So long, you nature reserve and natural beauty:
“Two-thirds of country’s rivers are unswimmable with cow effluent and fertiliser run-off big contributing factors
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Declining water quality has coincided with a boom in New Zealand’s dairy industry, the biggest exporter in the world. Cow effluent and fertiliser run-off are significant polluters of inland waterways, as are beef, sheep and deer farming.
Deforestation and the extensive clearing of native wetlands have also played a significant role in the degradation of water quality. According to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Science (Niwa), there is no doubt that the growth in pastoral farming, particularly dairy, is the main culprit for declining river water quality over the last 20 years.
But farmers say they’re being pushed out and their livelihoods overlooked. “It becomes very hard to continue economically farming animals or growing vegetables under a regime like this,” Federated Farmers environment and water spokesperson, Chris Allen, said.
According to a recent poll, water pollution is now New Zealanders’ number one concern: with 82% of respondents saying they wanted tougher protections for waterways, ranking it as a priority above the housing crisis, the rising cost of living and child poverty.“
Now that reminds me of Arnie and the US, where toxic waters are more a normal state by now.
Arnold Schwarzenegger tweets to Scott Pruitt about water contamination – CNNPolitics … :
“Washington (CNN)Arnold Schwarzenegger has a proposition for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt following a Politico report about the administration’s handling of a study containing warnings about toxins in water supplies.:
“I’m a simple guy so I have a simple remedy when people like Pruitt ignore or hide pollution: if you don’t have a problem with Americans drinking contaminated drinking water, drink it yourself until you tap out or resign,” Schwarzenegger wrote.”
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Citing newly disclosed emails, which have been obtained by CNN, Politico reported earlier this week that the study by the Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which would have given additional warnings about polluted US water supplies, raised concerns within the administration, with one aide warning it would cause a “public relations nightmare.”