Poisoned Waters 4.21.2009
http://physics.hpa.edu/physics/apenvsci/videos/poisoned_waters/POISONED_WATERS.mp4
Context:
Water Pollution-air pollution-climate change
water pollution:
continuity, local until ocean,
Sections:
Chesapeake watershed
EPA CWA 1970
Perdue/hog Ag farms
endocrine disrupters-drinking water
bioaccumulation-PCB
Puget Sound-Boeing
runoff-water transit time King County
Tyson’s corner/Fairfax-transit time, sediment runoff
Loudon county-traffic
Arlington-urban planning
Chesapeake Bay
- why is it useful to get the historical view of the craggy old fishermen?
- how are the fish an indicator species?
- how large is the Chesapeake watershed?
- why is this bay uniquely vulnerable?
- what causes dead zones in the film?
- what is the global trend in dead zones? where?
- what three basic functions of the bay will likely be lost to your generation?
- what was different 40 years ago?
- what was the cause and effect process of Earth Day and the EPA?
- Did Nixon back the clean water act? Explain.
- What were the key tenets of the CWA?
- What were the initial actions of the EPA?
- RFK jr. says he could not swim in the Hudson, Charles or Potomac. Where are these?
- Why did you have to take a shower if you fell into these rivers?
- What was the Potomac point source pollution source described in the film?
- What is BNR and how does it work?
- What is not removed from human wastewater with BNR that concerns us?
- How did Reagan’s policies impact the EPA and pollution regulation?
- What is “voluntary compliance” and did it work? explain.
Factory farms
- what is the biggest danger with concentrated animal farms (poultry, pigs, cows)?
- Look up why we have different names for the same animals: cow/beef,chicken/poultry, pig/pork
- Why is it advantageous for Perdue to subcontract chicken operations?
- what is vertical integration?
- what was the national response to cheap chicken?
- if you were to put chicken manure on your garden, you could burn your plants. why?
- On the way downhill to the coast, there is an egg factory that went out of business, who now sells “manure compost”. Where did this come from, and how is it a good deal for them?
- Why does not Perdue own the chicken waste, if they own the chickens? How does the Perdue guy dodge the problem?
- what is the difference between city waste and ag waste?
- What does the chicken guy say about deer?
- What did the chicken lobby in Maryland (eastern shore) do about pollution regulation? why?
- How is this similar to the Iowa corn ethanol lobby?
- RFK Jr. describes two things: externalized costs and subsidies. What does he mean by these?
Endocrine disrupters
- why are not endocrine disrupters part of the clean water act?
- what is intersex in the male bass? what causes this?
- how does the concept of river continuity impact endocrine disrupters?
- do they need to be very concentrated to be effective?
- a person flushes birth control pills (hormones) down the drain. How can this impact someone living many miles downstream?
- why are these hormones not filtered by water treatment plants?
- What is “synergism”? Why is it critical here?
Puget Sound
- How cold is the water in Puget Sound? Why is this relevant?
- why do the apex predators have the highest concentration of PCB?
- what is a sentinel species? why is this relevant?
- which population of humans is now showing similar health effects?
- what is Superfund, who funds it?
- what is the biggest liability problem with the Boeing situation?
- what is the concept of “deep pockets”?
- why would native americans be the indicator species in the duomish river?
- is south park (not the tv show) upper income or lower, immigrant or not? Why is this important?
- You will be expected to know all about Love Canal. How is this similar?
- what do you think is coming out of the pipe underwater?
- why are “impervious surfaces” so bad for the Puget Sound?
- why do folks get upset about oil spills and not the stuff you see in the video?
- what is the difference in transit time for rain water hitting concrete vs. soil?
- Ron Sims has enemies in King county. Who?
- How is the Growth Management Act/Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) similar to the Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB) concept in Portland Oregon (recall the Portland e2 video)
- Look up the CAO now. How is it going?
- Who is King County named for? Why is this ironic?
Fairfax
- Look up Tyson’s corner. What did it look like in 1945?
- Would Tyson’s corner have been successful without cars?
- How is Tyson’s corner like Los Angeles?
- How is Arlington different from Tyson’s corner?
- In a sense, US cities are learning to become more like older European cities. Why are they different?
- what is the “canary in the coal mine” and where did this term come from?
- According to the narrator and Governor of Washington, what is a necessary part of the solution?
- What is your part in this future?
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