Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 2)

Lack of clean water was a wicked problem citizens of the community in Jackson, Mississippi had to face for multiple days. This issue showed all six characteristics of a wicked problem: vague problem definition, undefined solution, no end point, irreversible, unique, and urgent. Like most things, this was a cause-and-effect situation but the effects left an irreversible mark in the community of Jackson, Mississippi. Youtube Video 

This issue all began in late July 2022. It started at Jackson’s Curtis Water Treatment Plant.  According to CNN, the water treatment plant pumps were damaged, causing them to use smaller backup pumps, which couldn’t maintain the original water flow. On August 9th the city of Jackson decided to pull the pumps offline, limiting how much water residents of Jackson, Mississippi received and also lowering the water pressure of the little to no water that they did receive. To add to the issue, a rainstorm flooded the Pearl River causing the storm water to mix with the natural water, then causing issues with treating the water and creating a chemical imbalance within the water pipes. The water plant is how residents of Jackson, Mississippi receive “clean water” with a chemical imbalance that makes it hard for residents to get clean water. 

Image from CNN “National Guard sergeants fill gallons for a resident at a public water distribution site last year after cold weather caused large numbers of water outages in Jackson, Mississippi. Rory Doyle/Reuters”.

According to CNN, the lack of resources and water issues affected all of Jackson’s communities, but 82.5% of that community is African American. Diversity and geographic location are the main factors that contribute to a vague problem definition. This highlights the fact that the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis is a wicked problem. There is a lack of resources due to the geographic location of the water crisis and the race of the residents that live there. The lack of resources and geographical location not only makes this a vague problem but also makes this matter urgent. Water is a resource needed to do simple life essentials such as showering, brushing, and even cooking. Not having those resources makes this water crisis urgent and harder for residents in lower income areas. Living in lower income areas already comes with a lack and struggle for resources, the water crisis just adds more trouble to the problem . 

150,000 citizens went without clean water. The first solution was being on a boil-water alert, which started a month before the event happened and only made matters worse. While facing this water issue, residents still had to pay a water bill every month, which was unjust and immoral because they were paying for something they weren’t fully receiving. Plus, for any water they did use or consume, they had to boil it before use, making this issue unique because not only did they have to go to extra lengths to use water they also had limited access to water. Organizations and stores came together and gave out cases of water bottles to residents of Jackson, but this wasn’t a solution for everyone. According to NPR many residents of Jackson didn’t have cars or were too far away from locations to get water, and when residents went to receive the water they had to stand in line for hours when they finally got to the front of the line all the water was gone and the store was out of stock, this highlights the second characteristics of a wicked problem undefined solution. Many solutions were created but one definite solution didn’t work for all the residents of Jackson, each solution had different factors that caused problems for residents. The government eventually called in the National Guard to help with disturbing water, but citizens still had to live in dreadful conditions. 

Image From CNN Quad Johnson, center, 24, from Jackson, carries packages of bottled water to cars at a water distribution site at Grove Park Community Center in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 31, 2022. Austin Steele/CNN.

The pipes and infrastructure were already old and aging, failing residents of Jackson, and this was an issue that had gone so far that it’s now irreversible and causing no endpoint to the wicked problem. Before the flooding of the Pearl River, the water plant also faced another issue with the water system.  To make matters worse and add to the wicked problem the citizens of Jackson also faced an e.Coli outbreak in their water infrastructure and now the pumps are damaged. Again this highlights one of the characteristics of a wicked problem, which would be having no endpoint, because no matter what, another problem always resurfaces. This matter was already serious but became more urgent when residents couldn’t shower, wash dishes, drink water, or flush their toilets. Essential things and aspects of life that are a crucial part of residents’ everyday lives become hard and impossible to do because of the lack of clean water. This problem became unique and urgent and started to affect residents’ health and living conditions. According to Journalist CNN  Theresa Waldrop, schools had to switch to virtual learning because the lack of water and water pressure affected the air conditioners, leaving the schools with no AC. With Jackson being a southern state and a hotter state that was a big issue for students and teachers of the Jackson, Mississippi school system. 

