Latest news with #wetlands
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists find ‘alarming' levels of toxic metals, pollution in Lake Maurepas
Cypress trees remain in the wetlands and swamps of Lake Maurepas. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Scientists at Southeastern Louisiana University have found dangerously high levels of toxic metals and other contaminants in Lake Maurepas and have traced most of the pollution to industrial and other human activities. Led by SLU chemistry professor Fereshteh Emami, a team of researchers analyzed 400 water and sediment samples collected from multiple locations and depths in the lake from June through December 2023 and developed new methodologies to trace the origin of the pollutants, track how they spread and determine the factors that make them worse. The results were 'alarming,' according to the study, which was published in Environments in November and accepted for publication in another scientific journal, ACS Omega, this month. The analysis revealed concentrations of heavy metals and nutrients far beyond the thresholds the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. Arsenic levels peaked at 420% above the safe limit for lakes and 6,300% over the EPA's drinking water threshold. Lead and cadmium were detected at similarly high levels averaging orders of magnitude above safe limits. Nickel, copper, and manganese concentrations were also observed above their respective safety thresholds. Heavy metal exposure is known to cause severe health problems and can be fatal to humans. 'I was just surprised how polluted the area is,' Emami said in an interview. Emami's team at Southeastern developed new methodologies that allowed them to trace the pollutants to Pass Manchac and three rivers that feed into Lake Maurepas: the Blind, Amite and Tickfaw. It indicated that industrial and agricultural activities are major sources of the pollution. The researchers also detected a spike in contaminants near Pass Manchac following the Oct. 23, 2023, 'super-fog' multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55, indicating that toxic chemicals from combustion vehicles are also running off into the lake. The heavy metal concentrations found in Lake Maurepas are similar to those later detected following breaks in the waste containment levees at the Atlantic Alumina (Atalco) facility in Gramercy last year. Atalco's toxic metals — which also included arsenic, cadmium and lead, among others — ended up in a public drainage system that flows into the Blind River Swamp of Lake Maurepas. Although Emami's new methodologies did not trace the pollutants to specific facilities, news of the Atalco incident brought to light a previously unknown event that aligns with their findings, at least anecdotally, Emami said. More sampling and analysis is needed deeper upstream into those rivers in order to further narrow down the sources, she said. The researchers found other contaminants in the lake, including high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and a parameter called chemical oxygen demand, which indicates the presence of organic pollutants in water. According to the study, all three parameters were elevated at averages beyond what is considered safe. Their methodologies traced these pollutants to urban runoff and agriculture. The samples contained other toxic metals, such as mercury, at levels that were within safe limits. But the study noted they still pose a threat to humans and the environment through bioaccumulation, in which low doses of a heavy metal can amass in a living organism over time and add up to a dangerous level. 'Because of the non-biodegradable and bioaccumulative nature of these heavy metals, they could accumulate and biomagnify in fish and other aquatic animals,' the researchers wrote. 'As a result, they could enter the human body eventually through the food chain.' Emami said mercury is particularly dangerous because it easily bioaccumulates in crops and animals such as fish. Her team is conducting a follow-up study in which they are testing aquatic samples from Lake Maurepas and surrounding rivers for heavy metals and other contaminants such as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as 'forever chemicals.' Corinne Gibb, a chemist who works for the environmental advocacy Louisiana Bucket Brigade and was not involved in the study, said the research very clearly points to pollution that is flowing into Lake Maurepas from other water bodies. 