Hersher, R. (2023, January 26). Oil refineries release lots of water pollution near communities of color, Data Show. NPR. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2023/01/26/1151464514/oil-refineries-release-lots-of-water-pollution-near-communities-of-color-data-sh 

Studies and reports have proven that oil refineries are responsible for billions of pounds of pollution and how it is specifically impacting communities of color. In addition to harmful chemicals such as nitrogen, oil refineries are also dumping heavy metals into waterways. The compounds that are released into the water can kill aquatic organisms, feed harmful algae, and make waterways a hazard to even humans. The pollution has negatively impacted environments and communities all over the country, specifically around the Gulf Coast and Chicago. Groups and reporters such as the Environmental Integrity Project have observed and analyzed data on the issue that the EPA ( Environmental Protection Agency ) has collected. It was discovered that many oil refineries are dumping more pollution into waterways than what is allowed by the law. However, these refineries are usually allowed to get away with the amount of waste they are releasing because the EPA has not put enough effort into stopping them. History has shown that people who live in more impoverished areas are more likely to be subject to the negative effects of all types of pollution. Reports have proven this to be true, revealing that many high-polluting refineries are located closer to poverty-stricken areas than rich areas. Other studies have made discoveries that further back up this point. NPR discovered that a large portion of harmful substances from refineries was found at places that were near communities of color. More reports and studies are constantly being conducted and are constantly proving the fact that people of color face the worst of the pollution. The article closes by talking about how the rules that the EPA established for pollution regulations are outdated and need to be updated. Unfortunately, it seems like the EPA has not shown any interest in reducing pollution from oil refineries for no updates have been made yet.

This article shed light on the impacts that pollution from oil refineries has had on waterways and specifically the communities of color that live nearby these facilities. I wasn’t aware of the role that oil refineries played in water pollution and was sadly not too surprised to hear about the harm that they have on the environment/on people. Though the article briefly talked about the effects on aquatic life, I wonder how badly the pollution has impacted the surrounding aquatic environment and any other natural cycles. When reading through the section where the author focused on the effects on people of color, it reminded me of stories I would hear in my history classes. If you weren’t rich or caucasian, you usually had the short end of the stick and in this case, the short end is living near these polluted refineries. I feel grateful to live in an area where pollution doesn’t have an immediate impact on my life. Lastly, the article also talked about the EPA and its efforts to reduce pollution from refineries. Again, I was sadly not surprised when finding out that there have been little to no efforts in fixing this issue.

Facio-krajcer, A., Cowan, J., & Welsh, A. (2022, July 31). When there’s arsenic in the water, but ‘we have nowhere to go’. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/31/us/oasis-mobile-home-park-coachella.html 

In Oasis Mobile Home Park, many farm workers and their families face problems with the quality of their water. Research discovered that the water in this park contains almost 10 times the allowable limit of arsenic. Unfortunately, it is very hard for these people to find alternate water sources. The families and people living in the park have suffered through many health issues due to the water such as rashes, red bumps, kidney disease, etc. New management at the park claimed that they have spent more than 400,000 dollars to fix the quality of the water and even more to provide clean bottled water but the residents are still not able to use the water from the tap. Though the water may be bad, many people don’t have anywhere else that they can afford to move to. If they attempt to do so and fail, their old spot in the mobile home park would already be sold to a new family. Much research has been done on the water in the area and people believe that it is best to focus on moving the families to a proper living area for the water is far too contaminated to be fixed. For now, people are still in these mobile home parks but though the water levels may be dangerous, they are provided with free clean bottled water.

This article was more personal to a specific area/people ( people who live in the Oasis Mobile Home Park ). This was a great example of an environment that is suffering due to the shortage of a required natural resource. In this case, people are getting rashes and other diseases most likely due to the water which is nowhere near considered safe for consumption. I would say this article was a little more emotional because these people can’t leave this area. They must stay here with the poor water, living off the bottled water that is provided for them. I’m a little confused about what people are doing because it seems so far, all that was done was some research and providing free bottled water to the people living here. It doesn’t really seem like much is being done for the people living in the area which has been a common theme for all the big organizations throughout these articles.

Hoeven, E. (2022, July 27). 1 million californians lack safe drinking water. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/07/california-drinking-water-safe/ 

People are suffering and enraged because they do not have the clean and safe water that they were promised by the government. Multiple people have come after the State Water Resources Control Board due to the lack of support regarding the quality of water and the water systems. As time passes by, more and more water systems are failing and the quality of water has decreased. Most of these systems are in poorer communities and are causing many health issues to the people who use the water. The state water board isn’t doing enough to prevent and fix the issue that people are not pleased about. California has also dealt with droughts in the past but is now in an extreme one which will only make matters worse for the failing water systems. Unfortunately, the situation will only become worse and people will continue to suffer if something isn’t done soon.

