Pollution
is not a new concept to anyone on this planet.
When we think about pollution, the first thing that comes to most of our
minds is air pollution. While this is a
big problem around us, no one has really talked about water pollution. Fertilizer run-off from crop fields is
detrimental to the aquatic food chain.
Adding nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements into an environment
might not seem like a big deal because they are naturally occurring chemicals in
these areas. Some addition of elements might
not seem like a lot, but when do we, as Americans, ever just hurt an
environment a little bit.
Fertilizer
that farmers use is beneficial for growing crops when the soil is lacking in
some nutrient. Soil is the only place
where fertilizer is a beneficial tool; when it rains and the chemicals run into
our water tables and our lakes and streams, problems start to occur. With the addition of nitrogen to an aquatic
environment, alga starts to grow in abundance.
When there are more algae, they consume a lot more of the oxygen in the
water, so less oxygen is available for the other species. Slowly, the alga die, and the oxygen being
used to decompose the dead plant is taking away from the precious little oxygen
that the other species need to survive.
Fish, other plants, and other aquatic species get suffocated by the
oxygen depletion in the water that was caused by the presence of fertilizer.
I
have witnessed this very problem in the river that flows behind my house. Every spring when the snow melts on the
fields, the water enters the river, and the water level rises by about three
feet. Usually, the water in the Devils
River is very clean and clear. When that
snow filled with fertilizer and mud enters this river, the water is cloudy,
dirty, and has a very awful smell to it.
After this water rushes past our house, alga starts to grow around the
rocks and logs in the river. My dad and
I go down to the river every year to remove some of the suffocating alga,
because we want the river to be healthy and clean for the crayfish and leeches
to live in.
I
understand that farmers cannot control the weather, so some of the fertilizer
on their fields could very well enter water sources without their control. I suggest that a guideline be created for
farmers to follow. If they can only put
a certain amount to fertilizer on their fields each season, the food chain in
our local waters may return to normal.
The farmers that grow their crops around my home are adding new batches
of fertilizer every growing season, and this gets to be a lot of chemicals that
are added, that do not necessarily need to be added. If farmers fertilize their fields every other
season, then the aquatic ecosystem would have time to adjust, and grow back.
Everyone should by now have had the idea of pollution and its negative affects banged into their heads since they were little. The problem is just that. Those who understand that this is a problem rarely do anything to change it and others deny its existence as a problem facing us. If you were to write this more in a sense of activism it would be considerably more interesting to read. How can people change what they are doing to make this less of a problem as well as how can you change the opinion of those who say that it is not a problem.
ReplyDeleteI do think you actually have a pretty decent call-to-action at the end, proposing a solution for farmers, but I feel like a LOT of variables were dismissed, such as cost, work load on the farmer, the solution's effect on yield, and overall practicality. There's a REALLY GOOD reason that the current system exists - it didn't just randomly come up and happen to be environmentally damaging. Instead, it's cheap, easy, and produces good yield. You'll need to show that your method is cheaper, easier, and producers even more yield for your argument to be effective, which will require a lot of research and number crunching, and probably a realisation that OTHER things need to be changed instead of farmers' attitudes - like the chemical content of fertilizers, or safer pesticides.
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that really started to make me think, which is great! You are totally right: we do not think about other pollution often. Especially in classes we always learn about air pollution and the affects on us, but water pollution is just as serious of an issue. I have always grown up by rivers and lakes (in MN it is kindof inevitable) and I notice the same things you do--the water will be clean and clear and then get dirty when fertilizer or other pollutants go into it. I do like how you point out that fertilizers are good for farmers or people who need it to help things grow, but what is your solution to this problem besides being educated? And you might not have an answer right away which is okay, but I would have liked to see you push us in a certain direction. Are there substitutes or any other research provided that could give us safe and simple answers? I would have loved some links or aids to help us learn more or get educated, there may have even been petitions online to stop using harsh chemicals. Just something to look into.
ReplyDeleteMore sustainable, conservationist farming practices go a long way toward addressing water pollution. In addition to fertilizer run-off, antibiotics and other chemicals (used on both humans and livestock) remain in our water, even after it has been treated. Feed lot cattle are another enormous source of water pollution.
ReplyDeleteEstablishing guidelines is difficult because they would require federal legislation to enforce. Big Ag companies are not interested in conservation because that could potentially eat into their profit margin. "Mom and Pop" small farmers need support to make sweeping changes in farming practices, but these programs are very susceptible to budget cuts.
This is a great blog because you talked about a problem, what you have done to help and what others could do to help. I feel it is a very simple and understandable reasoning to fix this problem. Bravo to you for doing your part with your dad on the stream behind your home. Every little thing helps. I really hope awareness about this problem creates a reasonable solution because I do love our clean water and aquatic life and I (hopefully along with many others) value it.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with a pond in my back yard. The summers when it didn't get too hot and dry for it to dry up, do you want to venture a guess as to what color the water was? Green. Murky, swampy, algae green. And the same was true of the lake which was in the woods about a blocks' distance from the pond. We didn't even live near farmers and just the constant fertilization of neighborhood lawns was enough to do this. I agree wholeheartedly with your point Abbey. We should cut back on our fertilizer usage.
ReplyDeletePollution is a huge problem and always has been. We deplete our earth at a higher rate than we replace what we take. It is a societal problem based on money and greed, not on human or environmental health. I like how your blog was personal, that it walked about a way in which pollution has effected your life and how you have personally tried to deal with it. The comments above prove you are not the only one dealing with pollution by your house. I like the fact that you demonstrate how to react to pollution by cleaning up your stream, but I would like to see you get more specific on what kind of legislature or agreement farmers and the rest of us could work out.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic! This is a subject that I actually learned a lot about in High School in a Earth Science course. I like that you had a personal aspect to your blog, it made it very interesting to read about. I agree with your "plan of attack" and I'd be interested to read more on how this could change the environment. You could potentially put in links to articles on the subject.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I've never really dabbled in environmental activism as at all, and I'm glad you bring these issues to the table to help inform us about what is going on in our own backgrounds. One of my concerns is that there seems to be no outside information for us to look at (e.g. studies, reports, etc...) in case we wanted to know more (like in my case).
ReplyDeleteHuge topic to talk about. It just shows that there is activism everywhere! As a farmers daughter, this topic touches close to me, and Let me know tell you, Its not our choice to use these chemicals. Its the only way to keep products selling like everyone else has. Its a very tricky subject, most people dont want to use these chemicals but have to to keep up with demand. I wonder where we start with this issue?
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic with a clear solution although it seems that it may be too simplistic! On the other hand, the world's problems are all so complex with no one solution to make everyone happy so I kind of like your way of simplifying the solution. It does address one problem and start a conversation. The argument for keeping up with production demands is another problem altogether and should taken into account but I can't disagree with your idea. Sometimes things can be that simple and could possibly force a solution for the next problem.
ReplyDeleteAs a farmer, I know there are many strict procedures and regulations that are SUPPOSED to be followed when applying manure and chemical forms of fertilizer to fields to help stop the pollution of runoff into rivers and streams. However many farmers are ignorant to the fact that when they "beat the system" and get away with breaking these rules they are really hurting the environment. I think farmers would make a great target audience for this blog.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about a topic that you have personally experienced, as well as one that has a lot of national attention and activism going on. I personally am not that involved in environmental issues or activism, but seeing your personal tie to the issue made me really think about things that happen around me in my community that I may not be aware of. I also like your call for farmers to change their actions to help solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I definitely think this is an undercover issue that is no longer talked about so I am glad that you brought it up!
ReplyDeleteI love that you brought this up! I love the fishies and I love to go swimming. I always find it sad when people don't take it seriously.Thanks for bringing this to peoples attention :)
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