Eco Alley
Living Green with Connie Pumphrey
Liar, Liar! Water on Fire.
It is alarming how many reports I come across about water contamination. According to the AACo Water Quality Report for 2009, however, our drinking water is just fine. The AACo DoH website tells a different story about surface water contamination. ALL of our beaches “are under a no swimming/no direct water contact advisory for 48 hours” after it rains; high levels of enterococci were reported in 14 of the recreational water areas that were tested. Enterococci bacteria can make us sick and it morphs into new strains, becoming more resistant to common antibiotics. Failing septic systems and animal waste flushing into the water are major culprits.
No need to even discuss the Gulf oil spill and its impact on water – enough said. Much closer to us, in Pennsylvania, another story is unfolding. The documentary “Gasland” (HBO) exposes significant water contamination in Pennsylvania and several other states as a result of hydraulic fracturing of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. Massive amounts of water, laced with toxic chemicals, are blasted underground at high pressure causing fractures that release gas. If/When the chemicals and gas breach a fresh water source, it becomes unsafe to drink. Homeowners complain of smelly, brown water that literally catches on fire when lit with a lighter. Property values then plummet without a source for clean water.
These articles read like tales from a third world country but it’s happening HERE – in our State Capital, near our Nation’s Capital, and in a bordering state. I don’t understand why we let this happen - why we allow one of our most precious natural resources to become polluted knowing there isn’t a Plan B.
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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/23/10 at 02:45 PM
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