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Choose one of the videos from the link provided. State why you choose the video you did. Follow the link on the webpage provided to the information about the Clean Water Act. Describe the CWA and discuss the improvement that are proposed to the rule change as well as the parts of the CWA that will remain unchanged.
Link to Videos
42 Comments
Jake Vail
10/20/2014 07:29:28 am
I knew our waterways weren't in the best shape, but I had no idea that one in three Americans is drawing from polluted waters. The situation in Toledo is absolutely appalling. Again, I knew of algae blooms but I almost had the attitude of "so what, its just a little algae" . Then I saw the video of Toledo and how they showed the thickness of the algae, that's NASTY. It kind of reminds me of when I went to Venice. For most of you, you hear Venice and you picture clear flowing blue water. This is not the case, the water there is cloudy and green, I can imagine that when the City floods, all of the garbage and tourist waste gets washed right into that green water. It is such a shame, we should be able to find ways to better take care of our waterways, and in essence, ourselves.
Gi Fazio
10/20/2014 10:45:27 am
I have actually heard that waters like those in Venice are not in good condition, but like you I don't think I wanted to believe it. It must be eye opening to really see the effects of water pollution firsthand, especially in a place like Venice which is so well known for its apparent beauty. It really is a shame that such magnificent places are slowly degrading in water quality, but I am hopeful that we can help.
Alyssa Lofaro
10/21/2014 08:20:22 am
Jake, you make an excellent point, how cities that are thought of as these beatiful cities, there waterways are actually very populated. When I went to Toledo, Spain (1hour south of Madrid), this city was suppose to be a picturess city, with a crystal clear river running through it, according to the tour website but when we arrived there we arrived there, like you, realized that this river wasn't all it was said to be.It's sad how these well known tourist attractions around the world are becoming stricken with water pollution making these cities "nasty". Hopefully, people and the tourists who visit these sights realize what type of impact there having on these once beautiful places and start changing there ways.
Kaitlyn Gibbons
10/27/2014 03:34:18 am
When you told me about the condition of Venice's waterways when you visited, I was appalled. I always expected cities such as Venice to be beautiful filled with clear water. It is unfortunate that we are ruining our waterways. We should try to continue the beauty that existed in these places many years ago.
Gi Fazio
10/20/2014 10:39:53 am
I chose the video entitled "Sorry" because I was curious to see what we are sorry about and to whom. The video was pretty compelling because it is like an apology to the next generation due to our over pollution of the waters. It is disheartening to think that by turning a blind eye to water protection now, we are endangering the livelihood of not only ourselves but all those who are younger than us as well. However, even the video exclaims that we can change their fate by supporting the Clean Water Act. It's purpose is to "protect all waters of the United States". It protects tributaries and surrounding areas leading into bodies of water, including wetlands and flood plains. A change to the CWA ensures long-time protection of homeowner's lands and increased protection of streams.
Brian Sputh
10/27/2014 02:10:50 am
I agree with you Gi. We have to make sure that the pollution we have created be taken care of for the younger people of the world. By cleaning up the pollution now we can set an example for younger children that is it important to take care of water pollution, because ultimately they are the future of our planet.
Alyssa Lofaro
10/21/2014 08:34:03 am
I chose the video entitled "sorry" because out of all of the videos this one intrigued me to know, What are they sorry for? After watching this video though, within the first few seconds, I found out what "they" are sorry for, but really what "we" are sorry for. This video was saying sorry to our next generation because when there our age, they might not have any clean drinking water for themselves and for the first time american history this generation could know a life without clean drinking water, which is very sad to think about because they did nothing wrong to cause this, it was the older generations fault. Although, at the end of the video, the director of the video makes appoint that if we all follow "Clear Water Act" or the CWA we will be able to change our ways and protect all of Americas waterways.
Emma Philbin
10/21/2014 10:20:48 am
I agree with the video you watched and you, if we do not fix the problems now, our future generations will never know the beauty our waters once contained, they will be sorry. If we continue the rate we are polluting our waters, our future generation will most differently not know what clean and pollutant-free waters are. Our mistakes now will forever effect our future generations, and they will be unable to fix our faults.
