This is a partial c&p from my thread on a Fish kill in Panama City Beach Florida.
Any large industry can and does discharge debris.
The paper mill here "accidentally" dumped a slug of PH 14++ caustic into the river. Over 200 miles downstream the surface tension of the caustic effluent still remained intact. Still the PH meter pegged out at 14+
Fish swimming through were blinded and had severe burns to the gills, varying to length of exposure.
A fine ensued.
A carpet fiber plant secretly dumped all sorts of solvents for plastic fiber and carpet dye into a local river for decades.
The city's water intake was less than 1/16 mile downstream on the same side.
The odor of "City Water" when i was a kid was reported as "Chlorine"
however a trip to the city pool revealed a totally different odor, hmmm, carpet dye and chlorine are different.
This area of Ga is known as having one of the highest cancer rates in the nation.
Like the City of Atlanta, they pay millions in fines from raw sewage dumping daily into the Chattachoee River.
Cities downstream, like Columbus Ga have to pay for super water filtration units to remove the mass of filth.
Sorry to pick on the military, whom I am a staunch supporter, just accountability needs to cover everyone.. with the understanding the needs to maintain National Security, just spend a little bit more to dispose of hazardous elements properly.
Has anyone seen the film "Savannah River Project" ?
It details the haphazard handling Dupont Nemours did while managing the Barnwell SC Tritium plant.
They dropped so much hot stuff, that the DNR has to trap ground burrowing animals and euthanize them and store them in low level reposotories.
Large boxes of tools, rags, plant debris, all low level rad stuff, were buried on site since the beginning of the plants operation.
Trace elements of those produced can be detected in the water aquafer for 4 states, including SW SC, middle GA, Eastern Ala then extending due north into Tenn.
The rate of consumption of raw materials by the US is so great that if the entire world did as we do, it would take 7 planets to furnish these raw materials.
The end result of this mass of production, is the most horrendus waste disposal man has ever known. We bury it in landfills, knowing that water leaching through the soil will carry even household wastes into the water supply.
We insist on poisoning ourselves.
Stupidity extends today.
F, few care about recycling, letting the faucets drip, fixing the oil leaks on the 4 cars in the yard.
Industrial giants give preciious little attention to disposal of "small amounts" of liquid oil, just put some oil absorbent on it and put it in a plastic bag, never mind that the weight of soil at the dump will puncture the bag, allowing water to disperse it to the aquefer.
1/4 gallon of used motor oil will render 100,000 gallons of water undrinkable, by US standards.
Stopping mis-management of our forests, which results in fire hazards and lack of proper nutrition for forest animals
Except in the 100' wide buffers left on the highways, the animals have little to forage on, so thousands of animal/car accidents each year lead to increased bag limits to rid our lands of "excess deer".
Per Ga DNR the Deer population has not increased very much, however these tiny "buffers" left by forrest owners has forced the animals out of the Pine forests to the roadside as it is the only home left.
The carnage begins in earnest.
Leading to a point,
Mishandling of this poor earth will take its toll on many citizens, especially those yet to be born.
If someone makes statements regarding the dumping of hazardous wastes or forest mismanagement, then they are labeled "Tree Huggers"
I am in favor of a strong economy, successful business and a safe country free of maniacs [pipe dream]
However, if the mass of this country does not stand up and stop the poisioning of the earth, not only will the fish die, so will we.
Most Sincerely
Doc
edit;
Congress enacted the first law governing discharge into the waterways many years ago.
It states that no ship, business or person shall dump hazardous wastes into any river, stream, creek or tributary of any water way.
This was enacted in 1899
Still violated ..
Our forefathers saw need to protect the water, big money does not share this view
(some folks say that may explain things about me 
) and it wasn't for another 6 or 7 years before the city came out and gave us city water (MUCH better coughcough) and it became a superfund site shortly after...) corporations really don't give a rats arse what happens to the environment as long as people continue to buy the products and line their wallets.
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