Controllecl Pollution vs. No Pollution
Realization of the 1985 goal, however, will be a different matter. Despite for—
mal acknowledgment of the widescale environmental implications of water
pollution, the legislation is keyed to our technological capacity to control
pollution rather than to a mandate that pollution must be eliminated. The
EPA uses rather wide discretion in determining what degree of pollution con—
trol will be utilized On the basis of what is economically and technologically
feasible. Ofciels admit that this makes the 1985 goal a focal point for planning and research, rather than an obligation to pollution—free water.
Efuent standards based on what control technology is able to achieve
will permit introduction of low—level pollution. This is clear from data assem—
bled by the EPA under the Industrial Wastes Studies Program. The material
presents engineering judgments on achievable effluent values in 20 key in—
dustries according to the use of available control and treatment technology.
For example, let us assume that available technology was used in integrated
_
and petrochemical plants to rene all petroleum processed each year in the
United States. According to the engineering considerations in the EPA study
[14], 15 pounds of oil and 29 pounds of suspended solids per 1000 barrels of
crude oil processed would still end up in effluent from the facilities. On the
basis of 3,774,400,000 barrels of crude oil processed in US. reneries during
1968 [15], there would be a total of 28,308 tons of oil and 330,260 tons of sus—
pended solids discharged into U.S. waterways each year, despite the use of
"
available technology, if these petroleum plants processed the entire amount
of crude oil. In the organic chemicals industry, based on estimated 1970 pro- ‘ {
duction, the manufacture of ethylene using available technology would still
‘
contribute 4500 tons of oil and 81,000 tons of dissolved solids to U.S. water—
ways every year. The manufacture of propylene would discharge wastes con—
_
taining 360 tons of oil and 21,600 tons of total dissolved solids per year [16].
Less Visible Pollution
In addition, water pollution would continue even if pollution control technology required by the legislation achieved complete containment of all pol—
lutants. This is because the legislation is aimed at identiable pollution
sources such as industrial facilities and municipal waste treatment plants—the
predominant, but by no means the only, sources of water pollution. Agricul—
tural activities, for example, account for about 20 percent of all stream pollu—
tion [17]. Drainage from construction, mining, and urban areas is a propor—
tionately less signicant source of pollution, since pollutants in these areas are
not usually discharged through & pipe that can be conveniently monitored
but instead seep into surface waters over wide areas and raise the level of
contamination generally throughout watersheds.
The extent to which these sources of undetermined origin (so-called non—
point sources) can Predominate in some watersheds is illustrated by a study of
three river systems in northern New ]ersey—the upper Passaic, upper
Raritam
182 The Limits of Patchwork
Realization of the 1985 goal, however, will be a different matter. Despite for—
mal acknowledgment of the widescale environmental implications of water
pollution, the legislation is keyed to our technological capacity to control
pollution rather than to a mandate that pollution must be eliminated. The
EPA uses rather wide discretion in determining what degree of pollution con—
trol will be utilized On the basis of what is economically and technologically
feasible. Ofciels admit that this makes the 1985 goal a focal point for planning and research, rather than an obligation to pollution—free water.
Efuent standards based on what control technology is able to achieve
will permit introduction of low—level pollution. This is clear from data assem—
bled by the EPA under the Industrial Wastes Studies Program. The material
presents engineering judgments on achievable effluent values in 20 key in—
dustries according to the use of available control and treatment technology.
For example, let us assume that available technology was used in integrated
_
and petrochemical plants to rene all petroleum processed each year in the
United States. According to the engineering considerations in the EPA study
[14], 15 pounds of oil and 29 pounds of suspended solids per 1000 barrels of
crude oil processed would still end up in effluent from the facilities. On the
basis of 3,774,400,000 barrels of crude oil processed in US. reneries during
1968 [15], there would be a total of 28,308 tons of oil and 330,260 tons of sus—
pended solids discharged into U.S. waterways each year, despite the use of
"
available technology, if these petroleum plants processed the entire amount
of crude oil. In the organic chemicals industry, based on estimated 1970 pro- ‘ {
duction, the manufacture of ethylene using available technology would still
‘
contribute 4500 tons of oil and 81,000 tons of dissolved solids to U.S. water—
ways every year. The manufacture of propylene would discharge wastes con—
_
taining 360 tons of oil and 21,600 tons of total dissolved solids per year [16].
Less Visible Pollution
In addition, water pollution would continue even if pollution control technology required by the legislation achieved complete containment of all pol—
lutants. This is because the legislation is aimed at identiable pollution
sources such as industrial facilities and municipal waste treatment plants—the
predominant, but by no means the only, sources of water pollution. Agricul—
tural activities, for example, account for about 20 percent of all stream pollu—
tion [17]. Drainage from construction, mining, and urban areas is a propor—
tionately less signicant source of pollution, since pollutants in these areas are
not usually discharged through & pipe that can be conveniently monitored
but instead seep into surface waters over wide areas and raise the level of
contamination generally throughout watersheds.
The extent to which these sources of undetermined origin (so-called non—
point sources) can Predominate in some watersheds is illustrated by a study of
three river systems in northern New ]ersey—the upper Passaic, upper
Raritam
182 The Limits of Patchwork