Nature Awareness #6

Briefly describe the major sources of air and water pollution in your area, what the biggest source of pollution in your area is, and what impact it has. (minimum 100 words)

One of the challenges in interpreting what the biggest threat of pollution in my area is, is the biggest source may not pose the biggest threat. You have to consider how and what the source of pollution comes in contact with, and the type of impact it has.

As far as water quality is concerned, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released in its 2010 report that in April 2007 they completed a 10 year review of the wadeable water systems throughout Pennsylvania. The two largest problems found were agriculture and abandoned mine drainage. And the largest stressors were siltation and metals. However, they emphasize that other problems should not be minimized because they may impact the local environment differently. They provide an example of urban runoff/stormsewers being a minor problem in rural areas but major in metropolitan regions.

In addition to this report, they monitor the flesh of fish for possible contaminants, and inform the public through fish advisories when the need arises. The current advisory level is to limit PA fish consumption to once per week due to unknown contaminants.

While looking up air pollution monitoring, it’s clear that the highest rating of “Ozone PPD (Biglerville)” is just around noon when the sun is at its highest peak in the sky, and at its lowest just before dawn before the sun comes up. This makes perfect logical sense.

According to the 2007 Pennsylvania Ambient Air Quality Report (the latest available), the state of Pennsylvania keeps a spread of 207 different air quality monitors around the state to monitor six different air pollutants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Those six pollutants are sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO),lead (Pb), Ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM). Of those six, O3 and PM have been a consistent problem, while the remaining pollutants have stayed below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

The EPA also keeps a “Toxic Release Inventory” that allows you to search by zip code to find out what toxic chemical releases and waste management activities have been reported in your area within the last year. My particular zip code showed a series of mineral toxins in three separate facilities from a local mill, a tile plant, and an elevator company. These toxins released amounted to several thousand pounds with of minerals reported, but several results left empty denoting several more unaccounted for.

It’s very difficult to say from these two assessments which is the bigger threat to the local environment. I don’t know the affects that air pollution has had on the water and fish, just as much as no one knows what affect water evaporation and the chemicals therein have had on the air pollution.

I would chance it to say that water and fish are more directly consumed into our bodies and filtered through our organs, whereas air pollutants can and will travel at loftier heights and distances and the potency would vary depending on local foliage and their ability to filtrate the air quality. The issue of mineral pollutants is also more likely a threat to water than it is to air. In fact I read an article in the news the other day down in Fort Detrick about the threat of Agent Orange in the ground water in Frederick Maryland where I work.

Since this area of Pennsylvania is so heavily forested, meaning more protected from air pollutants, it is my assumption that the water pollution is more of a direct threat to people in the Gettysburg area.

(Word Count: 591)

References:
9 News Now, “Contaminated Landfills Capped At Ft. Detrick”. WUSA9.com. July 23, 2010 <http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=105035&catid=158>.

“Integrated Water Quality Report – 2010″. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. July 29, 2010 <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/water_quality_standards/10556/integrated_water_quality_report_-_2010/682562>.

“Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program”. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. July 29, 2010 <http://www.epa.gov/tri/>.

“Pennsylvania Ambient Air Quality Report”. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. July 29, 2010 <http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/aq/aqm/aqreport.htm>.

“Principal Pollutants Monitoring Sites”. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. July 29, 2010 <http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/aq/aqm/copams.htm>.

“Ambient Air Monitoring Data Reports”. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. July 29, 2010 <http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/aq_apps/aadata/default.asp>.

Nature Awareness #5

Explain where your household garbage ends up and what recycling is available in your area? (minimum 100 words)

I use IESI trash service for my area, which delivers all garbage for this area to the Blue Ridge Landfill located on Orchard Rd. in Scotland, PA. It has a long list of clients from around the area, and is involved in three different programs from the Department of Environmental Protection. Air Quality, Land Recycling & Waste Management, Water Pollution Control, and Water Resources Management. They apparently also create 5.1MW of electricity from methane, which they sell to a power company, though I don’t know which one. This is a positive step in the “gas-to-energy” field, which leads me to believe they are at least -attempting- to be environmentally conscious, as much as a landfill can be anyway

My recycling is also picked up by IESI, but distributed among several facilities. Glass, plastics 1 & 2, aluminum and tin cans are taken to the Washington Township Recycle Center on Rt 16 in Rouserville, PA., and newspaper and cardboard are taken to Chambersburg Waste Paper on Loop Rd, Chambersburg, PA (who I might add, has a hilarious but awesome site logo).

Just doing this small essay has made me think about how intricate waste management systems are in general. Someone was able to create a method of garbage disposal, so that all consumers have to do is pay a quarterly fee and place two bins out on the end of their driveway once a week. Once that truck comes up early in the morning to pick these bins up, a whole array of systems and processes begins. Sorting, distribution, policy, environmental concerns and regulations. It’s a pretty complex process, and most people don’t appreciate the thought and the mistakes that must have gone into making it what it is today.

At the very least, people (myself included) should take a few more minutes to help out by making sure cans are clean, caps are off of soda bottles, and paper/magazines are sorted. Though in my case, we save all of our newspapers to use as starter for our woodstove in the winter.

As far as septic waste, which was not specifically requested in this article but I plan to include anyway, I have not had our septic cleaned yet since we just moved into our home. I am scheduled to have it cleaned in Spring of 2011, and will research and choose a company then to empty out our tank. At our old house before we moved here, our septic had not been cleaned by our landlord in over 29 years. I can only imagine where it has been going all of that time, or what the tank must look like. I feel sorry for any new owners who attempt to clean that up.

(Word Count: 453)

References:
Landfill Methane Outreach Program, “Pennsylvania Landfill Methane Projects”. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. July 15, 2010 <http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/landfill_methane_outreach_program/14091/pa_landfill_methane_projects/589657>.

IESI District Market Manager, IESI Corporation.