Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989

Leaked an estimated 750,000 barrels of oil

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989

Leaked an estimated 750,000 barrels of oil

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 1989

Spill covered 11,000 square miles

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Leaked an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Water depth was ~1.5 km; Took 5 months to contain

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2010

Groundwater Pollution

Different types of groundwater pollution

13 fires broke out on the Cuyahoga River: 1868 - 1969

Standard Oil, Cleveland (John D. Rockefeller)

“The Lord can make you tumble,

The Lord can make you turn,

The Lord can make you rock and roll,

But the Lord can’t make you burn.

Burn on, big river, burn on.”

(Randy Newman, “Burn on, Big River”)

The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire helped spur an avalanche of water pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act (1972), Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (1970).

Economist and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman referred to the Cuyahoga fire as the start of “environmentalism”.

Water quality has improved and, partially in recognition of this improvement, the Cuyahoga River was designated as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998.

Important National Water Quality Regulations:

1899: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (30 Statute 1221)1912: Public Health Service Act 1924: Oil Pollution Act1948: Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Public Law 80-845)1965: Water Quality Act (Public Law 89-234)1966: Clean Waters Restoration Act (Public Law 89-753)1968: Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Public Law 90-542)1969: National Environmental Policy Act (Public Law 91-190)1970: Water Quality Improvement Act (Public Law 91-224)1972: Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972 (“Clean Water Act”) (Public Law 92-500)1974: Safe Drinking Water Act (Public Law 93-523)1976: Toxic Substances Control Act (Public Law 94-469)1977: Clean Water Act (Public Law 95-217)1987: Water Quality Act (Public Law 100-4)1996: Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (Public Law 104-182)

Important National Air Quality Regulations:

1955: Air Pollution Control Act (Public Law 84-159)1963: Clean Air Act (Public Law 88-206)1965: Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act (Public Law 89-272)1966: Clean Air Act Amendments (Public Law 89-675)1967: Air Quality Act (Public Law 90-148)1969: National Environmental Policy Act (Public Law 91-190)1970: Clean Air Act Extension (Public Law 91-604)1976: Toxic Substances Control Act (Public Law 94-469)1977: Clean Air Act Amendments (Public Law 95-95)1990: Clean Air Act Amendments (Public Law 101-549)

Pollution along the Androscoggin River near the Berlin (NH) Paper Mill

Pollution along the Androscoggin River near the Berlin (NH) Paper Mill

Pollution along the Androscoggin River near the Berlin (NH) Paper Mill

Pollution along the Androscoggin River near the Berlin (NH) Paper Mill

Pollution along the Androscoggin River near the Berlin (NH) Paper Mill

The Androscoggin River today

Trends of trash disposal

2007 2014 (Projected)

Change over time in U.S. Recycling Rates

Recycling rates vary greatly by country

Recycling rates vary greatly by country

Where do you think the U.S. is on this chart?

Recycling rates vary greatly by country

Where do you think the U.S. is on this chart?

0.76 metric tons/person-yr (4.6 lbs/person-day)

U.S. Recycling Rates, by Material

What is in our trash?

Plastic in the Ocean

Plastic is dissolving faster than expected.

Good news – amount of pieces of plastic not increasing. Bad news – the plastic is toxic to ocean life.

Plastic in the Ocean – trapped in ocean gyres