This article reminded me of a more in-depth version of the first article. What got me thinking in this article was the way she talked about the State Water Board and what some people had to say about it. I do acknowledge the work that the board has done so far but I agree that they are not working fast enough to actually make a difference. In addition to the many failing water systems, there are also going to be other environmental factors such as droughts which will make achieving clean water even more difficult and expensive. I do believe that there is more to be done but we are slowly running out of time.

CBS Sacramento 13, & CBS Broadcasting Inc. (2022, March 31). Report finds California has fifth-most polluted water in U.S. CBS News. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/ca-water-pollution-report/ 

Though California is known as the “Golden State” and for its wealth, not everyone has access to clean/safe drinking water. Unfortunately, California actually has some of the highest levels of pollution in our water in the country. A non-profit organization ( The Environment Integrity Project ) discovered by observing rivers, streams, and ponds that California is the 5th most polluted country in the US. According to research, these bodies of water are so polluted that they don’t even meet the standards for drinking or other uses. Due to the pollution and chemicals in the water, natural environments get ruined which results in the inhabitants dying as well. This means that California is the third worst country in terms of fishing. The two factors for these issues are agricultural runoff and drought. It is recommended for the tests on the waterways and other bodies of water to improve as a way to help prevent this issue. However, this is only the case for California because not every state runs its waterways the way California does.

This article talked more about the rivers, streams, and other waterways than water systems for areas/people. This one also took me by surprise when it mentioned where California stood compared to the other states when it came to water quality, fishing, etc. It also talked about how a lot of regular-day things that happen in our society contribute to pollution in our water ( oil from cars and agricultural runoff ). I always knew that we were at fault for a lot of environmental issues on the earth but now I wonder if there’s a way to cut back from these habits or come up with new ones so pollution in water starts to decrease. I’m also curious to learn about water pollution and why it’s occurring in other states/areas.

University of California – Berkeley. (2022, January 11). Safe drinking water remains out of reach for many Californians. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220111153647.htm 

Though having access to clean and affordable drinking water has been recognized as a human right in California, there are still around 370,000 people in the state who have no choice but to drink water that is full of chemicals and other harmful substances. Especially places that have a larger community of people of color. Community water systems are legally required by federal regulations to go through orderly tests to make sure that there are no contaminants that are harmful to people. Unfortunately, many systems do not pass these tests or are even regulated such as private domestic wells which many rural areas use as their main source of water. Studies have been done on these wells and the water quality. As expected, the water contains high amounts of harmful chemical contaminants. Poor tap water becomes more important due to the rising levels of climate change and droughts that California is facing. 

This article goes more in-depth about the effects of poor water quality and talks about the research behind wells. This reminded me of how much we take simple things for granted. If I’m thirsty, I can go to my sink and get a clean glass of water. I can take a shower whenever I want, and for as long as I want. Other people don’t have this privilege, they have to get their water from a well that doesn’t even provide safe water. I wasn’t surprised to learn about how climate change and droughts in California affect this issue, it makes me wonder how bad this issue is going to get.

Ronayne, K., & Associated Press. (2022, July 26). Audit: California too slow to fix contaminated water systems. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2022-07-26/audit-california-too-slow-to-fix-contaminated-water-systems 

Audit reveals that water from the tap is unsafe for consumption/use for many homes in California and the state isn’t working fast/hard enough to resolve the issue. There are thousands of water systems that supply the natural resource for the 39 million people in the state, 5% of those systems have some sort of issue/contaminant such as nitrates or arsenic. The unfortunate people who do not have the access to clean water are unable to drink, bathe, or cook without worrying about what is going to happen to them if they do. Most of these contaminated water systems are located in economically disadvantaged communities. The State Water Resources Control Board has provided around  $1.7 billion in grants.

This money would go to construction, development, and new design of the water systems which would help the water become clean. The board has also helped reduce the number of people who use unsafe tap water from 1.6 million ( 2019 ) to 1 million ( 2022 ). In addition to the grants to the water systems, the board has also paid for construction in the communities, improvement of water systems, and begun working on making the application process more efficient. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, created a $130 million fund back in 2019 to improve the quality of drinking water. Though some contributions and things are getting done, the money from the grants took far too long to process. The longer it takes for the board to support resolving the issue, the more expensive and complicated the issue gets. Not only does the condition of the water systems become worse, but so do the living conditions and health of the people who have no choice but to use the contaminated water. Some health problems that have occurred have been respiratory problems for infants, increased chances of cancer, harm to the kidney and liver, etc. Families are also still required to pay water bills for the contaminated water, along with the clean bottled water they have to get from outside sources. Overall, there are still a lot of things that need to be done to see a significant improvement in the quality of water in California.

