Tag: pollution
Properly Dispose of Unused Medications During National Prescription Drug Takeback Day
October 19, 2021Do you have unused or unneeded medications in your home? If you’re considering flushing them down the toilet, please DON’T! Instead, dispose of them safely, at no charge, during the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s 20th National Prescription Drug Takeback Day on Saturday, Oct. 23 at sites across the greater Lehigh Valley. A nationwide total…
Why Does Wastewater Need to be Treated?
May 1, 2019Above, untreated wastewater pollutes a waterway in India. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we’ve been doing a series of posts explaining how wastewater is treated. In our last one, we talked about how solids are removed from wastewater, then sent to the primary settling tanks for stabilization and treatment. What we haven’t covered…
Algae: Green menace or green solution?
November 8, 2017For all that we’ve written here about algae — like the fish-killing, toxic effect algal blooms have on Lake Erie and other waterways, and the role that nutrient pollution has on accelerating its growth — you’d think we absolutely detest the tiny organisms. But like everything in nature, algae has a purpose, and researchers have…
How are you celebrating Water Quality Month?
August 19, 2017August is National Water Quality Month, a time to celebrate — and appreciate — the role that clean, drinkable water plays in our lives. We’ve compiled a list of 9 things that you can do show your appreciation for, and commitment to, clean water. But don’t just do them this month: Every month should be…
Clean waterways are healthy waterways
July 23, 2017We’re blessed with an abundance of waterways in the Lehigh Valley — ponds, lakes, rivers and streams all give us ample opportunity for swimming, boating, and fishing. Anglers are especially lucky, as the region boasts a number of high-quality trout streams. There are steps we can all take in order to keep these waterways healthy,…
10 ways to ditch plastics
February 22, 2017Back in January, we wrote about the flood of plastic trash that’s polluting our waterways. We’re going to revisit that post again today, add some more details, and include a few more suggestions about what you can do to reduce your use of plastic. Plastic is, literally, everywhere. We use plastic utensils, plates, cups and…
Plastics are polluting our waterways
January 26, 2017If you’ve seen The Graduate, you might remember the immortal words of Mr. McGuire to Benjamin Braddock: “There’s a great future in plastics.” In the 50 years since that movie’s debut, it’s become clear that those were wise words — at least from an investor’s point of view: Civilization has become addicted to plastic. And…
From deep underground to deep trouble
August 1, 2016Can you name the next big thing in the mining industry? A newfound vein of gold or silver, perhaps? Rare earths that are used in cell phones? Previously untapped supplies of coal? Nope. It’s water. In India and other countries all over the globe, people have given up traditional farming and instead are selling water…
Aye, robot: Tiny techno tools can remove heavy metals from water
May 26, 2016Imagine a scene that sounds like it’s straight out of “Star Trek”: a scientist releases thousands of tiny robots into a heavily contaminated water supply. Within an hour, the water’s almost clean. According to an article from Water Online, this story isn’t science fiction at all. Researchers from Singapore, Germany and Spain have created…
Beware of the blob!
May 12, 2016According to the Ohio EPA, a toxic blob of PCB-laced sediment in Lake Erie is creeping closer and closer to a drinking water supply that’s used by 11 million people. Where’s Steve McQueen when you need him? While this blob may not be from outer space, its origins are just as creepy: It’s leftover sludge…