WATER POLLUTION IN ARIZONA LAKES AND RIVERS 1

Water Pollution in Arizona Lakes and Rivers

Catherine T. Huynh

Perry High School

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Water Pollution in Arizona Lakes

Water is a chemical substance that makes up approximately 71 percent of the Earth’s

surface. It is essential for humans and all living-things to survive. However, the problem is water

pollution. It has been an increasingly concerning issue around the world, even in smaller places

like Arizona lakes and rivers, are affected by different types of other pollution. My problem is

that Arizona’s bodies of water are filled with trash from roadway runoff, farming runoff, feeding

animals, and much more. Although Arizona is better than other states at attempting to regulate

water pollution, Arizona still has an abundant amount of waste in their water masses. This

mostly impacts plants and animals, like ducks and fish, living in and surrounding lakes and rivers

because the waste damages their habitats. It also impacts us because the fishes that are allowed to

be fished and eaten may be too dangerous to eat with all the pollutants in their system. As well as

drinking the water that is exposed to all these waste and chemicals can be threatening to us. Even

swimming in them affects our bodies well-being.

There are multiple ways to raise social awareness for water pollution in Arizona.

Nowadays, people are always on their phones. A great use of technology would be to use social

media and social networking to raise awareness on the waste in the bodies of water of Arizona.

Another way to keep family and friends informed to keep water protected from contamination

involves making posters and going around to neighborhoods telling people the basic steps to

raise awareness in order to stop water pollution. Next, I would organize a water pollution

awareness drive in my locality and with my clubs at school in order to help raise awareness

around our community. Finally, I would visit different places to test out water and map out
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where it is most safe to contaminated, in order to show people in Arizona how it is effecting

others.

My goal is inform people in Arizona about the devastating effects that toxic

waste and chemicals have on their drinking water and the habitats that they are destroying. I also

want to show people how to reduce, reuse, and recycle properly in order to stop throwing

non-degradable trash, like plastic, into our bodies of water. Furthermore, other simple guidelines

like conserving water and being careful about what is thrown into your sinks and toilets, will

assist in stopping water pollution before it even starts. I want to show and inform others that

using environmentally-friendly household products will help improve their air quality at home

and prevent water pollution in their nearby water masses. Tell kids not to drink the water that

they are swimming in, no matter if it is in a pool or any other form of body of water. Most

importantly, farmers or people who like to grow crops or flowers, should minimize the amount

of pesticides and herbicide that they use because it runoff to the nearest water source. The action

plan will assist me to help others prevent and stop water pollution before it gets worst in Arizona.

In raising social awareness, we will be able to minimize the amount of pollution that is

hidden in Arizona’s lakes and rivers. This will result in saving hundreds of habitats which will

save the lives of hundreds of animals and plants living in or nearby the bodies of water. The

lakes and rivers will thrive with a clean ecosystem. This will also benefit people, especially

because we need water to drink, as well as reduce the percentage of getting harmed by the

chemicals in the water. With the increase in social awareness of water pollution, people will be

able to recognize and realize how crucial it is to save water, and start to make a difference. I
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expect for people to be more efficient in the way they use water. I hope that people replace their

household products with degradable, environmentally-friendly products and see that it benefits

them right at home as well as saving water. Lastly, I expect people to become efficient in closing

the cycle of reduce, reuse, and recycling.