Ocean Pollutin
Ocean Dumping The practice of ocean dumping should be banned. Marine pollution is at the heart of interest in today's search for a clean environment. Not only does ocean dumping add to the unsightliness of the once beautiful and pristine waters; it also kills the marine life which inhabits those waters. Pollution on a grand-scale is wreaking havoc on the Earth. The ocean is not an exception. In 1996, a bill, which would ban the dumping of dredge spoils in the Long Island Sound, was submitted in congress by Michael Forbes (Freedman). At that time, Congressman Forbes predicted that all dumping in the United States would end in the foreseeable future. He sees ocean dumping ending in the 21st century (Freeman). Unfortunately, ocean dumping is the least expensive way to dispose of dredged materials and other pollutants (Freeman). Although an uphill battle, ocean dumping should be outlawed altogether. In New York City, proposed building of treatment plants was conceptualized (Murphy). This allowed an alternative to ocean dumping; since ocean court decisions and legislation (Murphy) had banned dumping. The sludge may be transported to other states for use as fertilizer (Murphy). Treatment plants are less of an eyesore than pollutants i
n the ocean. Unfortunately, no one wants a treatment facility in "his back yard". Many miles of beaches have been closed over the years, due to ocean dumping. For communities where beaches are tourist attractions, this causes devastating economic consequences. At one point, medical debris washed ashore (Bauman). Congress passed a law at that time that banned the dumping of sewage into the ocean (Bauman). In 1987, an international agreement was signed and a national law was enacted to prevent ocean dumping (Miller). As late as 1995, ocean dumping continued to remain a serious threat (Miller). Tons of trash continued to pollute the nation's beaches. The trash not only threatens marine life; it also threatens the lives of humans (Miller). There was no national plan for managing vessel waste. Enforcement powers for ocean dumping is spread among several agencies. This severely hampered the situation. The Marie Conservation Volunteers scoured more than 95,000 miles of United States coastlines on September 16, 1995 (Miller). More than 140,000 volunteers were involved in this campaign (Miller). In 1994, over 2.8 million pounds of trash were picked up off of lakes, estuaries, and ocean beaches (Miller). This shows that the problem of ocean dumping is not a small one. This is a huge environmental problem. The Environmental Protection Agency should require ocean waste-management plans, in addition to those that have been created for land (Miller). Plastic particles, particularly six-pack rings, are damaging to marine animals. When ingested, plastic is harmful to marine animals. Discarded fishing gear leads to a high mortality rate among birds, fish, turtles, whales, and dolphins (Miller). Unfortunately, humans are also at risk from this form of pollution, due to the fact that trash, which surfaces o
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Approximate Word count = 1213
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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