Pollution And Its Effects On The United States - 1036 Words

Hazardous Pollution Water Pollution has been an increasing problem over the last few years. Pollution comes from many different things; agricultural, urban runoff, industrial, sedimentary, animal wastes, and leeching from landfills/septic systems just to name a few (Resources). The reason why pollution has increased over the years is because the rise in population and the advancements in technology the society has made. If society plans on having their resources here for many years to come they are going to have to make some drastic changes in the way they treat the earth, and these changes will have to start with their pollutants (Foundation). Tar-Pamlico River is one of the many rivers in North Carolina. It runs one hundred eighty†¦show more content†¦Home to 10 million hogs, North Carolina is the number two producer of swine in the United States. Swine produce about ten times the fecal waste of an average human being, resulting in roughly thirteen million pounds of w aste per day from the North Carolina herd (Smith Jernigan). Research has found that hog and poultry feces and urine are leaking out of open-air, unlined cesspools, draining off the waste disposal fields used by the facilities and polluting the Tar River. Samples have shown that fifty-eight percent of watersheds have shown swine or poultry manure effects (Henderson). In addition, the large corporations behind this industry will not be liable for mismanagement of animal waste and the harm it causes public health and the environment. The corporations may own the hogs and the feed, but they do not take ownership of the waste. â€Å"The waste, and its liability, becomes the problem of the contract growers and the state of North Carolina. Until the corporations are held accountable for externalizing the true cost of their business to the public, hog lagoons and spray fields will continue to plague eastern North Carolina for a very long time† (Foundation). Polluted storm wate r runoff, including sediment from poorly maintained construction sites, is the number one reason for poor water quality in North Carolina. Sediment can cause severe problems for creeks, rivers and estuaries on which we