One of the biggest water sources in southern Indiana is the second most polluted river in the country.

A study from the website Gen V, recently broke down the most polluted rivers in the United States. Unfortunately, for us here in southern Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, are all affected by it in some way. Gen V says:

Our planet’s rivers are more polluted than ever. Due to industries like animal agriculture, fast fashion, fossil fuels, chemical plants and more, continually polluting their local waterways, events like mass fish deaths and harmful algal blooms are commonplace. Human health is also at risk, with those living near polluted waterways experiencing higher risks of skin conditions, lung conditions, cancerous tumors and more.
Ohio River Bridge, Evansville
Photo by Cameron Cox on Unsplash
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The Second Most Polluted River in the United States is...

I'm sure you have probably guessed it by now. The Ohio River was named the second most polluted river in the country. Of course, the Ohio River has been the topic of much discussion lately, ever since the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3rd, where small amounts of hazordous chemicals spilled into the Ohio River. However, the problem is much deeper than that.

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Gen V says:

The Ohio river flows through six states and provides water for around three million people. It is estimated that <a href="https://www.alleghenyfront.org/we-mapped-the-toxic-wastewater-discharges-along-the-ohio-river-heres-what-we-learned/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around 7000 waste water pipes</a> containing toxic metals feed into the river. Industrial steel plants that line the Ohio river are responsible for the high pollution levels, mostly in the form of nitrates, phosphates, and mercury, which starve the water of oxygen, causing fish deaths and algal blooms.
As Coal Plants Close In Ohio, Residents Face The Fallout
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It's not just Gen V, that ranked it the second most polluted river in the United States. Environment also had it in at number two in 2022, but their list was not just over rivers, but bodies of water in general in the United States. Here's what Environment said:

<p>Steel is one of the commodities that helped America reach economic superiority in the early part of the century. Many plants still <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-sad-truths-as-to-why-we-will-never-be-able-to-clean-up-the-ohio-river.html#:~:text=The%20Toxins%20Found%20Are%20Mostly,large%20amounts%20of%20mercury%20there.">exist along the Ohio River</a>, and the runoff from these facilities renders this waterway one of the ten most polluted in the United States. </p><p>The toxins found here consist primarily of nitrate compounds. These chemicals are notoriously difficult to remove once they enter waterways. Mercury makes up another common pollutant, making the surrounding area hazardous for little ones who like to put everything in their mouths. </p>

Does this suprise you? Does it make you think twice about the Ohio River and the water we recieve from it?

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