Global pollution concerns surface near Princeton University campus

New Jersey Community Water Watch chapter takes on the D&R Canal

By: Robert M Bernstein
   For many undergraduates, escaping to college represents an opportunity to leave behind the problems of hometown life.
   After years of living among some of the most polluted waterways in the world, however, Bangkok resident Tom Yeung came to Princeton University unable to forget the environmental troubles eroding the quality of life in his native Thailand.
   "Bangkok used to be called ‘the Venice of the East’ because of the number of beautiful waterways," he said. "But now they are all too polluted for any kind of use, and there’s no awareness whatsoever."
   Now a sophomore in the chemical engineering department, Mr. Yeung has become an organizer of the Princeton chapter of New Jersey Community Water Watch, a nonprofit organization that has worked on restoration projects on more than 25 waterways statewide. In that capacity, he has broadened the outreach of the group’s semiannual cleanups of the Delaware & Raritan Canal.
   In his years at Princeton, Junior Class Senator Alex Lenahan recalls participating in five such projects, the last of which was held on Oct. 16. More than 20 students and community members turned out to remove trash along the canal. Walking along the towpath and canoeing, the participants filled 20 trash bags with bottles, foam containers, bits of plastic — even an old tire.
   "If I’m unable to help Bangkok, I at least want to make a difference in New Jersey," said Mr. Yeung, who noted that the D&R Canal serves as a water supply for the area.
   "All local residents have a vested interested in keeping this waterway clean," he said.
   New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, and so the sheer number of cars on the roads creates harmful runoff into lakes and streams, according to Mr. Yeung.
   Runoff contaminants, which are the greatest contributor to the state’s water pollution, are called a "non-point source." This type of pollution is caused by excess rainfall traveling over and through the ground, gradually picking up toxic materials before flowing into a body of water. The dangerous effects of runoff pollution can be minimized by creating buffer zones of 100 feet of green space between roads and streams, Mr. Yeung said.
   Freshman Mike Monagle of Clark Township, Union County, canoed along the canal pulling trash out of the water during the most recent cleanup. "Being from New Jersey, this issue really hits close to home," he said. "It’s so shocking to learn how bad of an issue this is in my home state."
   Residents of Union County are unable to swim or even fish in the local lakes because of the water pollution, he said.
   "I’ve never thought too much about it before, but now that I’m learning about water issues, New Jersey’s water pollution really injures my Jersey sense of pride," Mr. Monagle said.
   Mr. Yeung firmly believes that an answer to the state’s water pollution problems begins with awareness education. "It’s terribly depressing to me that the people back home in Bangkok don’t care about the environment," he said. "I’m so saddened by the apathy there."
   Though New Jersey has the worst water supply of any state in the nation, Mr. Yeung said, it also has one of the best education systems, so a solution can be found in the classroom. Throughout the state, Water Watch has conducted environmental education workshops in more than 200 classrooms.
   "The core education curriculum in New Jersey public schools teaches about the water cycle but not about water pollution, stream ecology or watershed preservation," he said. "We also need to raise awareness of wildlife issues around water areas, especially around the coast."
   Not all pollutants arise directly from humans, Mr. Yeung added. Similar to the danger to Central Jersey posed by uncontrolled deer population is the threat of wild geese.
   "In Lake Carnegie, the nitrate level is unusually high because of the geese population," he said. "Geese byproducts increase the algae concentration in the lake, which destroys the lake’s much-needed oxygen supply, vital to the survival of fish and other aquatic wildlife."
   Joyce Lee serves as an undergraduate consultant to Water Watch through Princeton’s Community Based Learning Initiative. She wants to improve the group’s efficiency by making its information more accessible to the general public.
   "I’d love to find a way to target Water Watch at adults and at the community," she said. "They do wonderful work, but community outreach stands to be improved."
   Ms. Lee’s work could go a long way in improving the quality of water around the state. There is a correlation between towns with high rates of civic participation and towns with better water supplies, according to an informal study cited by Mr. Yeung. It is places like Trenton, New Brunswick and Camden that need the most work, he said.
   "For now, my personal goal is to raise awareness of the water issues facing New Jersey," Mr. Yeung said. "The last thing I want is to see New Jersey turn into Bangkok — both in terms of the severity of water pollution and of the degree to which people care."