Old warships sent to bottom of sea stir pollution fears

[get_involved]

"The massive Kitty Hawk-class carrier — more than three football fields long — came to rest in the briny depths about 300 nautical miles southeast of Norfolk, Va.

Evidence from a Florida ship sinking site suggests these old warships can cause spikes in PCB levels in nearby fish. It spurred Florida officials to bar further dumping along their coast. And it has evoked a federal lawsuit alleging the EPA has failed to properly safeguard federal waters.

Along with the memories of sailors who once lived on these ghost ships, the massive boats can contain thousands of pounds of PCBs, asbestos, lead, mercury and other harmful substances in keels, insulation materials, wiring and felt gaskets."

Now how many types of fish are not safe to eat anymore?

Old warships sent to bottom of sea stir pollution fears - The Denver Post

 

[editec]

Ooops!

PCBs We don' know nuttin 'bout no PCBs, dude.

 

[Ringel05]

The Navy has worked with the EPA as required by law in cleaning out toxic materials before sinking in these ships in live fire training exercises.
Looking at who's involved here I'd be willing to bet that estimates on both sides are fudged and or guessed at, though I suspect the side doing the vast amount of fudging and guessing isn't the Navy.

 

[skookerasbil]

meh......it'll make for some nice accommodations for some fish.

 

[waltky]

What happened to the Clean Water Act?...

More than half of US rivers unable to sustain life, EPA says
March 26, 2013 - More than half of the country's rivers and streams are in poor biological health, unable to support healthy populations of aquatic insects and other creatures, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency sampled nearly 2,000 locations in 2008 and 2009 -- from rivers as large as the Mississippi River to streams small enough for wading. The study found more than 55 percent of them in poor condition, 23 percent in fair shape, and 21 percent in good biological health.

The most widespread problem was high levels of nutrient pollution, caused by phosphorus and nitrogen washing into rivers and streams from farms, cities, and sewers. High levels of phosphorus -- a common ingredient in detergents and fertilizers -- were found in 40 percent of rivers and streams. Another problem detected was development. Land clearing and building along waterways increases erosion and flooding, and allows more pollutants to enter waters. "This new science shows that America's streams and rivers are under significant pressure," said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator of EPA's water office. "We must continue to invest in protecting and restoring our nation's streams and rivers as they are vital sources of our drinking water, provide many recreational opportunities, and play a critical role in the economy."

Conditions are worse in the East, the report found. More than 70 percent of streams and rivers from the Texas coast to the New Jersey coast are in poor shape. Streams and rivers are healthiest in Western mountain areas, where only 26 percent were classified as in poor condition.

The EPA also found some potential risks for human health. In 9 percent of rivers and streams, bacteria exceeded thresholds protective of human health. And mercury, which is toxic, was found in fish tissue along 13,000 miles of streams at levels exceeding health-based standards. Mercury, which is naturally occurring, also can enter the environment from coal-burning power plants and from burning hazardous wastes. The Obama administration finalized regulations to control mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants for the first time in late 2011.

Read more: More than half of US rivers unable to sustain life, EPA says | Fox News

 

[whitehall]

You can bet your ass that there will always be something that "stirs fears" in the narrow world of environmentalists. Imagine how they would deal with something like "Iron Bottom Sound" named for an area off the Solomon Islands which is literally lined with the wrecks of dozens of ships and planes sunk with men and cargo and fuel and explosives during WW2. The area is still nice enough to be used as an underwater park.

 

[Oddball]

I bet these same envirowhack assholes would bitch if the entire planet was torpedoed for practice by aliens...Not because they would be killed in the process, but because the PCBs, asbestos and lead would be released into the universe.

 

[RoadVirus]

You can bet your ass that there will always be something that "stirs fears" in the narrow world of environmentalists. Imagine how they would deal with something like "Iron Bottom Sound" named for an area off the Solomon Islands which is literally lined with the wrecks of dozens of ships and planes sunk with men and cargo and fuel and explosives during WW2. The area is still nice enough to be used as an underwater park.

Then there's the area near Midway.

 

[longknife]

Then there's the area near Midway.

If you're talking about Bikini Atoll where the A-bomb tests were conducted 68 years ago - check out Welcome to Bikini Atoll

 

[mamooth]

So ShittyKitty is below the waves now. Meh. Never cared that ship. Lots contradicting orders ("Do flight ops for our helos, meaning you need to reverse course to get the wind! But keep station!"), delivered in a manner as surly as possible. Anchored at Mombasi, KittyHawk ordered us to turn over all our small boats to them. Hell, we didn't need to go ashore anyways.

 

[depotoo]

The Navy has worked with the EPA as required by law in cleaning out toxic materials before sinking in these ships in live fire training exercises.
Looking at who's involved here I'd be willing to bet that estimates on both sides are fudged and or guessed at, though I suspect the side doing the vast amount of fudging and guessing isn't the Navy.

Exactly. Ever watch Reef Wranglers? Shows they have to be inspected before they can be sunk by officials as well.

 

[SSDD]

Guess no one has noticed that all those ships turn into living reefs in a remarkably short period of time. Who would have thought that pollution could entice and support so much life.

Any diver who has ever done relatively deep water dives on offshore wrecks knows that the areas for miles around those wrecks look like desert while the wreck itself is an oasis of life.

 

[SSDD]

Then there's the area near Midway.

If you're talking about Bikini Atoll where the A-bomb tests were conducted 68 years ago - check out Welcome to Bikini Atoll

Been there. If that is the result of nuclear testing, then I propose that we do more. Beautiful place.

 

[Politico]

Good for them.

 

[Mr. H.]

What happened to the Clean Water Act?...

More than half of US rivers unable to sustain life, EPA says
March 26, 2013 - More than half of the country's rivers and streams are in poor biological health, unable to support healthy populations of aquatic insects and other creatures, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency sampled nearly 2,000 locations in 2008 and 2009 -- from rivers as large as the Mississippi River to streams small enough for wading. The study found more than 55 percent of them in poor condition, 23 percent in fair shape, and 21 percent in good biological health.

The most widespread problem was high levels of nutrient pollution, caused by phosphorus and nitrogen washing into rivers and streams from farms, cities, and sewers. High levels of phosphorus -- a common ingredient in detergents and fertilizers -- were found in 40 percent of rivers and streams. Another problem detected was development. Land clearing and building along waterways increases erosion and flooding, and allows more pollutants to enter waters. "This new science shows that America's streams and rivers are under significant pressure," said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator of EPA's water office. "We must continue to invest in protecting and restoring our nation's streams and rivers as they are vital sources of our drinking water, provide many recreational opportunities, and play a critical role in the economy."

Conditions are worse in the East, the report found. More than 70 percent of streams and rivers from the Texas coast to the New Jersey coast are in poor shape. Streams and rivers are healthiest in Western mountain areas, where only 26 percent were classified as in poor condition.

The EPA also found some potential risks for human health. In 9 percent of rivers and streams, bacteria exceeded thresholds protective of human health. And mercury, which is toxic, was found in fish tissue along 13,000 miles of streams at levels exceeding health-based standards. Mercury, which is naturally occurring, also can enter the environment from coal-burning power plants and from burning hazardous wastes. The Obama administration finalized regulations to control mercury pollution from coal-burning power plants for the first time in late 2011.

Read more: More than half of US rivers unable to sustain life, EPA says | Fox News

Agriculture gets a pass while the EPA focuses on hydraulic fracturing.
What a joke.

 

[Ringel05]

Waltky musta been bored to dig this one out of mothballs.......