Understanding the connections that determine groundwater availability
BY KARA CAPELLI AND KEVIN DENNEHY


http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/understanding-the-connections-that-determine-groundwater-availability/?from=title

 Typical pump used for obtaining groundwater

Summary:
        Groundwater is essential to the well-being of any community across the Earth. It is used for many things, including drinking water, agricultural purposes, and for businesses and machinery. This article states the importance of maintaining an abundance of good quality groundwater for a healthy community. The people at this organization do just that by testing the water around them and across the country. They study everything about the topic. They have made clear observations on the way water transfers to aquifers underground and how it is retrieved. They make sure their equipment does not effect the water in any negative way. They also make sure they don't contaminate the water beneath them, or run it dry. 
        Many factors contribute to the quality of groundwater, including things as abstract as climate change. groundwater is not only affected by the little things, but it impacts the big things. Se levels have risen due to groundwater patterns. When water is pumped from aquifers and not used, run off leads ultimately to the ocean. Groundwater is major part of life. "The USGS National Water Quality Program is documenting water quality in the principle aquifers throughout the country while continuing studies to determine which groundwater sources are most vulnerable to contaminants like arsenic, radium, and other trace elements." 


Reflection:
      Groundwater has such an impact on our lives it is worth being taken care of. Monitoring it in the way that USGS does is very wise. I believe that most areas should have some group of people to be in charge of making sure groundwater is in check. The path that water follows, from run off to your kitchen ink is incredible. For the safety of our environment, we should also be careful not to block aquifers with pavement. This is why laws that limit how much concrete can be put down is also a wise decision. In conclusion, I think we an agree that without the upkeep of groundwater quality, we would be nowhere.

Questions:
1. In what way is groundwater most important?
2.What is the best way to keep groundwater safe?
3.Are the actions of the USGS adequate?
4. What, if anything, would you change about the way we treat groundwater?

A Greener Strategy for New York’s Runaway Sewage

By: Mireya Navarro
March 13, 2012

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/a-greener-strategy-on-new-yorks-runaway-sewage/?ref=opinion

New York has agreed on an environmental safe idea to decrease the current rush of untreated sewage.


Summary
        New York State and city officials have found a way to reduce the flow of untreated sewage into the city’s surrounding waterways whenever there is heavy rainfall. Under an agreement, the city plans to spend about $2.4 billion in public and private money over the next eighteen years in new techniques. They will approximately invest $187 million over the next three years.
        New York is an old city so it still has a combined sewer system where storm water and sewage are carried through the same pipes. The system often goes beyond capacity during heavy storms and discharges the overflow into local waterways. Such overflows are a major pollution problem preventing many waterways from meeting standards for fishing, swimming and healthy habitats for outside. As a result, traditional sewage control methods like underground storage tanks are thinking about not being used.
        The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The state, which is responsible for enforcing the federal law, has been pushing the city to find an answer because building two separate systems would be expensive.
       The Bloomberg administration has devised a plan for new “green infrastructure” projects to capture rainwater before it reaches the sewers. These include rooftop gardens, which can retain rainwater, porous surfaces for parking lots that allow water to seep into the soil and more street-side vegetation. Developers of new buildings must meet rigorous environmental standards.
       City officials believe the 1.5 billion gallons of sewer overflows will be removed gradually by 2030. About twelve billion gallons will be kept out through traditional and green methods combined. City officials agreed to allow ‘say’ in the city’s federal Clean Water Act permits so residents can go to court and enforce the plan if present or future government administrations violate its terms.


Opinion/ Reflection        

        Green roofs are a great example of a way to slow and even stop storm water runoff from buildings all over the city. Not only do they absorb a good portion of water, but they slow down the initial surge that happens after a major storm, reducing the load on the sewer system. The untreated sewage is definitely affecting the residents living there. However, I am glad the city is making great strides funding the green infrastructure and storm water programs. There all positive and good solutions for the future of New York, but how about a simple, low cost way to right now keep some of the sewage water out of rivers and lakes. I have been to New York many times and probably could have guessed they were going through this problem. This reminds me of the time we talked about dirty water and other harmful chemicals in water during environmental science class. Overall, I think this article was very interesting. It describes a current issue that needs to be solved in a city so close to Hatboro-Horsham.

Questions
Do you agree with the city's plan? Why or why not?
How can the residents of New York City help reduce the flow of untreated sewage into waterways?
What other places are going through a similar problem? Explain.

What if We Run Out of Water?

What If We Run Out of Water?

Author: Charles Fishman Publication: Salon, Sunday April 10, 2011http://www.salon.com/2011/04/10/the_big_thirst_excerpt/

Summary:

Above is an image of a faucet with the water on. Simple
ways like turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth
can save a lot of water, even if it doesn't affect you.

     If you think about it, water is such a mystery to us, yet we use it so much in our daily routine of life. We never know when the world will run out of water, or when there is not enough water to satisfy the thirsty human population. Whenever you shower, wash clothes, flush the toilet, drink a cup of lemonade, or wash your hands, you are using water from the Earth. 70% of the earth is covered in water, so how is it possible that we would ever run out? Only a small portion of that 70% is fresh water. A lot of the fresh water we cannot access is inside glaciers. One out of six people in the world cannot access clean and fresh water, and at least 40% of homes need to walk to get water, or do not have an abundant supply. The United States alone uses about 410 billion gallons of water a day.

