Water Resources of New York Term Paper

Anthropological Analysis; The Water Resources of New York

This paper is an illustration of the supply problems of water resources of long island, New York. It has 5 sources.

The human being has certainly come a significantly long way in terms of exceptionally evolutionary development and advancement within all sectors and components constituting the geographical as well as intangible parameters of contemporary society. Though there have been various, monumentally significant outcomes and benefits accompanying most of the developmental establishments and advancements of mankind till date, however, there are almost an equal number of disadvantages that have also accompanied this significant rate of advancement.

Take into consideration, for instance, the primarily disadvantageous and deteriorative consequences of such achievements as the power to wage nuclear warfare and the ecologic downfall of inventions that give off harmful chemicals as by products. Moreover, the inherently destructive nature of man has also led him to largely exploit a great many of natures resources that we humans have been prevalently taking for granted. Oxygen, the most biologically essential element, which we exploit in so much as negatively adulterating with vehicle fumes and CFCs, is one of them, while water, an equally essentially compound, is another.

Human-induced pollution as a water deteriorative factor; natural resources

New York, as a result of having Long Island at its mouth, has a major interest in the quality of their coastal environments. Long Island, the largest island in the continental U.S., also creates Connecticut's entire coastline, subsequently creating the northern shoreline of Long Island Sound. Ironically, however, New York faces quite a problem in regard to ensuring the continued, long-term protection and preservation of its ecological resources, among which water is at the very top of the agenda. One of the prime reasons for this is that the level and degree of pollution within the state is uncharacteristically and exceptionally high in comparison to various counterparts.

Acid rain is the number one environmental issue affecting impaired water bodies in New York State, this being something that is made even more apparent when acknowledging the fact that Low pH affects over 60% of the waters listed as resources by the State of New York. Furthermore, raw sewage overflows and discharges into the waters around Buffalo, in addition to their impact on the rivers and coastal waters of Lake Erie, have proven to be significantly deteriorative; research found 89 combined sewer overflows and 172 sanitary sewer overflows in the Buffalo area. (Citizens Environmental Research Institute, 2003).More deteriorative factors; natural disadvantages in groundwater resources

Moreover, the fact that New York was one of only 2 states in the nation that required water suppliers to report to their customers also reinforces the poor state of water resources within the state. The year 2002 signified the third year of the New York program that began in 1986, far before the federal government made water quality reporting a national mandate in 1996. Another significantly problematic, water-related issue for New York is that a prevalence of the ground water is poor in quality due to natural problems; high total dissolved solids, sulfates, iron, chlorides, methane or radon. Though anthropogenic contamination resulting from septic tanks, spills, waste disposal, pesticides and fertilizers, and other sources tends to be a more serious problem, natural problems are not to be ignored. This is since some high capacity supply wells adjacent to rivers draw river water indirectly, and may have natural contamination concerns (New York Ground Water Conditions, 2003).

The cost factor

The thing about natural water resource problems resultant to contaminations is that it usually brings forth the aspect of the expenditure of monumental sums for the particularly required decontamination. Iron bio-fouling for instance, which is a consequence of high concentrations of dissolved iron within ground water resources, is something due to which water companies on Long Island, N.Y., spend several million….....