Tara litvin
10/26/2014 06:15:34 am
I agree. They did nothing to cause this, but they will be the ones to suffer. If pollution continues and nothing changed the next generations will never know what it's like to have clean water to drink and swim in. All they will know is pollution and toxicity because of us.
William Fridrich
10/21/2014 08:58:22 pm
That is an excellent point. We can't see this as someone else's problem or someone else's fault, as this is our problem. This is what we are dealing with now, and whether or not we are the direct cause, we are the ones who can hopefully put a stop to it. Unless we want to have to apologize to the next generation, and likely even our own with the way things have been going, than proposals such as the CWA need to be taken more seriously so we can save our waterways.
Jake Vail
10/22/2014 03:33:54 am
Alyssa, you make a very good point. Sorry, really hit home for me and it was also hard for me to believe that WE are causing the problem. I know that if we don't do something fast, they might be appologizing as we'll.
Emma Philbin
10/21/2014 10:17:23 am
I had chosen to watch the 10 most beautiful US lakes in America for summer vacation. I'm not quite sure as to why I chose to watch that video. I guess part of me expected to see before and after pictures of lakes, having the creator of the video having a satirical tone of the most "beautiful" lakes no longer beautiful but destroyed, but i was surprised to see otherwise. It was literally a video of beautiful lakes. But nevertheless, it still had an immense impact of how pristine these lakes are and how we need to preserve them before it is too late. I then read the article about the Clean Water act. Under that act, they promised to "protect all waters of the U.S." But with 20 million wetland acres and 2 million stream miles still being polluted, it is not doing as promised.These rivers are home to countless fish and wetland species that need to be protected. The Supreme court ruled to fix some of the acts flaws (clarify directly its purpose and protected areas), but is facing difficulty from industries who are determined to fight this change. I find this appalling that people would rather make money than protect the lakes and the species within them. What these industries don't realize i that we are all interconnected, you destroy the ecosystems of lakes, you hinder people as well. The ignorance and selfishness of most industries need to be dealt with first if we want any chance of preserving our waters.
Alyssa Ruml
10/29/2014 08:59:10 am
I agree with you completely! I also find it so ridiculous that so many people would rather make money than protect our wildlife and keep our environment healthy.
Brian Sputh
10/21/2014 11:25:09 am
I chose the video "Toledo's Lesson: Protect Water". I chose this video becuase just based on the title and the description it tells of how the city of Toledo is trying to set itself apart from other cities in how to protect their clean drinking water. Over this past summer the residents of Toledo couldn't drink from their taps. A algae pool that had grown in Lake Erie had poisoned the water, making it undrinkable. Lake Erie had lost 90% of its wetlands due to runoff entering the lake and contaminating it. The Clean Water Act is set to protect America's "majestic" waterways. If algae blooms in Lake Erie continue to grow Lake Erie will not be the "majestic" waterway that it once was. The end of the video encourages people to follow the Clean Water Act to ensure that Lake Erie maintains its beauty and majestic qualities. Now is the time to make sure that what happened to Lake Erin doesn't happen to other waterways in the U.S.
Hannah Schrader
10/21/2014 12:11:56 pm
This us nicely put Brian , the CWA is supposed to be protecting "majestic " waterways but as pollution heightens the waterways are becoming less and less majestic.And we do need to make sure that the bad algae plume that took place in Lake Erie doesn't not happen anywhere else because it could be devastating.
