User:Kmrosenbauer/sandbox

Potential Articles: immigrant lake, 4th of July lake, California pollution.

first few ideas lacked enough information to write on.

California pollution had the largest content gap and info to write with.

Article Evaluation:

Gold Rush Era
The Gold Rush of California left a long lasting mark of pollution in the River systems of California. Northern California Gold mine run off largely contributes to the elevated levels of Mercury found in the river systems, such as, the Sacramento River. The mining of Mercury along coastal ranges and its use in processing Gold in the Sierra Nevada area is the reason for increased levels of this heavy metal. As Mercury travels down the California River system it gets deposited along the river and buried under or with other sediment. Due to the burying of this heavy metal, increases in Mercury in the actual river water can be seen during peak storm flow when the water is capable of holding more sediment do to its increased capacity and speed. The Mercury gets unburied and reintroduced into the flow of the river water. One of the problems that arise from having Mercury in the California river system is bio accumulation. As fish are exposed to mercury in the river system it begins to accumulate in their tissues. If another Organism eats a fish that is contaminated it will then gain the Mercury that was in the fish. This causes a risk to human health as fisherman or hunters catch these fish, or predators of these fish, they run the risk of exposing themselves to high concentrations of Mercury. undefined

Early 1900's
Before true water quality regulations began in the 1960's and 70's, California largely dumped their waste, such as, raw sewage, into bodies of water legally. Billions of gallons of sewage, treatable waste water and storm drain water were dumped into California streams around the 1940's. It wasn't until around 1945 that the problem of water pollution in California began to be truly noticed. 13 water wells tested positive for phenolic waste in the Montebello District. The beginning attempts at water regulations began at this point, especially when it was realized that this quality of water was not a isolated incident rather it was common across the state. undefined

Fecal matter
Extreme weather has an effect on the amount of Fecal matter that is present on the California Coastline. Studies have found that extreme dry spells, coupled with heavy precipitation, increases the amount of Fecal matter pathogens and pollutants, such as, Escherichia coli. This Increase in Fecal matter presence in coastal waters can lead to illness and disease, such as, gastrointestinal problems, ear infections and Hepatitis A. The largest fluctuation in fecal matter content along the coastline is seen in Southern California.

Homeless Encampments
Homeless encampments pose a risk for pollution to water systems, with the amount of trash, fecal matter and dirty needles left next to river systems. Flooding collects these pollutants and brings them into river systems.

leaded Gasoline
The Use of Leaded gasoline up until 1992, when it was phased out, caused a large amount of Lead to be introduced into the California Water systems. 90 % of the lead emitted in California is from Leaded gasoline which is higher than then the total global emissions from Leaded gasoline. The reason it is greater in California is due to the high use of Cars in California. The amount of Lead in the water system is similar to Mercury in that its concentration in the water increases during peak flows. The Overall amount of Lead recorded in the California water system has been declining over the past few decades.undefined

Increased NH4
California waste water treatment plants release large amounts of N (Nitrogen) in the form of NH4 (Ammonium). This has been shown to reduce naturally occurring spring and summer phytoplankton blooms. These creatures make up the primary source of food. With the lack of dependable Phytoplankton blooms a bottom up effect occurs. Decreased biodiversity and overall number of species located in the water of California overtime can be seen due to the large amounts of NH4. The main source of this NH4 can be traced to the Sacramento Regional Water Treatment Plant (SRWTP). SRWTP releases 90% of the NH4 seen in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE0