I wanted to be in the Urban development research group because I was inspired by my mom because she is a city planner and I wanted to known more about what she dose everyday. Also I had no idea that Urban development cuesd water pollution.
Urban Development
By: Vivian
SWISH! Imagine your a raindrop soaring through the lush blue sky. SPLASH! You hit the muddy concrete it feels hard and rocky. Then you flow rapidly down a bumpy hill. Suddenly you feel goopy and mucky. You feel like a bucket of oil has been spilled all over you, a big stinky goopy brown blob just landed on you and you start to sizzle and sting. You feel so terrible. Finally you splash into a stream. You are experiencing Urban water pollution!
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
According to an website from the EPA, the EPA ranks urban runoff and storm sewer discharges as the second worst source of water quality. Urban development is a big concern! Have you ever turned on your faucet and the water is all murky and brown? You wonder why is it like this. All your water comes from a main water source that your whole county or even your whole state uses like a lake or river or any other body of water. Before the water gets there it's rain and when people build cities (also called urban areas) the cities use concrete to make roads, sidewalks and buildings. However, when you put concrete everywhere it keeps the water or snow melt from soaking into the ground and giving plants nutrients that makes them grow. Instead the water flows across impervious surfaces like parking lots, roof tops, sidewalks and roads. This creates runoff that collects metals, chemicals, pesticides, pet droppings, oil, dirt, bacteria, trash, nitrates and any other things people throw on the ground. Also, urban water pollution can make air pollution which can lead to acid rain.
WHY THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING?
When the government builds cities or is urbanizing an area they cut down vegetation to build roads and buildings. This creates runoff that carries very bad contaminants that flows into our water and if someone drinks that water it can cause death. It can also kill animals like foxes, chipmunks, raccoons, possums, mice and bunnies. When people build cities they purposely pour concrete everywhere. That can make runoff too. Poorly treated sewage or sewage that’s not treated at all can be high in pollutants. Or, people just waste water. If bad contaminants get into water it can get into fish flesh and if we eat the fish the contaminants that were in the fish gets into your body and cause death.
SOLUTIONS
Some solutions to prevent urban water pollution that you can do are ask the government to build more parks in our cities. According to Kira Zender, City Planner, you can also ask the government to put more drains in urban areas. It is very important that if you live in an urban area, don’t throw trash on the ground, and pick after your pet. Another way to prevent urban water pollution is to please use a broom instead of a hose to clean up yard clippings. Also, when you have toxic materials, make sure to store them properly. To prevent lots of chemicals from getting into urban water sources, you can go to a car wash to wash your car instead of washing your car at home. Another great way to make a difference is to join in community cleanups. Urban water pollution is a big problem. It can pollute our water in many ways. It can kill humans and many other animals. Urban development can make water pollution and it needs to stop.
RESOURCES
By: Vivian
SWISH! Imagine your a raindrop soaring through the lush blue sky. SPLASH! You hit the muddy concrete it feels hard and rocky. Then you flow rapidly down a bumpy hill. Suddenly you feel goopy and mucky. You feel like a bucket of oil has been spilled all over you, a big stinky goopy brown blob just landed on you and you start to sizzle and sting. You feel so terrible. Finally you splash into a stream. You are experiencing Urban water pollution!
WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
According to an website from the EPA, the EPA ranks urban runoff and storm sewer discharges as the second worst source of water quality. Urban development is a big concern! Have you ever turned on your faucet and the water is all murky and brown? You wonder why is it like this. All your water comes from a main water source that your whole county or even your whole state uses like a lake or river or any other body of water. Before the water gets there it's rain and when people build cities (also called urban areas) the cities use concrete to make roads, sidewalks and buildings. However, when you put concrete everywhere it keeps the water or snow melt from soaking into the ground and giving plants nutrients that makes them grow. Instead the water flows across impervious surfaces like parking lots, roof tops, sidewalks and roads. This creates runoff that collects metals, chemicals, pesticides, pet droppings, oil, dirt, bacteria, trash, nitrates and any other things people throw on the ground. Also, urban water pollution can make air pollution which can lead to acid rain.
WHY THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING?
When the government builds cities or is urbanizing an area they cut down vegetation to build roads and buildings. This creates runoff that carries very bad contaminants that flows into our water and if someone drinks that water it can cause death. It can also kill animals like foxes, chipmunks, raccoons, possums, mice and bunnies. When people build cities they purposely pour concrete everywhere. That can make runoff too. Poorly treated sewage or sewage that’s not treated at all can be high in pollutants. Or, people just waste water. If bad contaminants get into water it can get into fish flesh and if we eat the fish the contaminants that were in the fish gets into your body and cause death.
SOLUTIONS
Some solutions to prevent urban water pollution that you can do are ask the government to build more parks in our cities. According to Kira Zender, City Planner, you can also ask the government to put more drains in urban areas. It is very important that if you live in an urban area, don’t throw trash on the ground, and pick after your pet. Another way to prevent urban water pollution is to please use a broom instead of a hose to clean up yard clippings. Also, when you have toxic materials, make sure to store them properly. To prevent lots of chemicals from getting into urban water sources, you can go to a car wash to wash your car instead of washing your car at home. Another great way to make a difference is to join in community cleanups. Urban water pollution is a big problem. It can pollute our water in many ways. It can kill humans and many other animals. Urban development can make water pollution and it needs to stop.
RESOURCES
- Kira Zender, city planer
- www.nationgographic.com/http//www.des.nh.gov/org
- KidRex-kid safe search engine
- http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/12br/english/report/physical/iudwq.html