1

RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

Keren Sophia Soto

The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1301
February 17, 2017
Professor Hernandez
 2
RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

Introduction

The acid mine drainage is one of the greatest most serious threats to water. It can destroy

rivers, streams, and aquatic life for hundreds and thousands of years. As the mining releases the

sulfides to the water, and air together they react to form sulfuric acid. This acid can destroy a lot

of things around like rocks, as you may see in Figure 2 the surrounding its getting destroyed

with the minute because of the acid, the acid that the mines produced can be released anywhere.

Has contaminated drinking water, aquifers, creating health risks, destroying fish and wildlife and

their habitat. The primary cause of this lasting pollution is the acid mine drainage. Contaminated

water impacts a lot the health of living resources also agriculture, municipal and industrial water

supplies.

Analysis

The reason that acid mine drainage can be so dangerous its because it can happened

indefinitely even after the mining had ended. At the metal mines like the ones with gold, silver,

and copper they are rich in sulfide minerals. So when the mining releases this to the water and air

together becomes sulfuric acid, acid mine drainage may be release anywhere. The acid that is

being release from the mine causes a lot of damage but the first ones to be harmed are the fish,

animal, and plants. Hardrock mines around the Western United States they require water

treatment for a couple of hundred years. Documents say that over 40 Hardrock mines generate

about 17-27 billion gallons of polluted water each year, as you may see in Figure 1 it explains

with an illustration the facts of how many gallons being pollutes. Existing mines known to
 3
RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

generate perpetual water pollution modern mines operate on a massive scale, and release more

toxics to the environment that any other industry. For them to understand that the process that

they are using is only contributing in making the freshwater into water pollution. Pollution of

many of the mines have already contaminated drinking water aquifers, lakes, and stream. The

water treatment cost of these mines is estimated at $57-67 billion a year, 62% of the mines are

located close to public lands.

Stance

New policies must be ensure to protect them against the decisions that are casing the harm to the

nations waters. The federal law must make sure that the mines dont create water pollution,

some kinds of regulations should be implied in order to protect the waterways. They shouldnt

allow the modern mines produce this type of process some of the mines argue that theres no

funds that can be put into a long-term trust to cover the water treatment cost. There is no way to

financial assurance that will cover the cost of water treatment in perpetuity. Discharging wastes

directly into wetlands, streams, and lakes may be cheaper for the mining industry, but is not the

only way of doing business. Mines could treat their waste, dispose of it responsibility, and still

operate efficiently. The harm that this mines are causing its not only harming the environment or

the living organisms around the water like fish, plants, and animals, but the humans and the

architecture most of the people around the stream depend of that water of the children just simply

play around the stream splash water but the sulfuric acid causes health diseases. This kind of

things shouldnt be happening not because you just want to win some 100 bucks more you

shouldnt destroy everything around theres always a correct method or some kind of process in

other to keep the environment safely. As you may see in figure 1 and 2 they illustrate what its

really happening its not a joke things are actually happening and they are destroying everything
 4
RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

around without leaving anything behind. Every single living organism its disappearing with the

time and that shouldnt be happening. There should be laws applied for mines to dispose their

drainage correctly keeping the water safe and clean.

 5
RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

Visuals

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3
 6
RUNNING HEADER: WATER POLLUTION

Resources

Acid Mine Drainage. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from

https://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/acid_mine_drainage#.WLMJsn8WH3Y

Water pollution from mines - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from
https://www.google.com/search?q=water%2Bpollution%2Bfrom
%2Bmines&biw=1366&bih=659&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic1Lmunq7S
AhXF7yYKHX4-BuoQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=SJ5620Escz0BVM