Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Depth to saline ground water,
in feet
Less than 500
500 to 1,000
More than 1,000
Inadequate information
0
0
200
200
400 miles
400 kilometers
Figure 1.6
Depth to saline groundwater in the United States. (U.S. Geological Survey. Hydrologic
Investigations. Atlas HA-199)
were dumped into 1,900 waterways. Indiana and Virginia were the
leading dumpers. The top three waterways in the nation for the most
total toxic chemicals discharged in 2007 were the Ohio River, New River
(which fl ows through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia), and
the Mississippi River. The Ohio River also was number one for toxic
chemicals that are cancer causing and chemicals that cause reproductive
disorders.
In a Gallup Poll in 2007, pollution of drinking water, rivers, lakes,
and reservoirs was named by Americans as their greatest environmental
concern (60-68 percent of Democrats, 41-46 percent of Republicans).
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Large numbers of industrial chemicals are present in our blood, although
in very small amounts. Whether they affect our health and longevity is
uncertain, but there are reasons to be concerned. Basic toxicity data are
not publicly available for about three-quarters of the 3,000 chemicals
produced in the highest volume each year, excluding pesticides. And 1.2
trillion gallons of untreated industrial waste, sewage, and storm water
are discharged into U.S. waters annually.
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To this noxious cocktail is
added runoff from the animal manure in the monstrous livestock feedlots
that increasingly cover the landscape (chapter 5).
