For Fish or Foul: Water Pollution in the United States

As one of the world’s most economically developed nations, water pollution in the United States is not usually seen as a pressing issue. However, given that access to clean water is a fundamental necessity of human life, the matter of water quality and contamination in the United States is hugely significant, and carries with it the weight of many public policy decisions. This research paper will seek to understand the historical background of water pollution in the United States, as well as investigate important instances of contamination and the public health response to these incidences. Water pollution is an important issue addressed by the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is the focal point of many national legislative efforts.

Easily one of the most famous instances of water pollution and contamination in American history, the Camp Lejeune case is widely known for both the severity of the contamination as well as the long duration. Camp Lejeune is a United States Marine Corps base located in Jacksonville, North Carolina that was the site of a major health scandal in the 1980s. It was discovered that the water supply of the base was contaminated “during a three-decade period in which serious pollutants, including chemical degreasers and organic solvents, seeped into the drinking water on base” (Hodge, 3). Numerous health complaints and repeated warnings by independent contractors finally convinced the military officials to seal off the water supply and begin investigating fully. Known for the bureaucratic red tape and incredible inefficiency that blocked any attempts to rectify the situation, the Camp Lejeune case is easily one the most significant cases of water contamination in the United States. An estimated 750,000 people have been determined to have been exposed to the contaminated water throughout the decades-long controversy, and only in recent years has the government taken active step in compensating victims of the base’s contaminated water supply.

A prime example of the ways in which public health officials react to the issue of water contamination can be found in Vermont in 2009. Vermont Department of Health officials responded to a call about foul-smelling water in a citizen’s home. The subsequent investigation revealed the contamination of the local water supply by the recent installation of a chemically-treated utility pole that “had been replaced upgradient of a private spring” (Sumner, 277). The pole had been treated with pentachlorophenol (PCP); a preservative used on wooden utility poles to ensure their extended use. Upon discovery and testing of the contamination, the health officials had the treated pole removed and replaced with an untreated one and continued to monitor contaminant levels. Further testing revealed still some minor contamination, so the utility company installed a filter in the spring and again replaced the pole. By the end of the year, testing revealed no detectable amounts of any pollutant. In response to this incident, Vermont would “introduce legislation in January 2012” to better regulate the use of utility poles (278). Thus, investigations of water pollution in the United States is most definitely a concern for public health officials.

The area of the United State worst affected by water pollution is the South, with the state of Florida and the area around Pensacola ranking the highest in terms of water contaminants in the drinking water (Snyder). Pensacola's water supply features high levels of “alpha particles, benzene, lead, trichloroethylene, and radium-228,” and, while technically within EPA guidelines, are nonetheless some of the highest levels of water pollution observed in the United States. Another significant area of pollution is the Ohio River, in which the EPA designated as the most polluted river in the United States. Primarily an industrial river used for toxic waste produced by factories and heavy industry, the Ohio River and contributes to water pollution levels in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.

Positive action on water pollution is largely due to government intervention and, in particular, the use of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is the federal agency tasked with maintaining the environmental quality of the United States at an acceptable level. With regards to water pollution, the EPA has jurisdiction of all regulation specific to water pollution that may affect water levels across state borders. Within states, it is the responsibility of that local government to deal with water pollution issues. The EPA, however, takes the lead on national investigations of “nutrient pollution and habitat degradation” in the nation’s water supply (“"Environmental Law Update”). The most prominent of legislative efforts aimed at water pollution is the Clean Water Act (CWA), passed in 1972. This act provides the basis of all further water pollution legislation in the United States and includes provisions for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and other pieces of legislation aimed at removing the rates of water pollution throughout the country. The CWA’s basic approach to the issue of water pollution is to set the maximum levels of contamination for water suitable for human consumption and other uses and verify that any violations of these limits are addressed. The CWA, moreover, empowers the Safe Drinking Water Act to address issues of water meant for human consumption and to make sure that all federally-regulated areas of water access are sufficiently maintained and tested in order to make sure that water pollution does not affect the drinking water of the population.