Emma Schrader
10/21/2014 11:34:02 am
I watched the video on Toledo's lesson, I chose this video because it seem the most interesting to me. In Toledo, Ohio they weren't allowed to use thier Tao water because of the algae blooms in Lake Erie. This video pushed that in a few years our waters may be so polluted that we can't even use them in our daily lives. The clean water act is in place to protect American waters and make sure that they are safe to the public and marine animals. Under the clean water act it is illegal to dump any sort of pollution into a point source without a permit
Julie Marro
10/21/2014 11:53:25 am
I chose to watch the video "What will we tell the children?" because one of the most popular and compelling arguments in favor of protecting the environment is quality of life for future generations. People think that negative effects of our actions are so far off in the future that they don't need to worry about them. But we really do, because even if the water isn't completely dirty during our time, it could be for future generations if we continue to pollute it. This video shows us that we need to support the CWA for the children of future generations. It is unfortunate that the CWA was passed 42 years ago but there still is so much water that is unprotected. Support of the restoration proposed under this act will help us move towards a cleaner, safer future.
Hannah Schrader
10/21/2014 12:07:33 pm
I chose the video about Toledo because it showed a picture of a town on the edge of a waterway and it reminded me if sayville. I wondered if we has anything in common and I hope we don't. That city's water was so green and thick that it didn't even look like water it looked like a swamp. It is so scary to think that something as simple as pure clean water is so hard to obtain . Would supporting the Clean Water Act help? It is supposed yo protect the waterways if the U.S, and changes to it guarentee cleaner waters however I feel as though it is doing a bad job considering we can't even get enough healthy drinking water
Nicholas Cowan
10/21/2014 12:13:51 pm
I chose the video titled "protect the right to explore." I chose this one because it was not one that expressed our harm to the water through statistical numbers but rather through the prospective of a kid who simply wants to explore what is around the next bend in the river. No doubt numbers have a great meaning but sometimes we have to stop looking at an issue from a logistical point of view and start looking at it more emotionally: in this case through the eyes of someone who will be feeling the brunt of the impact of our stupid blunders. I'm sure the boy's message was simply to express that he wants to explore but on a deeper level, the area around the bend could represent the future for the next generations: the more we progress, as we are now, without reversing our detrimental ways the more likely that the future will be lost. In other words, that kid might one day turn that bend to find that the river is paved over and a shopping mall was placed on top. What did I get from this: we need to stop crushing children's future dreams. To do this, a great step would be to support the Clean Water Act that protects waterways and wetlands in the United States for swimming, fishing, playing, and of course exploring, today as well as for the generations of the future. A new proposal to the act would better enforce this protection and maybe, just maybe, allow that boy to one day turn that bend and find a whole new area full of new and better wetland adventures.
Sarah Walsh
10/22/2014 09:41:55 am
I agree that it is important to look at the issue from an emotional standpoint, too, rather than just viewing the facts. We know that our choices will impact the future generation, but actually seeing a real individual- an innocent, adventurous little kid- that our actions may be harming is very powerful.
Corinne Caminske
10/21/2014 12:24:11 pm
I chose the 10 most beautiful lakes in the US to watch because I spend a week every summer at Lake Placid and was interested to see the other lakes that had the same beauty. Though, an interesting aspect of the video was the only Lake that showed a close view was of Lake Tahoe, which is probably the cleanest of them all. I can say from experience that Lake Placid is beautiful from a distance, but you don't really want to swim in it after you see all the garbage floating around. As for the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, I feel that at the time congress passed it to pacific the environmentalists. Though work was done to help our lakes, that work was halted when the government decided to play a role again. I was not surprised that it took until this year to ascertain American rivers in need of our help; however, the work can't stop here! There's a variety of species that still need our help. "The decade loss of protection has taken its toll", but it's not irrecoverable
Nicholas Cowan
10/23/2014 02:23:08 am
I find it amazing that we have been able to ignore the downfall of lakes for so long. Many of us have had personal experiences of visiting a lake in the summer and maybe staying at a summer home there. We know which lakes are beautiful and which have been polluted to destruction, yet there has been little change done. We just like to think ourselves as disconnected from the natural world but in reality, the barrier between us and our surrounding environment is far thinner than we would like to believe.
