Closing

Well this blog was a positive experience. I accomplished my main goals and have come to realize a lot about water pollution and its various solutions.
I doubt I will ever be back on here to post again so thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed what I had to say.

-Ryan

Blue-green algae turns dirty water into clean energy

Here is more information on algae as a solution.
This cite goes into more detail on how the process actually works.
This a a growing field and new technologies are being put to use.

http://www.cleantech.com/news/4666/blue-green-algae-turns-dirty-water

The science behind the algae...

"NASA scientists have proposed an ingenious and remarkably resourceful process to produce 'clean energy' bio-fuels, that cleans waste water, removes carbon dioxide from the air, retains important nutrients, and does not compete with agriculture for land or freshwater."

"Land plants currently used to produce biodiesel and other fuels include soy, canola, and palm trees. For the sake of comparison, soy beans produce about 50 gallons of oil per acre per year; canola produces about 160 gallons per acre per year, and palms about 600 gallons per acre per year. But some types of algae can produce at least 2,000 gallons of oil per acre per year."

There is a lot more science involved in this process but the basic idea is taking dirty water and using algae to clean it. After the algae is grown it can also be used in bio-fuels. The money made in this process can be vast once the technology is put into place and is made readily available.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/features/2009/clean_energy_042209.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-9933355-54.html

Biofuels

Not only would the algae be used to clean the water but it would then be used as a biofuel. This will reduces air and water pollution from emissions while cleaning water at the same time. There would be great money to be made through this process.



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/algae-for-biofuels-grown-with-waste-water-austin-texas-video.php

New Technology!

Algae has been tested for years. Throughout the world scientists have been researching uses for algae. It is easily grown and has many uses. Algae is used in fertilizers, it is used for pigmentation, nutrition, as an energy source, and more importantly it is a way to TREAT WATER POLLUTION!

Beyond prevention and individual efforts I think this is one of the more effective solutions for water pollution. This is a great solution that would be good for the health of our environment, the economy, and the fields of science and technology that would grow from the use of algae.

(Photo courtesy of Kong18lor of photobucket.com)

The Facts!

So I realized the it might be useful to throw some numbers and stats into this blog before I go any further with solutions. The cite below did a really good job at separating the "facts from myths".

-Only 20% of pollutants actually come from "water based activities"; such as boating, swimming, and even CRUISE SHIPS!
-The other 80% comes from "land based activities"; these are what I have been talking about in previous posts. This is the storm water, the runoff, and agricultural pollutants seeping into our water supply.
-50% of worldwide groundwater is unsuitable for drinking thanks to pollution.
-Annually, plastic litter is responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 marine mammals like porpoises and sea otters.
-This same plastic pollution is responsible for the deaths of at least a million sea birds and waterfowl like pelicans and gulls.
-The number of fish deaths by plastic are estimated near three or four million on an annual basis.
-Polluted groundwater can be pinpointed as the cause for more than 250 million diseases including cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. Of these 250 million cases, about 8 million result in death from polluted groundwater.

These numbers are more than enough evidence to prove that water pollution is a huge problem.

http://scipeeps.com/water-pollution-facts-in-numbers-and-stats/

What we can do at home...

• Clean up pet waste!
• Recycle vehicle fluids and make sure your vehicles aren't leaking fluids in the driveway. This will go into those storm drains...
• When cleaning the driveway or garage sweep up the debris instead of washing it away with the water hose.
• Collect and remove yard waste from mowing and cleaning up your yard!
• Take your car to a car wash that collects the dirty water. When cleaning at home you are just washing the contaminants down the storm drains again.
• Be sure that you follow directions on watering in fertilizers, this will prevent it from washing away into water supplies.

"Storm Water Pollution Prevention - City of Albuquerque." Albuquerque - Official City Website. 24 Apr. 2006. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. .

Stormwater Solutions

"Stormwater Pollution Solutions." YouTube. The City of St.Charles Public Water Works Department, 19 Nov. 2007. Web. 26 Apr. 2010.

Storm drains?

Ever wonder where storm drains lead? Well actually they just end up coming out into OUR waterways. This water goes untreated through the system and just goes into our water supply. The only purpose is to prevent the flooding of streets. So all of that runoff pollution I have been talking about just runs directly into the water. This is different from a sewer which take the water to a treatment facility.

Thunderstorms...

So I really enjoy a good thunderstorm...this weekend we had some nice ones roll through Statesboro, GA. While driving home from a pretty eventful evening I notices oil amongst other contaminants on the road way. This just goes to show how much water pollution comes from storm water. In many areas flooding occurs on a regular basis contributing to thousands of gallons of polluted water.

The main source of this problem can be prevented by taking personal responsibility. Not leaving contaminants near sources of water, using car washed that collect water from cleaning a dirty car, and disposing of waste properly.


(Photo courtesy of BobYork of photobucket.com)

EMISSIONS!!!

Ok, so before doing some research I really thought that emissions testing was just an annoying part of living in metro Atlanta.

Automotive emissions have a huge impact on water pollution. Emissions testing is one way that government trues to do their part in cutting down on water pollution. In large cities like Atlanta and New York they require an annual emissions test on all vehicles. This is to reduce air pollution which leads to water pollution through runoff and acid rain.
Another solution preferred by many would be hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. These both greatly reduce emissions.


(Photo courtesy of Stratosphere2020 of photobucket.com)

Agricultural Pollution

I was really surprised to find out how bad pollution is on farms. I mean you think about fertilizers being bad for the soil but that's about it. Come to find out if there is too much manure on a farm this can be worse than most municipal wastes. There is also milk spillage, this is extremely dangerous. All of these affect the nitrates in the soil and remove a lot of the oxygen in the water that comes in contact with this soil. Then you even have things like oil from tractors, old batteries, and poor storage of fertilizers and feed.

I found a cite that give a lot of great solutions for agricultural pollution. These include things like not fertilizing before a storm, using organic fertilizers, and recycling oil and batteries.

A solution to runoff...

Porous pavement can really help reduce runoff in large cities. This pavement prevents oil and other contaminants from getting to the soil. It lets the water flow through it and is stored in a rocky area that filters the water before it reaches the soil. This can be a really good solution. It would be costly and does have some problems. In cold weather it does not really hold up very well. This would be a great application for parking lots and even highways. It can even prevent hydroplaning. This is really cool.

The use of trees is a great idea as well. Trees can be used to soak up a lot of rain water in areas that have trouble with flooding. Another great solution would be the addition of plants on rooftops. The plants will soak up the water and prevent it from running across a filthy building into our soil.

Flooding!!!

Floods cause a great deal of pollution to our waterways. This is something most people don't think too much about. Even in small amounts flooding can reach sources of contamination. Floods can cause sewers to overflow, or even rupture. It can cause dangerous chemicals from various places to reach the water. Municipal waste can flow into the water, various dumps and other waste facilities will begin to leak into waterways. In Atlanta, even after years of drought, flooding is a threat to the water.

Prescription drugs in our water!

So now what...

I really need to get started with this blog. It has been hard to remember to get on here since it is something completely new. So let's get this going.

This blog is going to focus on solving the water pollution problems that exist in the United States. WE need to be the solution here. We cannot depend on some one else, especially our big brother (the gov't). New laws and legislation cannot be our only solution.

Here we go...

So im just chillin in english after a nice spring break and right now and my teacher is making us do a blog for the last part of the semester. This should be interesting. Seems like a cool way to have class, so we will see how it goes.