This article revealed some problems that people face due to the poor conditions of water that they have no choice but using. I always considered California to be one of the places with the best tap water but not only did this article prove me wrong, it also makes me think that the water quality in California isn’t good at all. I feel lucky to live in a nicer area with water that I can bathe in, cook with, drink, etc and not have to worry about whether I could get cancer, a disease in my kidneys, etc. Compared to others, we really take water for granted. In the environment, almost all creatures depend on water to survive, we physically could not live without it and there are some people whose most important natural resource is full of harmful chemicals. I’m also not surprised about how the government is handling this situation. I’m glad that they’re taking some sort of action but I can tell that this isn’t a priority to them.

Wyland, S. (2022, August 27). Las Vegas struggles with post-fire water pollution. Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/las-vegas-struggles-with-post-fire-water-pollution/article_c1dd9582-22fa-11ed-805d-c7c3f5f85144.html

Las Vegas is going through a serious drought as its water supply has been polluted from ashy sediment and debris. What was supposed to be some prescribed fires became New Mexico’s largest wildfire, burning hundreds of homes and scorching over 530 square miles. Contaminants from the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire were carried in a monsoon down into the Gallinas Rive, the city’s main water source. Residents are limited to 44 gallons or half of what an average American consumes a day. Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo wishes for federal funding for the water pre-treatment and treatment systems needed.

It would be funny how painfully ironic it is that major rainfall negatively impacted water availability if it wasn’t at the cost of a city’s livelihood. While I do think that the federal government should pay for what the city needs, like the construction of a water treatment plant, as the U.S. Forest Service were responsible for the events that led to the contamination. I doubt that they will receive any funding anytime soon. Environmental science plays a major role as humans are affecting the environment in the form of trying to start controlled fires. Environmental science also is seen when determining what is in the contaminated river water and how to filter that water. 

Olivo, A. (2022, August 8). Salt in Water Sources Becoming Worrisome in D.C. Region, Experts Warn. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/08/08/salt-sodium-water-levels-dc/

Washington District is facing what is known as “freshwater salinization syndrome” in its local streams. Runoff from de-icing roads, lawn care products, water softeners, and other human waste is rich in salt. This runoff flows into streams and watersheds, increasing the salinity of the water. While currently, it does not pose a hazard, analysts are worried about the upward trend in salt content. Eventually, the water will reach a level of salinity that could damage aquatic life in streams and the surrounding soil. The problem in D.C. is only an example of an issue that spans throughout the United States. 

Salinity is often overlooked as a factor in water contamination. I only ever think of saltwater as being from an ocean, not a pollutant. It goes to show how people are going to be ill prepared when this becomes a big, expensive problem in the future. It frankly is a bit worrying as the article mentions how previous civilizations like Mesopotamia fell due to poor crop yields caused by salination in the soil. Modern technology in the form of desalination plants will prove useful albeit we should focus on prevention rather than a bandaid solution. Environmental science is applied in studying the salt content of the water in the surrounding area and the effects of high salinity in the environment. 

Pipeline developer pleads no contest in water pollution cases. (2022, August 5). CBS News. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/energy-transfer-operating-pleads-no-contest-water-pollution/

A pipeline developer in Western Virginia received criminal charges on August fifth as a result of polluting hundreds of miles of streams and waterways. A set of pipelines named Mariner East were damaged, leading to the nearby environment being contaminated with propane among other chemicals. Energy Transfer Operating pleaded no contest to the charges. They were penalized by having to pay 10 million dollars to restore the polluted groundwater. Residents near Mariner East are also entitled to request independent water testing.

The article mentions that the fines were a minuscule amount compared to the company’s profits of that year. It makes me wonder why the company does not get charged a meaningful amount to really prevent something like what happened at Mariner East from occurring again. Companies like Energy Transfer Operating can just eat the fines as they have done in the past as that is frustratingly more economically viable than not being negligent. A stronger environmental justice system is needed to protect the environment and nearby residents from collateral damage. Environmental science is applied when studying the reach of the contamination and ways to clean the groundwater.

Facio-Krajcer, A. (2022, July 31). When There’s Arsenic in the Water, but ‘We Have Nowhere to Go’. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/31/us/oasis-mobile-home-park-coachella.html?searchResultPosition=1

The Environmental Protection Agency discovered in 2019 that residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park have been dealing with contaminated water for years. Water with up to ten times the legal limit in arsenic. This has led to medical issues for the residents that simply can not afford to move away. Primarily immigrant agricultural workers. Oasis is an example of the nation’s poor drinking water infrastructure. An estimated trillion dollars worth of upgrades and repairs are needed to raise the D rating received by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

It is interesting to think that at a point in time, I was very close to where this problem was taking place in the Eastern Coachella Valley. Yet I never heard about nor had to experience any issues with my water supply. I can attribute this to not being part of a marginalized community and not experiencing any kind of economic hardship. It goes to show that even though everyone deserves clean, running water, the system prioritizes people who are higher up in the class structure. Environmental science is applied when studying the effects of arsenic poisoning in humans and how it affects the environment around them.