Report Discussion
So far, the leadership of Minnesota is in acquiescence with the SDWA (Safe Drinking Water Act). The SDWA’s problem solving strategies, its partnership with organizations and agencies, and use of various monitoring, treatment, and prevention approaches play a critical role in helping the state evade catastrophic issues associated with drinking water, for instance, lead contamination which has been an issue of concern in Michigan. Lead is a harmful contaminant associated with significantly irreversible impacts. Approximately one million domiciles in Minnesota contain lead paint; this acts as one of the major threats associated with lead exposure to drinking water (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017). Minnesota attempts to avoid significant lead contamination issues through the implementation of various approaches. For instance, MDH’s approval and review are necessary before switching the water system to a different water source. The state also emphasizes the periodical sampling and testing of public water systems to help monitor and manage lead levels in the water (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017).
Protecting the state’s drinking water begins by protecting the state’s groundwater sources, lakes, and rivers which are typically the major drinking water sources. Threats to water bodies originate from different sources: this includes past and current land uses, industrial and business activities, the use of personal care and pharmaceutical products, and naturally occurring materials in the ground. The MPCA has been cooperating with some U.S geological Survey researchers on an underway study aimed at monitoring the presence of personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and other water-related chemicals in groundwater sources, lakes, and rivers in Minnesota. Currently, the study demonstrates the presence of pharmaceuticals, household-use, and industrial compounds in landfill effluents, wastewater, groundwater, and streams. Steroidal hormones, non-prescription and prescription drugs, plasticizers, detergents, and insect repellents are widespread in Minnesota’s streams, lakes, and rivers at low concentrations. Chemicals found downstream originate from wastewater treatment plants (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017). PFC, for example, perflourobutyric acid and PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) refers to human-made chemicals utilized in the manufacture of products that repel water and are stain and heat resistant (Stillo, & Gibson, 2017). PFCs utilized in surfactant and emulsifier applications are found in particular insecticides, fire-fighting foam, shampoos, floor polish, paper and carpet coatings, and fabric. Studies by MPCA detected the presence of PFOs at significantly high concentrations in fish taken from, metro area lakes as well as Mississippi River and downstream (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017).
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HAB (harmful algal blooms) occur in instances where algae grow beyond controllable eves and generate harmful impacts on ecosystems, wildlife, and humans. Although HABs grow naturally, their outbreak frequency increases significantly due to human activities. Activities that facilitate the growth of HABs include the increased use of plant nutrients, for instance, phosphorous derived from fertilizer runoff and wastewater treatment plants’ discharges (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017). There are no reports that correlate with Minnesota’s drinking water exceeding the HAB contaminants’ safe levels. However, some of the lakes used sources of drinking water have recurring incidents of HAB prevalence. Tap water treatment does not preserve wildlife and domestic animals that consume water directly from lakes and rivers. There are currently twelve lakes with suspected or confirmed dog deaths amid the year 2004 and 2017. Intermittent sampling indicates that HAB pollution is prevalent in all coastal states and thirty percent of the lakes in the U.S (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017). In a survey involving various regions (Eastern Kansas, Southern Minnesota, Lowa, and Missouri), contamination was prevalent in seventy-eight percent of the regions’ lakes. In a pollution control survey conducted in Minnesota, researchers detected the existence of HABS in forty-three percent of the lakes in the state. Nitrates’ availability in drinking water is an issue of concern due to various health risk factors, for instance, methemoglobinemia, particularly among children in cases where its water concentration exceeds 10 mg per liter. A 3 mg/l nitrate concentration indicates that human-related nitrate contamination sources impact surface or groundwater. Some of these sources include manure and fertilizer storage, sewage treatment systems, and agricultural production (Minnesota Department of Health, 2017). The table below contains the test outcomes for various drinking water contaminants in Minnesota.
Fig 1: Test outcomes for various drinking water contaminants in Minnesota
Water Quality Issue and Impacts
One major water quality issue in my community is the prevalence of harmful algal blooms in water bodies due primarily to agricultural practices. HABs usually secrete biotoxins that can bioaccumulate in aquatic food web; this phenomenon is similar to that of mercury (Vukobiv, Popovic, Subic, & Kljajic, 2018). Bioaccumulation occurs in instances where toxins build up in organisms at a rate that is significantly faster than the proportion of being broken down in the body. Phytoplankton acts as the basis of aquatic food webs; they proffer vital energy to every successive trophic level. Whenever they bloom, any toxins they secrete is often consumed by marine animals and are likely to bioaccumulate in high-level organisms, such as mackerel, anchovies, krill, copepods, shellfish, and other aquatic life.
Fig 2: Bioaccumulation of toxins in the food web (Marie & Albarghouthi, 2017)
The toxins produced by HABs may not impact some organisms; however, these organisms act as vectors. As vectors, they often transport these toxins up the food web into organisms that assume high trophic levels, for example, dolphins, turtles, sea lions sea birds, and fish. Chronic HAB exposure may trigger adverse health effects on humans. For instance, according to Li & Liu, (2019), algal toxins account for over sixty-thousand incidents of intoxication globally, on an annual basis. Additionally, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that nearly twenty percent of all food-borne outbreaks result from seafood consumption (Li & Liu 2019). Half of these incidents result from naturally synthesized algal toxins. People who consume or swim in water bodies with dangerous HAB contamination levels are likely to experience nervous system and liver damage, allergic responses, skin irritation, and stomach illnesses. Other harmful effects of algal blooms include blocking sunlight which is essential for seagrasses and beneficial algae, clogging or damaging fish gills, oxygen depletion in the aquatic environment leading to animal migration and death due to suffocation (Stillo & Gibson, 2017).
Management Practices
Various management practices aim to minimize water pollution and its subsequent effects. Some of these practices include proper crop nutrient management, the use of conservation buffers, and animal operations management. Crop nutrient management incorporates the proper management of all nutrient inputs which consequently aids in ensuring farmers meet the needs of their crops nutrient-wise while minimizing nutrient runoff (Vukovic et al., 2018). Fertilizer ought to be applied in the right amounts and at the right time to reduce runoff. Conservation buffers involve the use of vegetation strips to provide additional environment protection barriers which are critical in preventing potential pollutants from running off into water bodies. Animal operations management incorporates the proper storage of animal waste, the use of runoff control, and nutrient management to reduce the effects of various animal operations. The appropriate management of livestock grazing is also crucial in minimizing water quality issues. For instance, it aids in reducing erosion potential (Stillo & Gibson, 2017).
References
Li, D., & Liu, S. (2019). Water quality monitoring and management: Basis, technology and case studies . London, United Kingdom; San Diego, CA, United States: Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier.
Marie, A., & Albarghouthi, S. (2017). Costs Estimation of Water Pollution in Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Birds. International Journal of Business & Society , 18, 425–436.
Minnesota Department of Health (2017). Minnesota Drinking Water 2017: Annual Report for 2016. St. Paul: Minnesota.
Stillo, F., & Gibson, J. M. (2017). Exposure to Contaminated Drinking Water and Health Disparities in North Carolina. American Journal of Public Health , 107(1), 180–185.
Vuković, P., Popović, V., Subić, J., & Kljajić, N. (2018). Prevention of Water Pollution Caused by Nitrates from Agriculture in Serbia. Economics of Agriculture / Ekonomika Poljoprivrede , 65(3), 895–910.
