Water near factories and plants have been deemed unsafe because of spills and leaks of dangerous chemicals. Factories near water should be shut down and moved somewhere else. According to The New York Times in 2012 Exon Mobile had polluted more than 1,000 acres of wetlands in New Jersey. No penalties were placed on the company until 2014 when Exon Mobile agreed to pay $200 million to fix the issue. If you ask me a company that violates environmental policy should not be able to negotiate what price it has to pay to fix the problems it created. After all its not only them be effected, but everyone around them.
Nuclear reactors also shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near water because if a spill occurs it would be the quickest way for the radioactive waste to travel. If radioactive waste gets into our water we not only drink it but also eat. Such as fish can contain radioactive materials from swimming and living in radioactive waters. In case you didn’t know too much radiation can cause can cancer which is something that no one should have to live with. Nuclear water pollution is as deadly as it gets.
Fracking for oil needs to be reinvented so that it isn’t polluting our ground water. Fracking is where sand, water, and chemicals are injected into the ground at a high pressure to release oil and gas. In 2015 the United States released new regulations on the fracking. The problem is the new policies would only cost the drillers $11,400 per well according to CNBC. Is that enough money for them to be able to poison you?
All in all water pollution is something that needs to be stopped not only in the United States, but all around the world. Without water we wouldn’t be able to survive, so we should all try to keep it clean and be careful of what we put into the water. Do you want to be drinking water with radioactive materials in it? How about chemicals used to extract something that you put in your car? I believe that no matter where you live in this world you should have the right to clean water.
- Should power plants and factories be allowed near bodies of water?
- What needs to be done in order to prevent fracking from polluting our ground water?
- How often should inspections be done at nuclear reactors?
