BBC News. (December 22, 2020). Ilkley River Wharfe is first in England to become bathing site. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from,  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-55408771

A river in West Yorkshire is going to be the first in England to become a designated swimming spot. This stretch of the River Warfe In Ilkley will have its pollution levels monitored for the first time between May and September of 2021, by the Environmental agency to ensure that it’s safe for swimming. Many people have been campaigning and complaining that human waste was washed up in a popular swim and picnicking area. Becky Malby expresses her excitement and mentions that the spot is next to a sewage treatment plant, so this new testing will result in a huge cleanup or the river and improvement of the system. 

This is very important because this new designation will greatly help the environment and River ecosystem. Testing these waters will make sure that they don’t get harmfully contaminated and the people will be able to enjoy the cleaner waters along with the fish and wildlife. I think no matter if a portion of a river is a designated swimming spot or not, roofers should be frequently tested to keep companies, farmers, and people accountable for their environmental impact. I was pleased by the new action that will be taking place. But also I was a little concerned that this was to only be the first swimming spot. 

The New York Times. (February 4, 2021). Vale Mining Company to Pay $7 Billion in Compensation for Brazil Dam Collapse. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/world/americas/vale-brazil-dam-collapse-7-billion-compensation.html 

Brazilian Mining Giant Vale Signed an agreement with the state of Minas Gerais to give 7 billion dollars to the dam collapse that killed 270 people along with causing extreme environmental damage. They made this deal because it was the most money they could get immediately without having to go through the very lengthy Brazilian court system. However many victims were not satisfied with this deal. Along with killing hundreds this burst, destroyed almost 300 acres of native forest and polluted 200 miles of the local Paraopeba River. This River was a water supply for the state, and it allowed traces of toxic sludge to be found in the Sao Francisco River, a water supply for five states. A german company, Tuv Sud, vouched for the dams safety even after finding blocked drainage pipes and cracks. Also the company had been warned by it’s staff for a long time that it was unsafe. Prosecutors investigating the case charged 16 officials of Vale and the German company with homicide. Even though the state tried to fix the first by making a deal, the victims and the environment we’re devastated and riddled with long lasting effects.

This shows that ignoring a problem that is directly connected to the environment will end up causing major damage. This incident not only killed hundreds of people, but it also polluted many major rivers that were important water sources for thousands more. This article makes me extremely angry, because this company was getting warnings about the damn left and right, but they were too lazy and greedy to spend the money to fix it. Now they’re forced to help clean up the already devastating damage oh, but it is not nearly the amount to fully compensate for the situation. This is an example of how important it is to be aware of our effect on the environment and make sure all of our technology that may seem harmless is up to date.

The New York Times. (February 12, 2021). U.K. High Court Says Nigerians Can Sue Shell in Britain Over Oil Spills. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/business/shell-oil-spills-nigeria-lawsuit-britain.html 

The Royal Dutch Shell has spilt oil in the Niger Delta for years. Britain’s Supreme Court has stated that about 50,000 Nigerian farmers and fisherman could bring a case against them for polluting their land, wells, and waterways. Judges have acknowledged that there is a “real issue to be tried”. Hopefully this will increase the ability of “impoverished communities” to hold big and powerful companies accountable. Also, Shell is liable in another case with Nigerian farmers as well. They are saying that their lives have been blighted for years due to the damage and pollution Shell has caused. They hope to bring this case to London’s High Court because Nigerian courts were remote, lacking resources, and very slow. Shell often blames the spills on sabotage or criminal activity, because if that were the cause they wouldn’t have to pay for the cleanup. This case might take 2-3 years but these communities are extremely polluted, affecting everyday life. 

This is really important because it highlights how people and communities need to band together to stand up for their rights against big and powerful companies. Shell can’t just keep spilling oil and blaming it on the people whose lives are negatively affected every day because of it. It is really good that this case is being taken up in the London High Court because it gives it a real chance at fair judgement. This is important because each day this case it’s around is another day the oil is sitting in the land and rivers polluting the Earth. This is yet another example of why the use of oils and fossil fuels is detrimental to the Earth and humankind. 

