Pollution in Utah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pollution in Utah - Essay Example Resources like water, wood, and organic fuels are widely exploited to enhance industrial development and thereby economic benefits. Admittedly, it is high time for the world to realize the adverse impact of compromising environmental concerns for money. In this context, it is relevant to point out some of the current environmental issues in Utah in order to emphasis the significance of the above statement. To begin with, in 2010, a trio of oil spills raised potential challenges to Utah’s environment. As Fahys reported in Salt Lake Tribune, two separate incidents of Chevron pipeline spills in the Salt Lake City less than six months apart led to the release of 1,300 barrels of oil. The first pipeline failure despoiled the Red Butte Creek and officials estimated that nearly 766 barrels spread into the riparian waterway. With the second failure of the pipeline, it is expected that full remediation would take years to complete. To worsen this issue, someone deposited 40 barrels of crude oil into the Strawberry River and reports indicate that the thick crude is spreading to the Duchesne River. Evidently oil spillovers have dreadful consequences on the environment in the long term. As reported in a technical information paper, the major environmental effect of oil spills is that it damages marshlands and fragile marine ecosystems; and, oil spills kill birds, fishes, and marine mammals as this environmental issue damages their habitats.... The recent Chevron pipeline spills and crude oil dumping in the river significantly contributed to the water pollution issues in the state of Utah. Evidences suggest that tons of concrete, scrap, litter, and other materials are being deposited in the rivers and these rubbish materials make the water contaminated. Some scientific studies indicate that the high levels of phosphorous in dishwashing detergent support the growth of algae blossoms, which in turn limit the level of oxygen available to fish (SERC). It is also observed that unwanted or unused medications are widely dumped in rivers and other water bodies because it is the easiest and most cost-effective way of waste disposal. It is evident that fresh water sources are being depleted rapidly, and hence people are challenged by the paucity of water. Drinking contaminated water can result in a variety of serious health problems including influenza and other epidemic diseases. In addition, water pollution can seriously affect the agricultural production and lead to the destruction of aquatic ecosystems. As Agarwal point out, water pollution has far reaching consequences such as poisoning, heating, sedimentation, disease transmission, objectionable odors, deoxygenation, and retarded photosynthesis; and also it leads to changes in water quality, which in turn make it unfit for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use (76). Therefore, it is the collective responsibility of the government and the public to ensure the long term sustainability of water resources in Utah. O’Donoghue reports that recently the US Department of Energy has removed nearly3 million tons of radioactive waste materials from the banks of the Colorado River in Utah. This radioactive waste removal process was accelerated because of the