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(1) Introduction
Throughout history, humans have produced waste for as long as we have existed. Waste generation has been an enduring issue that persists even into the modern age. Because of this waste, ecosystems around the world have been altered by the immense amount of pollution that humans generate in the pursuit of a better life. -
(2) Introduction
From untreated sewage and industrial discharge to plastics and oil spills that permanently damage the environment, the pursuit of progress has left a significant environmental footprint that future generations are being forced to clean up, or risk even more environmental disasters. This accumulation of waste is not only damaging to our health but also has the ability to alter our environment in damaging ways. -
(3) Introduction
As an example, Oil spills have been shown to cover everything that it touches, blanketing everything in a toxic mass. Before 1988, untreated sewage was found to have been flowing into waterways. Not only that but it had been shown that due to accidents and the accumulation of waste, pollutants were shown to wreak havoc on an ecosystem due to the toxic and long-lasting nature of those pollutants. -
(4) Introduction
In response to rampant unregulated waste dumping and the incidents that followed because of the unregulated dumping, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Government recognized the urgent need for intervention. They proposed the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988. This proposed that any and all waste dumped into a waterway was unlawful and illegal, whether it be industrial waste or sewage sludge caused by both rural and urban communities. -
(5) Introduction
The purpose of this timeline is to provide a narrative documenting the tragedies born from short-sided cost-saving measures, the damaging effects any waste can have on an environment, and the measures that were put into place to deal with the waste and the associated damaging effects that come with the waste being present in the environments. The hope of this timeline is to illiterate that societal progress can often come at the expense of human and environmental health. -
(6) Introduction
However, it also illuminates a crucial lesson that these expenses can be mitigated by allowing proper time and care to regulate the processes that damage both the marine and land ecosystems in the first place. By showing that if we as a civilization put our mind and resources into it, societal progress doesn’t have to come at the expense of the health of the planet, but that if we don’t take the time to properly nurture and care for these processes then the results could be immensely damaging. -
(2) Untreated Sewage Flowing Into The East River In Manhattan
By combatting these stressors at the source, we are able to put a stop to any issues that may present in the future due to the waste. -
(1) Untreated Sewage Flowing Into The East River In Manhattan
Cities worldwide would dump untreated sewage and industrial waste into navigable waterways to save money at the environment's cost. For example, Manhattan, New York was found to have outlets leading straight out into the Hudson River(1), thus allowing for an accumulation of waste and chemicals into the waterways, and in turn, damaging our important marine ecosystems. By introducing this waste into our ecosystems, they presented critical stressors to both our environment and our health. -
(2) Bird Dead and Oil-Soaked At Olympic National Park
By implementing and regulating waste disposal, we can stop the unethical dumping practices taking place (3), and continue to support both our health and the health of our ecosystems. -
(1) Bird Dead and Oil-Soaked At Olympic National Park
In 1988, multiple animals were found dead and covered in oil, including a bird due to the Nestucca oil spill off the shores of Olympic National Park in Washington state(2). Whether it be oil, industrial waste, or human waste, it has been shown that these incidents cause massive environmental damage. From damaged shorelines to contaminated water sources that impact the health of humans and local wildlife, the consequences of harmful substances being dumped into any form of a waterway are evident. -
(2) Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988
By having these regulations in place, we can take a direct path to solving the issue of the accumulation of waste in the ocean by stopping the issue at the source. -
(1) Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988
To prevent further environmental disasters from happening due to the accumulation of waste by dumping, the EPA proposed the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988. In a press release featuring the highlights of the bill passed by both the House and the Senate, it is stated that it is unlawful for any person to dump sewage, industrial waste, and or medical waste into any navigable waterway whilst also preventing the transportation of waste within coastal wasters by a vessel without a permit (4). -
(2) New York to Mark End of Sewage Sludge Dumping
Because of the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988, it was declared that all forms of waste dumping into any waterway must cease as of December 31, 1991 (7). The systems implemented by the Ocean Dumping Ban to stop the illegal dumping of waste, such as fines and legal action, have been instrumental in stopping the degradation of marine life, and have allowed ecosystems to repair themselves over the years. -
(1) New York to Mark End of Sewage Sludge Dumping
On June 30, 1992, a press release that was released to the public stated how New York City produces almost five million wet tons of sludge annually. The Image shown is an example of how the sewage is discharged (5). This sludge is dumped into bodies of water, causing both human and marine health issues, and thus William K. Reilly declared an end to all waste dumping as of June 30, 1992 (6). -
(1) 1700 Hazardous-Waste Management Site Cleanups
By 1999, most hazardous waste sources were cleaned up, but work still needed to be done. In a press release by the EPA to the public, the EPA accelerated the cleanup of 1700 toxic waste sites and encouraged creative and flexible approaches to ensuring cost-effective cleanup processes to stop the generation, storage, and threat that these sites hold to both human and environmental health (8). -
(2) 1700 Hazardous-Waste Management Site Cleanups
Due to the enforcement of the ban, there was work being done to limit the generation and spread of such hazards. The ban has allowed for reforms to be made across the nation and thus has allowed for the protection and cleanup of marine environments in hundreds of areas. -
(1) Endnotes
- (1) Alexander Hope, Untreated Sewage From Manhattan, New York, Flowing Into The East River At 79th Street and East River Drive, June 1974, Photograph, National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/555781?objectPage=3
- (2) Mike Gurling, Bird Dead and Oil-Soaked At Second Beach, 1988, Photograph, University Libraries, Olympic National Park, https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/nps/id/1857
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(3) Endnotes
- (5) Frank J. Aleksandrowicz, City Pump Station Discharges Sewage Into The Cuyahoga River, July 1973, Photograph, National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/550206?objectPage=3
- (6) Environmental Protection Agency, “Reilly In New York To Mark End of Sewage Sludge Dumping,” EPA Press Release, June 30, 1992.
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(2) Endnotes
- (3) Alexander Hope, Untreated Sewage From Manhattan, New York, Flowing Into The East River At 79th Street and East River Drive, June 1974, Photograph, National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/555781?objectPage=3
- (4) US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA History: Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988, EPA Press Release, 1988
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(4) Endnote
- (7) US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA History: Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988, EPA Press Release, 1988
- (8) Environmental Protection Agency, “For Release: July 8, 1999, EPA, States To Accelerates Clean Ups At More Than 1700 Hazardous-Waste Management Sites,” EPA Press Release, July 08, 1999.