'What they're showing for sure is that the pollution is coming through those rivers,' Gibb said. A Louisiana refinery spilled toxic waste into the community and knew about it for months Southeastern has been monitoring Lake Maurepas since the proposal of a carbon sequestration project by Air Products & Chemicals. The company plans to use carbon capture technology to trap emissions from an $8 billion hydrogen manufacturing complex in Ascension Parish and take them by pipeline to Lake Maurepas, where Air Products will have the capacity to inject an estimated 5 million tons of CO2 per year about a mile below the lakebed. In the first half of 2023, Air Products performed seismic testing to map the geological formations under the lake. In August of that year, the company moved a large temporary drilling rig into Lake Maurepas that served as a test well for the collection of core and fluid data, which ended in early 2024. Emami's team initially suspected but were ultimately unable to link any chemical pollutants to Air Products' activity in the lake. Aside from providing a multi-million dollar funding grant, the company played no role in any aspects of the study, its design or the decision to publish the results. 'We're committed to protecting the Lake Maurepas environment and ecosystem, which is why we have supported the independent monitoring of the Lake,' Air Products spokeswoman Christina Stephens said Wednesday after learning about the SLU study's findings. 'It's important for people to understand the lake's ecosystem, and as our work progresses we will continue to operate in a safe and responsible fashion.' That still doesn't assuage concerns of some local lawmakers. Rep. Kim Coates, R-Ponchatoula, who ran for office on a platform of protecting Lake Maurepas, pointed out the study shows the baseline water quality of the lake is already deeply concerning and could be made worse with general disturbances that accompany lakebed drilling and similar industrial activities. 'Adding deep geological carbon sequestration to an ecosystem already under strain from nutrient pollution raises serious questions,' Coates said. 'Even well-intentioned projects can have unintended consequences in such a delicate and dynamic environment. Until more is known, extreme caution is not just warranted — it's essential.' SLU's study is the first of its kind to combine dynamic statistical models with water quality data to trace pollutant sources and their driving factors. This allowed Emami's team to provide a comprehensive assessment of the chemical composition of Lake Maurepas based on a wide array of data. The methodology can also be used to predict when and where pollutants will flow or migrate to other areas, she said. 'Using the models, we were looking for the origins of the pollutant sources, and I wanted to know if the pollution sources in the Blind River could [let us] predict what was gonna show up in Manchac,' Emami said. 'And it did.' Emami said Pass Manchac's significant tidal exchange between Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain has allowed her team to conclude that the water quality and levels of pollution between the two estuaries are virtually the same. Until the start of Southeastern's research, there was no ongoing public monitoring for toxic metals in Lake Maurepas. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Matthew Day said the public should be aware of existing fish consumption advisories, such as one issued last year for Lake Maurepas based on elevated mercury levels detected in fish tissue. However, the agency does not conduct any regular heavy metal monitoring in Lake Maurepas because it is not required under Clean Water Act obligations, Day said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Discarded clothes from UK brands dumped in protected Ghana wetlands
Clothes discarded by UK consumers and shipped to Ghana have been found in a huge rubbish dump in protected wetlands, an investigation has found. Reporters for Unearthed working with Greenpeace Africa found garments from Next in the dump and other sites, and items from George at Asda and Marks & Spencer washed up nearby. The dumps are in an internationally recognised wetland that is home to three species of sea turtle. Local people complain that their fishing nets, waterways and beaches are clogged with synthetic fast-fashion garments exported to Ghana from the UK and Europe. In a third dump on the banks of the river leading to the conservation site, Unearthed reporters found garments from M&S, Zara, H&M and Primark. The fashion labels acknowledged that the industry faces challenges in processing textile waste. M&S, George and Primark said they ran take-back schemes intended to help address the issue. H&M, Zara and George said they would support an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework to hold labels accountable for their products' end-of-life impact. The global fast-fashion overspill has overwhelmed Ghana's capital, Accra, with tangled clothes carpeting city beaches and lining canals. New dump sites are springing up beyond urban areas and in conservation areas that are vital for wildlife, the investigation found. Reporters also found textile waste, including UK labels, tangled in vegetation, half-buried in sand, and in waste washed up at a beach resort where a manager said he burned piles of clothes every week. At the heart of Ghana's used clothing trade is Kantamanto, one of the world's biggest secondhand clothes markets. It receives more than 1,000 tonnes of clothes every week, but one trader said the quality was worse than it used to be. 