Essay on An Insight on Wilmington’s Water Pollution

It’s no mystery that having clean water is a fundamental element to living in a prosperous society and one of the few things essential for human survival. Water not only sustains our health, but is required in making everything from electronics to clothes. Clean water may seem as ordinary as putting on your shoes, but it’s a daily party of our life that’s being threatened. On September 12, 2013, environmental groups filed a law suit against Duke Energy for their inability to properly clean up toxic ash, which has caused the pollution of Sutton Lake and severe groundwater pollution in the surrounding area (WWAY). In particularly, the environmental group claims that, â€Å"coal ash pollution threatens to destroy the fishery of Sutton Lake and†¦show more content†¦When it rains, much of the water that falls isn’t absorbed into the ground because of the roads, parking lots and other non-porous surfaces. As water runs over these non-porous surfaces, many unwanted pollutants are picked up and flow downward to the nearest storm drain or water source. â€Å"Anything that enters a storm sewer system is untreated and discharged into the bodies of water we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water† (â€Å"After the Storm,† 2003, para.2). Examples of the various pollutants that make up storm water runoff includes pet waste, yard debris, litter, sediment, fertilizer, pesticides, car wash soaps and auto fluids. This untreated runoff eventually ends up in the Cape Fear River or the Intracoastal Waterway causing fish kills, algal blooms and contaminated water. Another major threat to Wilmington’s water quality is the great number of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which house the 10 million hogs being raised in North Carolina. According to Olivier (2012) â€Å"There are approximately 24,000 major swine facilities in North Carolina with the vast majority located in the coastal plain region of North Carolina† (p. 26). Food Water Watch reports that, â€Å"This waste contains toxins including ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, cyanide, phosphorus, nitrates and heavy metals, as well as antibiotics and other drugs that have been given to the