Water
contamination is a larger issue in California
than other states in the U.S.
In the Central Valley region counties within the region, have been forced to face the
reality that there is almost no clean water in towns that depend on well water.
Farming communities within the valley created this issue over time by striving
to meet the state’s agricultural demand. Farmers depend on pesticides to
protect their crops from disease and insects. This need leads to mono-cropping,
which is the use of one type of pesticide on all crops. But more
importantly, the pesticides and fertilizers have had an adverse impact on our
land and water.
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| Map of Central Valley California from smilingglobe.com |
Water
runoff from farms were previously not regulated or monitored. “Since 1982
central valley regional board waved agricultural discharge from California’s clean water law” (California for Pesticide Reforms). Water
that soaks the crops that are covered in pesticide will run through the soil
until it makes its way to ground water. The EPA found in a 2002 study
that over 635 miles of rivers and streams in the central valley were so
contaminated that it was unsafe to fish in, swim in and drink the water. These
rivers and streams supply millions of Californians with their drinking water.
While water can be treated and made safer, it is not commonly done and can
result in chemicals like nitrate, arsenic, uranium, and DBCP being consumed.
Nitrate
Water will
become contaminated with nitrate when it absorbs pesticides and fertilizers
that are used to increase crop yield. The fertilizer increases the amount of
nitrogen that is in the soil. Once that fertilizer reacts with oxygen they
converge to make nitrate. Increased levels of nitrate in water can
potentially be dangerous, especially for infants, this leads to limited oxygen
that our red blood cells can’t carry. This is a disease known as methemoglobinemia, or more commonly
known as Blue Baby Syndrome.
DBCP
DBCP, or
Fumigant1, 2-dibromo-3 chloropropane is a chemical that was used as a soil fumigate to protect the soil
from insects. While extremely effective as a pesticide, a resulting illness
from the consumption and application of DBCP led to the chemicals being banned
in 1977. 40 years after this ban, the groundwater in California still has traces of DBCP.
Exposure to DBCP has the potential to infect someone with a wide range of
illnesses based on the type of exposure received. “…Acute (short-term)
exposure to DBCP in humans results in moderate depression of the central
nervous system (CNS), and, pulmonary congestion from inhalation, and,
gastrointestinal distress and pulmonary edema from oral exposure. Chronic
(long-term) exposure to DBCP in humans causes male reproductive effects such as
decreased sperm counts”(epa.gov). Since the ban of DBCP, cases of illness that
are directly linked to the contaminants have dropped significantly; however,
there are still traces in the California
groundwater four decades later.
Natural
Containments
It is not
uncommon to have some arsenic in soil. It is an element that occurs naturally,
but in a quantity that is not dangerous. Uranium also occurs
naturally in soil, rocks and water. The levels of uranium are normally low
enough to not cause concern, although in Madera County,
the drinking water has the highest levels of uranium and is more than three
times the state’s health standard. While these natural contaminants are
inherent in the land, they are in even higher concentrations in the San Joaquin Valley groundwater. “In 2015, 60 percent
of the state's public water systems reporting health violations for arsenic
were in the Valley. Madera
County drinking water has
the highest levels of arsenic statewide (psmag).” This increase in low-risk
contaminants has surpassed acceptable levels, this can lead to blindness, and
has also been linked to certain cancers.
What can
be done to help conserve the water?
Aside from
banning pesticides like DBCP, conservation can be accomplished through
different farming techniques. Since these contaminants are currently seeping
into the water from farms, a simple solution for this could be to change the
way that the farms in these locations operate. The way farmers water
their crops can have a large effect on the soil and the water runoff. The
standard sprinkling method of irrigation waters crops from above, soaking the
plant and bringing any pesticides on the plant into the soil. Drip
irrigation allows farmers to use half of the water required with the
sprinkling method. It is inexpensive to install and allows farms to use land
that would not normally be accessible like hills. Tubing is placed along the
crop with holes placed at the root of the plant. According to the USGS Water Science School,
in 2000, farmers in the United
States used on average 137 million gallons
of water every single day (Water.usg) . If farms refrained from using
sprinkling methods to water their crops and instead relied on drip methods of
watering, this number could be below 70 million gallons.
Less water used would result in less runoff and less water seeping into the
ground, preventing nitrates and other contaminates in pesticides from making
their way into water underground.
Conservation tillage is the practice of placing
crop from the previous growing season on top of new crops. The stalks slowly
break down which is good for the soil. This method mixed with drip irrigation
trap in moisture, keep the roots of the crops damp and prevent evaporation.
This method is not practiced by many farmers because farmers tend to farm the
same way generation after generation. If Conservation tillage was utilized by
everyone in California
it would protect crops, require less water meaning less runoff, and it would
mean less contaminates absorbing into the soil and inevitably ground water.
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| image of conservation tillage with stalks to absorb water |