Opinion/Reflection:

     By pushing a button, it is that simple to get a fresh glass of water. But what will happen in one hundred years or a thousand years from today? Will there be enough water for the human population? We all know that the human population is increasing but we do not know when it will level off [even though scientists have many theories when it will]. If the population continues to increase without leveling off, all of these people will be thirsty, and that is a lot of water to be using. It is important that we do not take water for granted. Yes, there are machines that can clean ocean water, but that takes a lot of energy and time. By doing the smallest things like turning the water off while brushing your teeth, using a bucket of water to wash your car instead of a running hose, or taking shorter showers, we can conserve the earth’s fresh water. Personally, I always try to cut back the amount of water I use each day. It concerns me that our country uses 410 billion gallons of water each day…I can’t even imagine what the whole world uses a day! I’m not saying we have to stop using water, but if the whole world cut back by ¼ (or even smaller) of the water they use, that is a whole lot the world can be saving. We can’t be selfish and use all of the water ourselves. We need to think about the future generations who will live on the earth years from today; they need to have a fresh water supply just as much as we do. If we were to run out of water, we would not be able to live because every single thing we do requires water.

Questions:

1. In your opinion, how do you feel about the world’s water supply?

2. Do you think that the government can do something to control the amount of water we use each day? Explain.

3. Consider a dry continent like Africa; do you think there is any chance their water supply could increase? If so why, if not, why?

4. How much water does the average person use each day in the United States?

5. Why is it so important that we conserve water today to preserve it for the future? 

Toxic People: The Pollution Within by David Ewing Duncan, Published October 2006
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/10/toxic-people/duncan-text/6

The picture to the left is an X-Ray photograph of a two year old girl with lead chips in her system.

Summary:

     The above link is an article I found on the National Geographic Website. The author is writing about how he grew up in a town surrounded by pollution, and how his doctors are now finding these polluting substances in his blood! His town had tons of industries and dumps right around the county water intake which supplied drinking water for him and his family. Runoff and pollution from these industries and dumps contaminated the river-and these pollutants wound up in the bodies of those who drank the water. "Factories making cars, soap, and fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals"(Duncan, 6), he says were made and used directly next to the river and water intake. The author explains how driving through this part of town was enclosed in a "noxious cloud" (Duncan, 6) of gasses and other pollution which made it hard to see or breathe. He describes how in his childhood his friends would ride bikes through the pollution, holding their breaths. Over time, however, the air pollution and especially water runoff pollution have taken their toll. His doctor has told him of some of the substances he has found in the author's blood: Lead, Mercury, Dioxins, PBDEs, PCBs, and other harmful toxins.
     Fortunately, today less pollution is in the air and less pollution is in the water we drink. Plus, water filters can be bought to take most of toxins out of tap water. This is thanks to the acts created in the 1970s such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act which work to stop pollution in places such as rivers, lakes, streams, and our breathing air. Hopefully we can keep this clean record going, and try to improve even more.

Opinion/Reflection:
     I was shocked when I read the title of the article. I mean really, Toxic People? What could this possibly mean? But as I start to read this crazy article, I understood the scary truth. Due to the pollution in streams and rivers, as well as the air, there are people walking around that literally have what can be considered toxic blood. I sure hope my tap water is clean, because I currently do not own a water filter! If this is still going on then the industries who pollute our drinking water should be ashamed. It concerns me how some businesses will pollute other peoples' drinking water just to make a profit. Companies really need to work harder to find a better solution than dumping their pollution.
     I want to help to stop pollution in our drinking water. It is a serious concern of mine and I sure hope it is a concern of others as well. I am excited to learn about water pollution in class(the last couple days feel like we haven't been learning much, so it should be fun to learn something new) and how we can defend ourselves against it. I see it as a very important and interesting topic!

Questions:
1. What does the Clean Water Act do to prevent water pollution? Can it be revised to "amp up" the standards for our drinking water?
2. Is there a simple way to tell if our tap water is polluted? And if so, will simple water filters fix this problem?
3. How can we as citizens help to limit pollution in our drinking water? Can recycling play a part in this process?
4. How many of the toxins mentioned in the article are still in use today? What are they used for?

-Aaron Selnick

The Road to Recovery: 100 Success Stories for Endangered Species Day 2007

Article: http://www.esasuccess.org/reports/


Picture: The image shows one endangered species for each continent. These are so to say the "most important" for each  one as you will recognize nearly all of them. There are hundreds of more for each continent.

Summary: We often don't realize how fortunet we are that our world has such large biodiversity. The ESA is partially to thank for this. Every year they save many many species that are crucial to our environment. By 2007, 100 species of animals had been aided to the point of being taken off the list of endangered. This group includes the bald eagle, the whooping crane, the gray whale, and the grizzly bear.  Around Pennsylvannia we are trying to conserve the red wolf, the shortnose sturgeon, the finwhale, the atlantic green sea turtle, and many other plants and animals.
            Not only does the act help to increase the number of animals alive, but it increases from the double-digits to the thousands. The act is in debate on it's effectiveness. With numbers like these, how can we say the act isn't working? the article states: "A recent study of all endangered species in the Northeastern United States found that 93% increased or remained stable since being placed of the endangered list. Few other laws can boast that kind of success." The numbers are continuing to rise as the act takes action. 


Opinion/Reflection: I think these numbers shows the true success of the Act. Because of it's good results, it makes me wonder what makes people conclude that it is not working. I have not researched the flaws of the bill and wonder what holes there are. Maybe instead of making a "new" bill they could just improve on what's already working. Perhaps there are certain rules of the bill that don't work for some species as well as they do for others?
        The amount of endangered species is sort of intimidating. What would happen is humans were endangered? If we don't keep trying to save our world's biodiversity, maybe we will be! It isn't just about keeping animals safe, but we also need to consider what would happen if a keystone species dies out? Once they're gone, they're gone forever and we can't bring them back. It is urgent we help our Earth remain stable as it is now. 


Questions: 
1. What species is one we should be most concerned about saving?
2. What are the downsides of the act?
3. How can we improve on what's already working?
4. What was the most important success?
5. How does the Act help humans?