municipalities
www. groundup. org. za
Settlements along rivers unintentionally pollute their water source.
He explains:“ As brake pads wear away, they create fine copper dust. This then settles on the road surfaces and when it rains, it is mobilised and washed into rivers. There was an initiative in California, in the San Francisco estuary,( a back-of-theenvelope level of science initially) where it was estimated that half the copper measured in solution could be attributed to or explained by, wear and tear from brake-pads,” he shares.“ It’ s the science of unintended consequences,” he adds with a grin.
So what to do about it
According to D’ Arcy, the US is the first country to systematically recognise that diffuse pollution is an issue. He continues:“ Think the Dustbowl in the 1930s and soil erosion. When you convert land from natural to intensive usage – however that happens, whether it’ s towns or cities, livestock farming or forestry – when there is land conversion, that is the first big hit the environment gets. You then
have to mitigate the consequences with a whole suite of techniques.” D’ Arcy says that included in these techniques are physical solutions, like creating a buffer zone, where the intensive activity is moved back, away from the water edge, even though it is along the river’ s edge that settlements develop.
“ Hedgerows are also a way to prevent garbage being dumped in rivers, serving as a buffer zone against sewage-rich run-off, car maintenance, and other activities within a settlement that generate pollution. It also looks nice, creating a sense of pride, where people are less likely to‘ abuse’ their own environment by dumping garbage on their side of the hedgerow,” D’ Arcy adds.
The increasing world population however, threatens even more challenges for managing diffuse pollution, and requires urgent public awareness around this invisible threat. u
Brian D’ Arcy is an independent environmental consultant.
Sources: Diffuse water pollution: an invisible and growing threat – http:// oecdinsights. org / 2017 / 03 / 22 / diffuse-waterpollution-growing-threat
Diffuse sources – https:// www. eea. europa. eu / themes / water / water-pollution / diffuse-sources
Nonpoint source pollution – http:// www. pollutionissues. com / Na-Ph / Nonpoint- Source-Pollution. html
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40 Water Sewage & Effluent November / December 2017