BBC News. (January 10, 2021). Thames Water criticised over Whitney river pollution. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-55648606 

 The Thames river has not been improving infrastructure fast enough to keep up with the fast new housing developments. Campaigners have connected the identified sewage fungus that has been reported in waterways, including the Colwell Brook, to a nearby water company that has not kept up their sewage network to the amount of construction. The WASP or, Windrush against sewage pollution, said that the added sewage and surface water makes spilling of untreated sewage more frequent and longer lasting. Wasp is doing everything they can to make sure that the sewer systems are ready for the effects of the new developments but current conditions of the rivers are not looking good.

This is important because it highlights how big of an affect building developments and construction has on the rivers and sewer systems. This river is completely contaminated and filled with sewage because of the greed of people and urge to make money developing at rates that are destroying the environment. This directly shows how important it is to put the environment first and make sure that the infrastructures are secure even if it means slowing down production.

BBC News. (February 1, 2021). Llangennech oil spill: Clean-up is ‘biggest challenge since the Sea Empress’. Retrieved February 24, 2021 from, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55893267 

A freight train in Llangennech, Wales was pulling 25 wagons, each containing up to 100,000 liters of diesel, was derailed and poured into the Loughor Estuary. In the past 2 months they have removed about 30,000 tons of contaminated soil. The National Resources Wales incident recovery manager, Stuart Thomas says that this is the most challenging clean-up since the Sea Empress disaster 25 years ago. 164 yards and 6.5 feet deep of contaminated soil by the railway had been removed and transported to a waste management facility. And the diesel had spread into the river following the crash, contaminating the waters. The Sea Empress caused 120 miles of coastline to be contaminated and killed thousands of birds.

This is extremely important because the uk and the world need to take climate change, environmental impacts and emissions seriously. After the first disaster of the Sea Empress it was imperative that Wales took the possibility of an oil spill extremely seriously along with taking all of the precautions to prevent a future spill. However, they did not learn enough from the first disaster and allowed oil to be transported on a train adjacent to a river, which resulted in another episode of contaminated waters and major environmental impact. Not only is this contamination harmful for the animal and plant life that live off of this river, but also the people downstream, and the money and resources required to clean it up.

E&E News. (September 11, 2020). After the blazes: Poisoned water and ‘a flood on steroids’. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from, https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063713491

The raging fires in California have led to many issues, related to the devastation of homes burning to the ground. Burned and destroyed land has led to mudslides, flooding, and contamination. The debris and sediment generated by the burned homes wash into the waterways. The most concerning in this debris are the metals, oils, and chemicals. The dangerous substances themselves pollute the water but also the sediment and debris can overload drinking water plants, creating challenges for treating drinking water and possibly leading to closure and a boil water notice. One particular concerning compound sound in the water is benzene which can be linked to cancer. Another issue is that the heat from these fires can heat the underground plastic pipes ‘cooking; the plastic causing it to release harmful compounds into the drinking water because it can’t escape in the air. 

It was hard to learn that there was a whole other level of devastation being caused from these fires beside the obvious decimation of communities. Copious amounts of man-made items being burned has a large environmental impact that can be extremely harmful to us and the nearby ecosystems. These fires have an effect on drinking water across the board, it stops up our treatment plants, directly deposits chemicals into our water supplies, and destroys the underground piping system. Along with the contamination, the root infrastructure is burned causing the likelihood of flooding to increase and deposits large amounts of sediments into the water. This can damage a lot of wildlife and ecosystems around the burn site, which in turn harms us because we rely so much on the environment and it’s services.  

Culligan of Los Angeles. (August 11, 2020). These Common Causes of Los Angeles Water Pollution Might Surprise You. Retrieved November 15, 2020.  https://culliganla.com/blog/2020/08/11/los-angeles-these-common-causes-of-water-pollution-might-surprise-you/

In 2016 a federal judge approved a $4 million settlement with Los Angeles Country. This is meant to fund a project to work on cleaning up the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers because they contain polluted stormwater discharge. This has been a large help but many things contribute to the water contamination problem. There are 2 main types of contamination and they result in many different issues. They are, Wastewater pollution and Industrial Chemical Contamination. Wastewater pollution consists of sewage agricultural runoff and fertilizers, and it Can cause reproductive issues for both humans and animals, along with rashes, stomach illness and even cancer in humans. Chemical Contamination, are chemicals that come as a manufacturing and once in the water it can build up in fish and other seafood, overall this can cause stomach irritation and even mercury poisoning. People can help combat water pollution by reducing and reusing plastic, properly disposing of common chemical substances used around the house and keeping their vehicles well maintained and leak-free. People can also instill filters at the point of entry in their homes. 

