From California Watch, a newly published UC Davis study on nitrate pollution in groundwater draws some grim conclusions. The study examined the sources, impact, costs and potential solutions in five California counties, representing the biggest agricultural producers in the state, and found 10% of the 2.6 million residents of those counties might be drinking nitrate-contaminated water. But there is also reason to fear the worst is yet to come: “current contamination likely came from nitrates introduced into the soil decades ago. That means even if nitrates were dramatically reduced today, groundwater would still suffer for decades to come.” With the California economic mentality of agriculture-is-king, there are sure to be tough battles to come to regulate nitrate pollution.
Read the full story at California Watch: http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/farming-communities-facing-crisis-over-nitrate-pollution-study-says-15258
[Photo by Beige Alert]