'In the past, we had good clothes to sell to take care of our families, but these days the used clothes we find in the bales are not fit for resale,' said Mercy Asantewa. 'They are poorly made and are already falling apart when we open the bales.' There is only one engineered dump site in the region, and another is being built. The head of Accra's waste management department, Solomon Noi, calculates that 100 tonnes of garments leave the market daily as waste. The city is able to collect and process just 30 tonnes. 'The remaining 70 tonnes end up in waste dumps, drains, lagoons, wetlands and the sea and other environmentally sensitive places,' he said. UK consumers discard about 1.5m tonnes of used textiles every year. Many do not get recycled. About 730,000 tonnes a year are incinerated or go into landfills. Of the 650,000 tonnes sent to be reused and recycled, 420,000 – more than two-thirds – are exported. Ghana receives more than any other country. A group of Ghanaian traders visited Brussels in 2023 and argued that the EU should introduce EPR legislation to hold fashion companies accountable for the end-of-life impact of their products. The UK's Textile Recyclers Association has asked the government to consider something similar. Ghana's Densu delta is designated a site of international importance under the intergovernmental Ramsar convention on wetlands. Endangered leatherback and green turtles lay their eggs there, and the mudflats also support rare roseate terns, which migrate from the UK, and curlew sandpipers. Unearthed's reporters found two recently opened dump sites in the wetland's protected area and a third dump upstream on the banks of the Densu. Properly engineered landfills include a lined bottom, a system for collecting and treating leachate, groundwater monitoring, gas extraction and a cap system. Drone footage of the Akkaway dump, the newest site, shows a large area of the wetlands where the vegetation had been removed. Piles of waste sit on bare earth, close to lagoons and streams, with no lining or other visible pollution mitigation systems. An official from the local government, the Weija Gbawe municipal assembly, told a reporter that it was in charge of the Akkaway dump and supervised the work there. Siting a new dump site in protected wetlands, however, appears to violate Ghana's environmental policy and landfill guidelines, and the country's obligations under the Ramsar convention. The assembly did not respond to a formal request for comment. People who depend on the wetlands for their livelihoods said they were worried about the impact of the pollution. Seth Tetteh, 31, has lived near the delta for seven years. 'It's only since three years ago that they started dumping the borla [the waste] further upstream. So when you start fishing and cast your net, it brings in fish, clothes and other things, so … the fishermen … find it very tedious,' he said. 'Before, you could drink [the river water]. But now, when you go, you can't drink it. The water is a bit black.' Residents near the upstream dump, called Weija Ashbread, told reporters that before the site existed, the area was mostly wild. . There were 'alligators, bush cats … all kinds of birds and rabbits too', said Ibrahim Sadiq, 19, a student who lives nearby. Now when it rains 'there are so many mosquitoes and the smell, it's very bad'. An M&S spokesperson said the company did not send excess clothing to any other country or landfill, but offered customers 'options to give their clothes another life with our recently launched repair service by Sojo, and with our in-store take-back recycling schemes with partners such as Oxfam for clothing and Handle for beauty products, as part of our plan A to reduce our impact on the planet'. A spokesperson for George, Asda's clothing brand, said there had been no increase in the volume of textiles produced or the number of annual fashion seasons it put out over the past 10 years, and that they had more than 800 recycling banks and a take-back scheme. 'We have a zero-waste policy, which applies to our total business,' the spokesperson said. 