William Fridrich
10/21/2014 08:53:03 pm
I feel as though video #2: Do you Choose Clean Water? is one of the most gripping videos in terms of how it provides information. That being said, the fact that one in three Americans get their drinking water from streams is something that I had no idea about. It's sort of ingrained in our minds that many people in our country have access to some form of clean water, or at least that's what we'd like to believe. Given the current conditions of the lakes and streams nearby, knowing that there are places around the country that are worse than ours in terms of pollution, it's scary to think that people are taking the water from these polluted streams to drink. Also, given the trend of people in general over the recent years, it's safe to say that all of our waterways- not just within the nation, but around the world- are in danger of pollution, and more steps such as those being currently taken by through the Clean Water Act must be made if we are to hope to have clean water for the future. This isn't just about us, it's about the plants and animals that live in these habitats, and the impact that the pollution could have not just on them, but on the entire world.
Anthony Pacia
10/22/2014 09:07:36 am
I agree that we need to support more regulations on our water because it is essential to all life and must be protected to sustain life. Polluted water harms various organisms in an ecosystem usually leading to a declining number of these organisms which affects all other life in the ecosystem. Since every organism has a role in an ecosystem, reducing the population of a certain species will affect other species that consume or are consumed by the declining species. This is why we must preserve clean water because polluted water doesn't just affect us it affects wildlife as well.
Anthony Pacia
10/22/2014 08:54:04 am
I chose video 2 which said that 1 in 3 Americans get water from streams that are vulnerable to pollution. That is a staggering amount of people who are potentially exposed to pollution and it makes me wonder what kind of effects it can have on them and future generations. By drinking contaminated water, people risk getting diseases like E.coli and Typhoid fever and could be exposed to heavy metals which can lead to birth defects and cancer. If we don't clean up our water, people will be exposed to various ailments that will negatively affect them and society for years to come.
Sarah Walsh
10/22/2014 09:00:28 am
I watched the video entitled "The Top Most Beautiful Lakes in the US for Summer Vacation", primarily because I have a pretty intense affinity for Lake Tahoe and I knew it would be included. Though this video isn't a direct rallying call to protect our country's bodies of water, watching it is a reminder of how much we have to lose. We're fortunate to still have so much beauty left around us. Our lakes could easily deteriorate, could full patterns set in place by areas like Toledo. We must cherish and protect what we have before it is too late.Though the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the Supreme Court narrowly interpreted the scope of waters covered by the act and the Bush administration subsequently acted in ways that destroyed the framework of the Clean Water Act.The new proposed rule looks to protect all of the tributaries of waters already covered by the Clean Water Act and all of the wetlands, lakes, or other waters within or near the floodplains of these tributaries.
Owen Guinessey
10/23/2014 11:55:31 am
I watched this video too, I think politics are holding back conservation like what the Bush administration did to the Clean Water Act. There shouldn't be a political question involved.
Joseph Mullen
10/22/2014 12:03:37 pm
I chose the 4th video because when I think of the future of our waterways, I often imagine what it will be like for future generations. At our current rate, I personally do not have much hope for the quality of our water for future generations. The steps being made are not enough. The clean water act is key to improving the quality of our waterways. If the right proposal is made, I believe that the Clean Water Act will be enough to help protect and improve our waterways not just for the next generation, but for many more to come.
Lucas Brennan
10/23/2014 06:57:56 am
I chose the video entitled sorry because the title itself peaked my interest. At first the child's happy faces gave it a happy tone. As it progressed the music and the happiness of the child's faces were contrasted by the dismal text. It's a harsh reality to face that it is us that is ruining the water for future generations. The first step, in my opinion is to face that there is a problem and then from there we as a populace can work together to ameliorate the issue at hand. If we continue with the philosophy that ignorance is bliss we will have to tell our kids what we did, or in this case didn't do, to cause their water to be unusable and of deplorable quality. Sorry was a short video but was very powerful and I hope that we can learn from it.
Joseph Mullen
10/23/2014 11:43:47 am
I agree that Sorry makes it difficult to ignore the fact that it is our actions and lack of reform that is causing such serious damage to our waterways. This video really helps to encourage people to stop being so ignorant to what is going on and the importance of reforms to the CWA.
