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More than half of US streams polluted: Blame farming and logging for it

polluted stream of us

It is disappointing to find that more than half of U.S. streams are polluted. And the worst conditions are found in the eastern third of the country, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency reveals.

This gloomy finding is the agency’s first-ever study of shallow or “wadeable” streams. According to the agency, 42% were in poor condition, with another 25% considered as fair. It is only 28% that were in good condition leaving out another five percent, which were not analyzed because of problems of sampling in New England.

It is farming and logging that led to rise in the levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the water, according to the survey. These chemicals ultimate kill aquatic life, as the increase in plants and algae growth caused by it gobbles up the oxygen in the water.

Via: Reuters

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