Many think erroneously that fertiliser runoff is the main culprit of water pollution of our estuaries, rivers, marshes and lakes, e.g.
But this incredulously is not the case. And the Clean Water Act has missed it, i.e., the massive amounts of manure that especially large livestock farms, or factory farms, produce untreated, stored and used as compost sprayed on crop fields where it runs off into estuaries, creeks, marshes, rivers and lakes, e.g.
Outrageously there are no federal or state laws requiring these factory farms to treat this animal waste that is the culprit of the disgusting algae blooms as water warms up destroying our commune with nature and property values as well.
Cities and other population centers, however, are required to treat by law feces human waste prior to discharge into nature and our water supply.
In Iowa alone where there are seven hogs for each individual, according to the NYTimes App, it will likely take 22,000 years to clean up this environmental disaster at the current pace.
One major obstacle to passing into law this critical to our health as well as our environment legislation mandating farms to treat their waste and not run it off into our nature and our nation’s water supply is the so-called Barnyard Lobby made up of larger factory farm lobbyists around legislatures that effectively prevent from passing responsible, necessary and very urgent public-good legislation in this area.
Friends of clean water, including activists, advocates and legislatures, in the new year need to co-sponsor bills that effectively require these farmers to take care of the public good.
Legislation should be passed as soon as possible that safeguards our drinking water and improves our natural quality of life in our estuaries, rivers, marshes and lakes allowing us to enjoy our God-given right to our pursuit of happiness.
We should all be able to enjoy nature, swim, canoe as well as other sacred rights and activities that have been consecrated upon us by God and the Constitution to commune with and love our nature.
This legislation would also mandate a safe and healthy supply of clean water, including adequate and healthy drinking water for centuries.