Olivia Kaczmarek
10/23/2014 08:58:09 am
I chose to watch the video "Do you Choose Clean Water?" simply because the title intrigued me. It's scary to think that 1 in 3 Americans don't have access to clean water. We use water for so many things from drinking to farming to swimming. The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 to protect all of Americas waterways. In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agencies and Army Corps of Engineers proposed to restore all protection to waters that are already covered by the CWA and to add all wetlands, lakes, and other waters within the floodplains of the tributeries. Even with this proposal many important waterways will still be left unprotected. Although the unprotected waterways are not in major floodplains, they can still contribute to pollution in downstream rivers and bays.
Corinne Caminske
10/25/2014 05:59:35 am
It is terrifying to think that 1 out of 3 Americans don't have clean water, especially because Americans think this doesn't effect us. Our waterways need to be better regulated and protected for the American people! And as we learned from the video on Thursday, water moves all over the place. Eventually, unprotected water could get into the protected water.
Ryan O'Donnell
10/23/2014 08:59:42 am
I picked the video that was about Toledo. I picked this one since it looked interesting, and i wanted to see what happened there. After watching the video, it is scary to think that it could happen anywhere. The Clean water act is the main federal act to protect Americas waters. Even though many waters are still not protected. The changes in place will cover more tributaries that aren't covered by the act. But still many bodys of water aren't covered. I think it is important that we protect our waters, so it can keep our drinking water safe.
Lucas Brennan
10/23/2014 10:38:38 pm
You make a stellar point when u say that it is imperative to cover a broader spectrum of waterways. There needs to be a federal presence in the environment and staying poised in this fact is crucial.
Robert Boos
10/30/2014 10:19:34 pm
I agree with both of you. We must keep our water clean before it is too late.
Owen Guinessey
10/23/2014 11:22:28 am
I picked the video about the most beautiful US lakes. After seeing these, I understand more completely why its important to keep water clean. These places wouldn't have been nearly as impressive if they were polluted and the water was dirty.
Tara Litvin
10/26/2014 06:33:39 am
I chose the video, "Sorry". The generations that are presently living are destroying life as we know it for the future generations. We are polluting our water ways beyond belief. If this continues, the next children to live on Earth will never know what it's like to drink, swim, and play in clean water, and it will be entirely our fault. There is no way to say sorry for that. Action must be tasken to protect the water so this does not continue. The CWA protects "waters of the United States," however it doesnt protect them all, which I believe it should. A rule was proposed by the EPA and ACE to restore protection to all tributaries, wetlands, and lakes, but not man-made lakes, ponds. The rule will greatly help water that is covered by it, but ones that arent will greatly suffer.
Kaitlyn Gibbons
10/27/2014 03:31:49 am
I chose to watch "The Ten Most Beautiful Lakes" because I have never visited a lake and wanted to see what the most beautiful looked like. The lakes in the video were truly beautiful but it made me think, what do they actually look like in real life?
Evan D'Agostino
10/27/2014 10:58:59 am
I watched the video entitled "Sorry" because I wanted to understand why they were apologizing. I was not aware that the pollution in today's water systems could cause great negative affects to our generation and future generations. The fact that we are already seeing the effects of water pollution should be alarming
Alyssa Ruml
10/29/2014 08:53:56 am
I chose the video "Protect the Right to Explore" because I was intrigued about what the boy had to say. It's awesome to see how passionate the boy was about exploring various rivers. It also made me a little sad because the time he has to enjoy this river may be limited due to how rapidly polluted bodies of water are becoming.
Robert Boos
10/30/2014 10:18:23 pm
I chose "The Ten Most Beautiful Lakes". Nature is beautiful in so many ways and to me, it is the most valuable resource we have. We need to protect this resource because we will not realize its true value until it is gone.
Kyle Wilson
11/11/2014 12:44:14 pm
I chose the video entitled "10 most beautiful lakes" because I enjoy seeing the beauty of nature. All of the lakes in the video were in isolated surroundings and I believe that contributes to them keeping their beauty. However, we must take precaution now so that these lakes do not become polluted or destroyed. Leave a Reply. |
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