Introduction:
         I believe that if people do not learn to take better care of the environment, water pollution will be the death of us all.  Water pollution refers to the act of making water unclean, impure, or corrupt.  Throughout this paper, OPA shall refer to the Oil Pollution Act, and EPA shall be known as the Environmental Protection Agency. The number of careless oil spills over the years and other acts of stupidity concerning our water is unbelievable.

I  Statistics:
         It appears that people have absolutely no concern for keeping our water clean.  Statistics show that millions of gallons of oil have been spilled internationally every year since 1967. In 1991, the Kuwait Oil Terminals spilled two hundred and fifty-two million gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf creating the biggest spill ever recorded.  The second largest spill occurred in 1979, when the Ixtoc 1’s well blew out in Mexico, spilling up to four hundred and twenty-eight million gallons of oil.  In 1983, as high as one hundred and eighty-five million gallons of oil were spilled into the Persian Gulf, when a well blew out in the Nowruz Oil Field. The next greatest oil spill in history occurred in 1983, in South Africa, where up to eighty million gallons of oil were spilled when the Castillode de Bellver broke fire.  In 1978, the Amoco Cadiz had a grounding accident in France and spilled up to seventy-six million gallons of oil.
        Oil spills are not the only problem our waters face.  There are other things purposefully thrown into the water by careless people. Forty-nine thousand chunks of styrofoam were found near the Oregon Shore.  More than eight thousand plastic bags were found on North Carolina beaches.  Fifteen thousand six-pack rings were found on the Texas coastline, and six hundred and fifty tampon applicators were found on a New Jersey beach. It is true that anything thrown into the water can be harmful to us, however, chemical spills are our biggest threat.

II  Chemical Spills:
         Chemical spills are the hardest type of water pollution to clean up because of how far they can spread in so little time.  The United States has suffered many huge spills, because we are the world’s largest oil consumer.  From 1980 to 1986, up to ninety-one million gallons of oil were spilled into United States waters, mostly from tanker’s oil barges.  In fact, an average of eighteen major spills, each involving over ten thousand gallons of oil, occurred every year from 1978 to 1990. The worst spill to be recorded in
United States history took place in Alaska where the Exxon Valdez spilled almost eleven million gallons of oil in 1989.
         It is hard enough to clean the oil when it spills on land, but when it seeps into the ground water and rivers, it spreads away from the site making it even harder to clean.  One of the biggest inland spills in the United States occurred in January, 1988, when a storage tank near Pittsburgh collapsed and spilled one million gallons of diesel fuel into the Monongahela River.  The river was frozen so most of the oil flowed under the ice making it even harder to clean.  It is usually unrealistic to gain back more than thirty percent of oil from a major spill.
         Oil is not the only hazardous chemical to be concerned with spilling.  Toxaphene, which was used in North America for decades to kill insects, weeds, and even fish, is being illegally dumped in United States waters.  The United States and Canada have each initialized a phase out of the chemical in 1982 because of how dangerous it is. The greatest danger of chemical spills is the pollution of drinking water.

III.  Drinking Water:
         If anything serious were to happen to the world’s supply of drinking water, we would all perish.  Polluted drinking water can cause people to get sick and, depending on what the water is polluted with, even die. For example, water polluted by fertilizers contains high concentrations of nitrate, which causes different types of cancer.  Cryptosporidium was found in drinking water and can cause intestinal problems.
         About thirty million Americans per year are drinking from public water systems that violate one or more health standards.  Out of twenty-nine cities tested, eighteen of them had chemicals from weed killers that exceeded the EPA’s safety standards. The EPA claims that lead, radioactive materials, and other bad contaminants are still being found in drinking water. Not only does water pollution effect our health and safety, but there are thousands of innocent, helpless animals dying each day because of polluted water.

IV  Effects on Animals:
         I do not think that it is fair for animals to suffer for our carelessness.  Water pollution's effect on wildlife may not seem to be a big issue, but the truth is that animals are suffering just as bad as we humans are, if not worse.  Ducks and geese land on oil polluted water, and their feathers get covered with the oil, removing the air pockets in their feathers and causing them to drown.  If they do not die from drowning or ingesting the oil, they will soon die of starvation.  When their prey smells the oil, it stays away from them causing them to die of hunger.  There were over thirty-six thousand dead birds found after the Exxon Valdez spill. Those birds are not the only animals that suffer from the crude oil spills.
        In 1995, middle school students traveled to Minnesota and found frogs with missing limbs and three or four hind legs.  The frogs’ deformities were the result of parasites, pesticides, and UV radiation.
 Oil is not the only thing in the water that is killing our animals.  In the past, beaches have closed because of paper, cans, bottles, plastics, decomposed rats, and medical wastes being found all over the place.  Elephant seals are being found washed ashore with their necks trapped in metal rings, and a pelican was found strangled to death by tangled fishing line. In my opinion, water pollution is getting out of hand, and I think it is about time we did something about it.

V  Solutions:
         It seems that people are actually beginning to understand the importance of keeping our water clean.  On August 4, 1990, congress passed the OPA to prevent and help clean up oil spills.  President George Bush signed the bill into law on August 18. The OPA states that tankers or storage owners and operators can be liable for as high as three hundred and fifty million dollars.  If the spill is a result of carelessness, those responsible must cover all costs.  Because the captain of the Exxon Valdez was drunk, punishments for reckless, drunken, or drugged seamen are tougher, and there is now a limit to the hours tanker crews can work.  Oil tankers and barges must also carry enough equipment to start cleaning up at the first sign of a spill.
         There are other methods of preventing and cleaning water pollution, too.  Scientists are testing microbes, which act as attack bugs to feed on contaminants in the water.  They are also pumping fluids with high concentrations of oxygen and nutrients into the soil to make it stronger.  If people are not more careful about what is being thrown into our water, there is no telling what will happen to us.

Conclusion:
     Water pollution has been a big problem for quite some time.  The main problem with water pollution is the spilling and illegal dumping of oil and other hazardous chemicals, but that is not the only problem.  When our water gets contaminated, it prevents us from getting a sufficient supply of drinking water, and it contaminates and kills our animals.  Luckily, the United States is starting to take a stand against oil pollution with the OPA, but it is still up to us to stop throwing things into the water.  It is about time that we realized how much damage we are doing to the environment and to ourselves when we pollute our supply of water.
 
 

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