The Cities Are Susceptible to Pollution

All major towns and cities are susceptible to pollution, it comes in various forms. One of the main areas affected are ports. What people may not realize is that everything that goes “into” something must also “come out”, and when it does it needs a place to be deposited. Unfortunately, this place ends up being the ports and waterways of your fair town. There are several forms of pollution found here, and three of those methods are known as: Urban and Industrial Runoff, Stormwater and Sewage, and Runoffs caused by Shipyards.

The term runoff, is referred to as water from melted snow and rain that is not absorbed into the ground. It is held up by the soil, but moves through the ground and loosened soil. “As it moves, it picks up various types of pollution and then deposits it into lakes, ponds, coastal waters and underground sources of drinking water” (Tox Town 2014). Urban and Industrial runoff however, comes from cities and the suburbs. These areas are more likely to have a lot of roads, parking areas, construction zones and industrial facilities. In cities and suburbs, where much of the land is paved or covered -- streets, buildings, shopping centers, airport runways-- rainwater runs off as much as ten times faster than on unpaved land. Since this water cannot be absorbed into the soil, it flows rapidly down storm drains or through sewer systems, contributing to floods and often carrying debris and other pollutants to streams. “The pollution in urban and industrial runoff can contaminate drinking water, harm or kill fish and wildlife, destroy marine habitat, and make recreational areas unsafe and unpleasant” (Tox Town 2014).

Another contributor to the pollution of city ports is known as Storm water and Sewage. Storm water is similar to that of Industrial runoff in the sense that it too occurs when rain or melted snow flows into the ground. As it runs down streets, sidewalks, yards etc., it picks up dirt, chemicals, as well as pesticides, and dumps them into larger bodies of water. However, polluted storm water, can also flow into sewer systems, which then flows underground and dumps into lakes, streams, rivers and even large bodies of coastal waters. This water is sometimes used in sources of drinking water, swimming areas and fishing spots. Sanitary sewer overflows often contain raw sewage, which in turn carries various forms of bacteria, parasites, worms and even mold. If these things make it into water sources used for consumption, they can cause a range of illnesses, which vary from stomach cramps to cholera and infectious hepatitis. By maintain a regular maintenance schedule can help to reduce the amount of pollute runoff that leaves an area or property.

The final contender in aiding to the destruction of water coastal waterways, is none other than the shipyards themselves. Shipyards are essentially used for shipbuilding, repairing, moderate maintenance and breaking down of ships. A lot of shipyards