water pollution in Pennsylvania
in 2018, Pennsylvania was second in the nation for the number of violations of the Clean Water Act
after an assignment I did for an Introduction to Sustainability course, I found out how polluted the Schuylkill River really is
instead of copy and pasting my 330-word response, here are some specific facts:
The Schuylkill River provides water for more than 15 million people, including half of New York City’s potable water supply (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University)
Disposal of pet waste, leftover paint, toxins, and/or other trash down storm drains have polluted the river directly
The Schuylkill River is the 3rd most polluted river waterway in the state for cumulative toxic discharges and the 49th in the nation
in PA, agricultural runoff and abandoned mine drainage (AMD) are the most common pollutants
AMD occurs when water enters abandoned mines, reacting with rocks and iron pyrites t form acids, which then enters our waters
This lowers pH levels in the water, harming the aquatic organisms in it.
Another form of pollution is from acid rain, formed when moisture in the clouds mixes with sulfur or nitrogen in the air, which gives similar effects to AMD