Most of Jackson’s areas are poor or poverty-stricken, making the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis more catastrophic. This issue is also expensive. According to the mayor of Jackson, it will cost two billion dollars to repair the pumps and pipes and to fix the issue. Even while repairing the pipes and the water system, it will still affect the everyday life of citizens in Jackson. The repairs will take years to fix and even while fixing they can cause more damage or make matters worse. Jackson. The Mississippi water crisis was a devastating crisis that affected residents mentally, emotionally, and physically. It’s just one of thousands of water equity issues in the world and it shows how water is such a fundamental part of human life and how not having it can affect your everyday life. 

Work Cited

Krishnakumar, Priya, and Christopher Hickey. “Tea leaves unread: Jackson’s water crisis follows years of economic decline.” CNN, 2 September 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/us/jackson-water-crisis-demographics-population-decline/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Waldrop, Theresa. “It’s been 5 days without reliable tap water for Jackson, Mississippi. Here’s what we know about the latest repairs – and how people are coping.” CNN, 2 September 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/us/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis-what-we-know/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Brown, Maya. “‘Water is a human right’: City of Jackson still in dire need of infrastructure help to fight water crisis.” CNN, 19 April 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/us/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Breslow, Jason. “The Jackson, Mississippi water crisis follows years of systemic problems.” NPR, 31 August 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/31/1120166328/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Lack of clean water was a wicked problem citizens of the community in Jackson, Mississippi had to face for multiple days. This issue showed all six characteristics of a wicked problem: vague problem definition, undefined solution, no end point, irreversible, unique, and urgent. Like most things, this was a cause-and-effect situation but the effects left an irreversible mark in the community of Jackson, Mississippi. Youtube Video 

This issue all began in late July 2022. It started at Jackson’s Curtis Water Treatment Plant.  According to CNN, the water treatment plant pumps were damaged, causing them to use smaller backup pumps, which couldn’t maintain the original water flow. On August 9th the city of Jackson decided to pull the pumps offline, limiting how much water residents of Jackson, Mississippi received and also lowering the water pressure of the little to no water that they did receive. To add to the issue, a rainstorm flooded the Pearl River causing the storm water to mix with the natural water, then causing issues with treating the water and creating a chemical imbalance within the water pipes. The water plant is how residents of Jackson, Mississippi receive “clean water” with a chemical imbalance that makes it hard for residents to get clean water. 

Image from CNN “National Guard sergeants fill gallons for a resident at a public water distribution site last year after cold weather caused large numbers of water outages in Jackson, Mississippi. Rory Doyle/Reuters”.

According to CNN, the lack of resources and water issues affected all of Jackson’s communities, but 82.5% of that community is African American. Diversity and geographic location are the main factors that contribute to a vague problem definition. This highlights the fact that the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis is a wicked problem. There is a lack of resources due to the geographic location of the water crisis and the race of the residents that live there. The lack of resources and geographical location not only makes this a vague problem but also makes this matter urgent. Water is a resource needed to do simple life essentials such as showering, brushing, and even cooking. Not having those resources makes this water crisis urgent and harder for residents in lower income areas. Living in lower income areas already comes with a lack and struggle for resources, the water crisis just adds more trouble to the problem . 

150,000 citizens went without clean water. The first solution was being on a boil-water alert, which started a month before the event happened and only made matters worse. While facing this water issue, residents still had to pay a water bill every month, which was unjust and immoral because they were paying for something they weren’t fully receiving. Plus, for any water they did use or consume, they had to boil it before use, making this issue unique because not only did they have to go to extra lengths to use water they also had limited access to water. Organizations and stores came together and gave out cases of water bottles to residents of Jackson, but this wasn’t a solution for everyone. According to NPR many residents of Jackson didn’t have cars or were too far away from locations to get water, and when residents went to receive the water they had to stand in line for hours when they finally got to the front of the line all the water was gone and the store was out of stock, this highlights the second characteristics of a wicked problem undefined solution. Many solutions were created but one definite solution didn’t work for all the residents of Jackson, each solution had different factors that caused problems for residents. The government eventually called in the National Guard to help with disturbing water, but citizens still had to live in dreadful conditions. 

