Somebody's poisoned the water hole...

Where I currently work and will eventually move, if I can find a way to swing the rent and still pay tuition is lovingly referred to as Morrisons Cove or just simply the Cove to those who know it best. Ever since I started working there in late January, I've wondered how this area earned its name because I usually associate coves with some substantial body of water. Sure, there are ponds and irrigation run-off areas in this heavily agricultural area, but the real problem is the name but rather that the water itself is contaminated.

Some may know and others may not (myself included prior to starting my staff writing position at the Herald) that farming areas often have an excess of nitrates in the water. I've come to learn from my co-workers that high nitrates levels are often caused by areas where concentrated nitrogen can be found like septic systems, animals feeding grounds (farms, barns, pigpens, etc) and heavily fertilized fields. Too much nitrogen probably won't effect a healthy 24-year old like me, but it's particularly dangerous for the nursing mothers, pregnant women like my co-worker, Kazia, and infants. It's unsafe to use in an infant's formula, juice or drinking water and can lead to a variety of complications including blue baby syndrome in which child takes on a bluish hue.

A unique characteristic of nitrate contamination is that water cannot be treated by freezing, boiling or letting the water settle out. Actually, in some cases, the concentration can be intensified by boiling the water.  Many blame the contamination on area streams that are not properly secured from farm animals entering them on private farms. One of my co-workers was outraged when she saw a cow in a stream the other day because she said that the cow's uncleanliness and exposure to nitrates further contaminated the water.

This is not merely a local problem, but it was the extends to the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed as there are a great many farming community between the Cove and the Bay.  According the press releases that brought this problem to light and prompted a few are nitrate treatment plants, as our water flows outward, not only does it carry with it our nitrate heavy water, but it also gathers nitrates from the other communities along the way.  The end result is that the nitrates are dumping into the Bay at a toxic levels and harming the wildlife throughout the entire watershed area. Fish and land wildlife are adversely affected by the contamination and many communities have been required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to do something about it.

As I said, in Martinsburg they've built a Nitrate Removal Plant, but these things take time and money.  We've got all the time in the world, but money is a little tight in our region. The Plant which only makes a small dent in the problem cost the community four million dollars.  Right now, it's the best the community can do and it's unfortunate because Roaring Spring, a neighboring community is also effected because they bottle water and sell it throughout the area. I can't imagine this problem will be too good for business.

Everyday, I drink bottled water and do my best to avoid tap water, but the problem isn't going to go away.