This article was very interesting because it explained in clear sections and bullet points the different types of pollution and ways each household can reduce and solve their personal water pollution problems. I’m very glad that there is a simple and clear article for the public to use to understand the risks of certain chemicals and to recognize different types of contamination they may be experiencing. This shows the importance of samples and testing, so we are aware and understand the chemicals that are in our water and how they may harm us. Water is extremely valuable and we may not realize the little things we do everyday have a large effect. There are so many different chemicals that can pollute our water and each one of them reacts in a different way. This article helps raise awareness and guides people on what to do when they’re concerned.     

Cap Radio. (June 30, 2020). Before You Go To The Beach, Check It’s Pollution Score. Retrieved November 15, 2020.   https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/06/30/before-you-go-to-the-beach-check-its-pollution-score/

Beach water quality in California has been improving. In summer 2019, 92% of all beaches in the state received good grades from Heal the Bay’s report card. Heal the Bay gives letter grades (A+ through F) to every beach in California, after testing for harmful bacteria. This data is very important to the State Water Resource Control Board when determining water quality on coastal beaches. They have deduced that with more rain comes more pollution, because the rain water washes the waste and bacteria into the oceans. California’s beach water quality has gotten better partly because there has been little rainfall in recent years. Another advantage to this frequent testing is that researchers have found COVID-19 in sewage and sewage flows into the ocean, so there is the possibility of people swimming in bacterial and coronavirus contaminated water.

It is very important to take data on the health of the environment around us, so we know how we are affecting it and what areas are in need of serious help. Something as simple as swimming at the beach could become a hazard to people if the polluting of the waterways isn’t taken seriously. I was happy to hear that this beach report card has just celebrated its 30th anniversary because it is such an important tool for the community to have, so that each ‘bummer’ beach can be pushed to improve, and each honor roll beach can be celebrated.

UC Riverside News. (August 20, 2020). Water Contaminant could have neurotoxic effects on children. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from,  https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2020/08/20/water-contaminant-could-have-neurotoxic-effects-children

In California many people use private and untested wells. Manganese is found all throughout California and is used in many agricultural settings, and with shallow and unregulated wells, many families may be drinking manganese contaminated waters. Researchers at UC Riverside have created a study that examines the connection between manganese and community health to further find out if the chemical levels in California can lead to cognitive disabilities in children. Researchers have received $230,000 and are working with data primarily in California’s Central Valley and coastal areas, because the manganese is more likely to seep into groundwater from the soil here. 

This is extremely important because a huge population of Californians could possibly be drinking highly contaminated water. Also, if manganese could cause severe illness in children it needs to be immediately added to the primary contaminant list. As population increases around the world humans are affecting the earth more and more and we need to be aware of the issues we are causing. Water is essential to all life so it is extremely important that we make sure that we keep it clean and safe from pollution.

Los Angeles Times. (June 30, 2020). See how your favorite beach ranks in the latest pollution report card. Retrieved November 15, 2020 from, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-30/california-beach-report-card 

Each year the water quality of beaches all throughout California changes and until recently the public didn’t know if they were swimming in contaminated water or not. Mark Gold came up with the idea of a ‘beach report card’ where him and his team of scientists tested how polluted certain beaches were and how it affected people’s health. His data prompted the state to fund important research and invest $100 million into the Clean Beach Initiative. Now using the data from the report card counties can recognize and prioritize their beaches with bad ratings. Along with these public ratings scientists can now also advise people to stay out of the ocean for 72 hours after it rains and to stay at least 100 yards away from storm drains, because of the toxic storm drain runoff. 

This article really made me grateful for how much our country has grown in the last 20 years in respect to environment conservation. It is extremely important that the public has the chemical information of the water they may choose to swim in. This report card system is also really helpful because it pushes the counties with one of the bottom 10 beaches in California to implement systems to make their water safe for the better of the community and the embarrassment of the list. Although I was happy to hear about this clean beaches system, I was very surprised to hear that not too long ago in the 1980s people would swim in contaminated water and get sick without knowing or understanding the risks.