'We would be supportive of exploring a textile EPR, providing any fees generated are used to improve the recycling infrastructure in the UK.' A statement from Primark said: 'We don't authorise any of the clothing collected through our customer textile takeback scheme or any of our unsold stock to be sent to Ghana or anywhere else in Africa … We know that no single company can solve the issue of textile waste alone. Real progress will only come if the industry comes together. ' H&M acknowledged that the industry faced challenges such as a lack of end-of-life solutions and fully scaled recycling solutions for discarded textiles. A spokesperson said: 'While this is an industry-wide challenge, we acknowledge our role in contributing to the problem, notably when our products reach markets with inadequate or no waste management or recycling infrastructures.' A spokesperson for Zara's parent company, Inditex, said Zara would support an EPR policy mandated by the government: 'We believe that advancing toward common legislation in this field will establish a unified framework that sets the same rules for all players. We understand that the separate collection of textile waste is the foundation of a circular model. That is why we not only promote new textile recycling technologies but also develop the necessary capabilities to make them feasible.' Next did not respond to a request for comment. Additional reporting by Viola Wohlgemuth and Richa Syal
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Video highlights debate over giant rodents overtaking upscale gated community: 'God forbid'
A TikTok video from The New York Times (@nytimes) captured the unusual sight of capybaras strolling through an exclusive Argentine gated community. The video shows that dozens of capybaras have colonized this upscale neighborhood, treating expensive gardens like personal salad bars and using roads as their preferred walking paths. These rodents have been holding up traffic during their strolls, chomping through costly landscaping, and occasionally getting into scuffles with small dogs. Biologists hired by the community learned why the population exploded: Their natural predators had vanished from the area. The capybaras multiply freely without jaguars, caimans, and other hunters keeping numbers in check. "God forbid! They roam through what is their natural habitat that you turned into a gated community," one TikTok commenter wrote. To manage the growing population, developers now sterilize some capybaras through a project approved by the local government. This capybara invasion is part of a growing global problem as human development pushes deeper into wildlife territory. Research shows that human-wildlife conflicts have steadily increased since 1950, mainly driven by urban sprawl and habitat destruction. When we build communities where animals once lived freely, we force wildlife into impossible situations. The capybaras aren't invading. They're trying to survive in what used to be their wetland home. As their natural habitats shrink, these gentle giants adapt by making the best of concrete and grass. For humans, these encounters create real dangers. Property damage from hungry capybaras adds up quickly, and confrontations between large animals and pets rarely end well, according to the BBC. More concerning, such conflicts often result in wildlife being killed, hindering conservation efforts long term. The community is taking a humane approach by sterilizing capybaras rather than removing them. This method controls population growth while recognizing that these animals have legitimate claims to the area. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. You can help prevent similar conflicts by supporting habitat conservation in your community. When planning development projects, advocate for wildlife corridors that allow animals to move safely through human areas. Supporting wetland protection ensures capybaras and other wildlife have places to thrive without raiding suburban neighborhoods. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Festival of Nature in Bristol involves Millennium Square wetland
Organisers of what they say is the first ever pop-up wetland to be built in a UK city centre has said it is "like a mini oasis".A large section of Millennium Square in Bristol has been transformed into an immersive wetland experience ahead of the Festival of Nature this popup features reeds, wildlife sounds and sculptures of warblers, water voles and kingfishers."We want to widen people's awareness of wetlands and the beauty of them and their importance," said principal designer Jez Clarke. About 200 years ago, the areas around Millennium Square like Canons Marsh and Queen Square lay on marshland, according to the charity for wetlands and wildlife (WWT).But wetlands are vanishing at a crucial pace, said the charity, with 75%of inland wetlands lost in the last 300 years."They're a crucial eco-system", Mr Clarke added. "They're just incredibly bio-diverse and hugely important for sustainability". Mr Clarke said he hoped the popup will help to draw visitor attraction to wetland centres like Slimbridge in Gloucestershire."We're focusing on indigenous species to Slimbridge whether that be birds, frogs, butterflies or dragonflies", added Mr Clarke."The idea is once you're in here, in the festival, it is like a little mini oasis"."The ultimate aim is that people suddenly feel that they are just down the road at Slimbridge".The Festival of Nature, which runs from 7 to 15 June, is celebrating the theme of water this year.