Lack of enforcement of health policies, however, is unfortunately common in the United States. The sheer scope and breadth of the EPA’s jurisdiction means that there is a constant, never-ending strain on the agency’s limited resources. Moreover, there is significant bureaucratic roadblock when it comes to addressing the issue of water pollution; specifically, the EPA lacks the ability to rapidly respond to emerging water pollution issues without extensive verification and testing of samples. While this helps to avoids false positives, it also means that the EPA is fundamentally handicapped in many cases. From August to September of 2012, for example, the EPA only successfully completed fines against a total of four corporations that had violated national policy and law. Even with these fines, there is often little the EPA can do if the companies can avoid enforcement of policy (“Oil Spill Intelligence Report”).

While water pollution is an important issue in the United States, I maintain that in general water quality levels in the United States are acceptable. There are instances of contaminants, but by and large they tend to be localized and there is not a systemic lack of access to fresh drinking water for the average American. However, I would argue that more stringent enforcement of existing policies are necessary, and that action should be taken to reduce pollution in the country’s major waterways, such as the Ohio River. The future of water pollution is uncertain, but it seems likely that increasing the efforts to reduce water pollution rates in the United States is not out of the realm of possibility (Blatt). As history shows in the example of the Camp Lejeune case, a single major pollution incident can be sufficient to spur major reform of existing water pollution legislation.

Water pollution is a fascinating subject that has a myriad of interesting facts, but there are two facts about water pollution that are particularly striking. First, over two million tons of raw human waste is disposed in fresh drinking water supplies every day. The EPA reports that only is human waste a major pollutant of fresh water supplies, but also that under half of the nation’s streams, lakes, and bay water is too polluted to support aquatic life or use in farming (EPA). While human waste is an important factor in the degradation of the nation’s water supply, it is clear that more efforts can be made to reduce the rates of human waste dumping into the water supply (Hynes). Secondly, storm water from street runoff is one of the primary causes of water pollution in the United States. Cities are dirty places by default, and the presence of storm drains and water runoff means that rainwater is likely to carry pollutants with it straight to drinking water supplies (Craig). Though these supplies are filtered prior to consumption, city pollution via storm drains and rain runoff can be very damaging and create poor performance of ecosystems in areas where storm water is likely to interact with the biosphere (Moran).

Though the United States would like to think of itself as immune to the issue of water pollution and drinking water, there is much work to be done in order to guarantee access to clean drinking water and pollutant-free water in the country. This is why Americans are obsessed with bottled water. The EPA stands as one of the major agencies aimed at addressing the issue of water pollution, and major national efforts have been made to make sure that clean water is accessible for everyone in the country. Despite this effort, there is still the danger of polluted rivers, groundwater supplies, and wells, oftentimes from industrial and agricultural run-off.

Works Cited

Austin Sumner, et al. "Pentachlorophenol Contamination of Private Drinking Water from Treated Utility Poles." American Journal of Public Health 103.2 (2013): 276-277. Academic Search Complete.

Craig, Allin W. "Ecology and Ecosystems." Encyclopedia of Environmental Issues. Pasadena: Salem, 2011. 1277-1280.

Blatt, Harvey. America's Environmental Report Card: Are We Making the Grade? Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2005.

"Environmental Law Update." Probate Property 27.4 (2013): 41-43. Academic Search Complete.

"EPA Region 6 Busy with Enforcement Activities." Oil Spill Intelligence Report 35.44 (2012): 3-4. Academic Search Complete.

Hodge, Hope. "Camp Lejeune Vets Poisoned at Base Neglected by Administration." Human Events 68.16 (2012): 3. Academic Search Complete.

Hynes, H. Patricia. Earthright. Rocklin, CA: Prima Pub., 1990.

"Join over 2.2 Million Young People Taking Action." Do Something. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013.

Moran, Edward. The Global Ecology. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1999.

Snyder, Shannyn. "US Water Pollution Basics." The Water Project. N.p., n.d.