Water Resource Plan Freshwater Resources

"Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody," Mark Twain. Increasingly, Twain's statement is proving false as many bodies of water including creeks, rivers, lakes, groundwater, and oceans are becoming infested with harmful pollutions and contaminations resulting in the unhealthy consumption and bathing water. Additionally, the effects of polluted water prove unsuitable for agricultural and industrial use as well as harmful to many living creatures. Contaminations include parasites, viruses, bacteria, and many other forms of pollution which results in diarrhea, typhoid, etc.

Common sources of pollutions include waste from residential areas, agricultural wastes, and industrial runoffs. Other sources result from oil spills, radioactive waste, oceanic dumping, and global warming. Residential and industrial wastes prove to be the main contributing sources of water pollution. Residential sewage includes organic material such as excess food and inorganic materials such as materials and chemicals included in soaps and detergents. The largest of contributors comes from industrial waste contaminating not only water, but also the land as well from urban to rural and industrial to agriculture which includes construction dirt which must be sorted for elimination regardless of the initiatives for recycling to reduce the amount input in landfills.

"Prior to 2006, the city of Indianapolis and its 800,000 residents experienced Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's) totaling approximately 7.8 billion gallons per year," (Office of Public Affairs, 2010). It is unfortunate to note according to a report by Eyewitness News in 2010 that Indianapolis was rated among the top 10 cities which provided poor drinking water quality for the citizens. The citizens of Indianapolis deserve education regarding the water supply and have the option for programs on pollution control. With such a program, meetings and small conferences could be held to explain the need for water management. Additionally, during these sessions, citizens would obtain information on what he or she could do to help make a difference because every bit helps regardless the size of the contribution. Maintaining the water supply would be more effective than removing current contaminations because of the size of the current water flow. Although the city and state is setting new initiatives to eliminate and contain the excessive overflow of sanitary wastewater and storm water runoff, more can be done with the help from the citizens of Indianapolis.

Actions which can be taken by Indianapolis citizens include free public sessions for explanations of the need for water pollution reduction, control measures, and upcoming seminars. Included in these public sessions would include a community fair for the distribution of educational information and other sorts of hands on activities. Prior to these sessions, research of environmental websites and journals would