Mary Anne Cristobal's List: Water pollution

• We sometimes hear politicians and pundits say, "There's no water pollution problem anymore. We've done very well cleaning up our water." Now, we would never suggest that anyone take a politician at his word or believe the TV—p
• This article is the first of a multi-part series that will splash around in the deep end of the water pollution issue.
• The majority of the planet's liquid freshwater is stored in underground aquifers.
• Polluted runoff from roads, parking lots, and neighborhood lawns
    -- Runoff from farms (pesticides, fertilizers, and animal waste)
    -- Livestock damage to riparian areas (reduces near-stream filtering abilities)
    -- Logging and mining operations
  
• Asian rivers are the most polluted in the world.
• Pollution of freshwater (drinking water) is a problem for about half of the world's population.

• Each year, plastic waste in water and coastal areas kills up to:

   
   
  • 100,000 marine mammals,
   
  • 1 million sea birds, and
   
  • countless fish.

• In one week, a typical cruise ship generates:

   
   
  • 210,000 gallons of sewage;
   
  • 1,000,000 gallons of "gray water" from showers, sinks, dishwashers and clothes washers;
   
  • 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water;
   
  • more than eight tons of solid waste; and
   
  • toxic wastes from onboard operations like dry cleaners and photo processing laboratories.

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