CBC
11-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Stratford townhouse proposal would be destructive to wetland, nearby residents warn
Social Sharing Some residents of Stratford are calling on the P.E.I. town's council to postpone a vote on a rezoning application, fearing it will destroy a wetland in their neighbourhood. The developer, R&D Builders, has applied to the town to rezone an area of the Forest Trails subdivision from medium to high density to allow the general contractor to build 32 stacked townhouses, along with two apartment buildings with a total of 78 units just across the street. Residents who opposed the project say the development would quadruple the area's housing density, as well as being partially built on protected wetlands. "There is a… development plan signed by Stratford that protected all of this area and there was to be no disturbance acceptable," said Bonnie Gray, who lives on Dr. John Knox Way, across from the proposed development. "You couldn't build a birdhouse on this land — and now they want to put 32 townhomes here." CBC News reached out to R&D Builders, but the company declined to comment on the issue. Stratford held a public hearing on the rezoning application last October, during which councillors heard significant objections to the proposal. Given the pushback, the residents who took part thought Stratford's planning committee would recommend against the proposal, but that wasn't the case. In May, the homeowners were told the committee had supported the developer's rezoning request, and council had already passed the plan at the first reading stage. Council will decide whether to grant final approval of the project at its regular meeting Wednesday night. According to the minutes of the June 2 planning committee meeting, R&D Builders hired the private company Fundy Engineering to assess the wetland area in November of last year. I don't believe that developers paying a penalty for destroying protected areas is the solution. — Susan Csatari, Forest Trails resident The residents say the results of that survey revised the wetland's boundaries. They also took issue with the timing of the company's assessment. "It was done in the winter when you cannot accurately assess a wetland," Gray said. "Why the Town of Stratford would accept that as a revised boundary — I don't understand why they would even consider it." In a letter to Fundy Engineering and the developer dated Jan. 31, a land management manager with the provincial Environment Department said two of the four lots on the property could be developed without affecting the wetland. "Right now, it looks like you would be able to develop Lot 4 and possibly Lot 3 without impacting the wetland identified. There may be more wetland on Lot 2 that would be impacted by development, which may require compensation. However, this cannot be determined until spring," the letter states. "Either way, we would be willing to work with you on the development of Lots 2-4 so long as wetland impact is minimized and potential compensation for Lot 3 would have to be determined in the spring." P.E.I.'s wetland policy allows for developers to contribute to a compensation fund in the event of a development on a wetland, as long as the government determines that the loss can't be prevented. Residents of Forest Trails don't want that to happen. They're calling on Stratford council to delay Wednesday night's vote on the rezoning application until the province can do a new environmental impact assessment at the site. WATCH | P.E.I. Watershed Alliance says permits to develop wetlands must be 'a last resort, not for resorts': P.E.I. Watershed Alliance says permits to develop wetlands must be 'a last resort, not for resorts' 21 days ago Duration 2:24 The P.E.I. Watershed Alliance says it's disappointed that the province granted a permit to fill in a wetland as part of a golf course development in Summerside. The government received $406,500 compensation for the 27.1 acres of wetland involved. A spokesperson for the developer says they will be adding new lakes and enhanced wetland systems. CBC's Nancy Russell has more. "I think that opens the door for other areas like this to be rezoned and built on, regardless of what current environmental controls are," said Susan Csatari, who lives on Autumn Lane. "This province is fragile. We need to protect what we can…. I don't believe that developers paying a penalty for destroying protected areas is the solution." Csatari said the issue isn't that neighbours don't want development in their subdivision. She said they just want to see it done appropriately. "We bought our homes and moved to the area based on knowing there would be development," she said. "We absolutely do need more housing, but my feeling… is that density housing belongs on a main corridor like the Trans-Canada Highway perhaps, with public transportation, with access to services." 'Hopefully shovels would not go into the ground' In a statement, P.E.I.'s Environment Department said it has received the residents' request for an environmental impact assessment at the site, but that it's the Town of Stratford's responsibility to deal with such planning concerns. "Provincial staff have already been working with the developer to minimize their impact on any sensitive environmental features in the area," the statement reads. "[The department] will ensure that environmental impacts are minimal, and this can be accomplished using existing legislation and regulation." Coun. Jeff MacDonald, chair of Stratford's planning committee, said in a statement to CBC News that the town is following all provisions and guidelines on the proposed rezoning and has been working with the province throughout the process. The resolution before Stratford Town Council is for a rezoning only. An environmental impact assessment, if required, would not occur at the rezoning stage. "Currently, the resolution before Stratford Town Council is for a rezoning only," the statement reads. "An environmental impact assessment, if required, would not occur at the rezoning stage." That answer isn't good enough for residents like Gray. She said if council votes to rezone the area, it's equivalent to destroying the wetland. "Hopefully shovels would not go into the ground," she said. "We've been lobbying with our representatives at every level, so we're trying everything to bring a halt to this destruction of our wetland."