Image From CNN Quad Johnson, center, 24, from Jackson, carries packages of bottled water to cars at a water distribution site at Grove Park Community Center in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 31, 2022. Austin Steele/CNN.

The pipes and infrastructure were already old and aging, failing residents of Jackson, and this was an issue that had gone so far that it’s now irreversible and causing no endpoint to the wicked problem. Before the flooding of the Pearl River, the water plant also faced another issue with the water system.  To make matters worse and add to the wicked problem the citizens of Jackson also faced an e.Coli outbreak in their water infrastructure and now the pumps are damaged. Again this highlights one of the characteristics of a wicked problem, which would be having no endpoint, because no matter what, another problem always resurfaces. This matter was already serious but became more urgent when residents couldn’t shower, wash dishes, drink water, or flush their toilets. Essential things and aspects of life that are a crucial part of residents’ everyday lives become hard and impossible to do because of the lack of clean water. This problem became unique and urgent and started to affect residents’ health and living conditions. According to Journalist CNN  Theresa Waldrop, schools had to switch to virtual learning because the lack of water and water pressure affected the air conditioners, leaving the schools with no AC. With Jackson being a southern state and a hotter state that was a big issue for students and teachers of the Jackson, Mississippi school system. 

Most of Jackson’s areas are poor or poverty-stricken, making the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis more catastrophic. This issue is also expensive. According to the mayor of Jackson, it will cost two billion dollars to repair the pumps and pipes and to fix the issue. Even while repairing the pipes and the water system, it will still affect the everyday life of citizens in Jackson. The repairs will take years to fix and even while fixing they can cause more damage or make matters worse. Jackson. The Mississippi water crisis was a devastating crisis that affected residents mentally, emotionally, and physically. It’s just one of thousands of water equity issues in the world and it shows how water is such a fundamental part of human life and how not having it can affect your everyday life. 

Work Cited

Krishnakumar, Priya, and Christopher Hickey. “Tea leaves unread: Jackson’s water crisis follows years of economic decline.” CNN, 2 September 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/us/jackson-water-crisis-demographics-population-decline/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Waldrop, Theresa. “It’s been 5 days without reliable tap water for Jackson, Mississippi. Here’s what we know about the latest repairs – and how people are coping.” CNN, 2 September 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/us/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis-what-we-know/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Brown, Maya. “‘Water is a human right’: City of Jackson still in dire need of infrastructure help to fight water crisis.” CNN, 19 April 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/19/us/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis/index.html. Accessed 16 September 2024.

Breslow, Jason. “The Jackson, Mississippi water crisis follows years of systemic problems.” NPR, 31 August 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/31/1120166328/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis. Accessed 16 September 2024.

In Illinois, the following rivers, streams, and lakes have a huge impact on the ecosystem and also on the people inhabiting the region.  Even so, a big portion of these water bodies are polluted with E.coli bacteria, which poses a great risk to human health and harms wildlife. This is a classic example of a cross-national boundary issue, defined by its elaborate and complex nature. Turning this around, observing the contamination of waterways in the state of Illinois through the perspective of the six wicked problems and the urgency allows for a clearer understanding concerning its impact on the community, as well as the environment. 

The question of how E. coli resists being classed as a vague problem resurfacing policy about Illinois, it does not provide a quick answer. For risk of illness, E. coli is often cited as the bacteria of concern when the talk revolves around the people along the Great Lakes region, simply because the presence of the E.coli suggests a risk of fecal pollution being present. But how do you avoid the risk of finding the correlation between these issues when the potential sources of bacteria are numerous, all easily accessible, and expensive to monitor? Agricultural runoff, urban stormwater, or wildlife-which of these are the sources? Shouldn’t the vagueness of the leading sources or the question be easy to answer? To try to resolve that glimmer that could have guided us, the circumstances are pretty gruesome. Members of the community alongside members focusing on understanding the environment would be of huge assistance in voiding the heterogeneous definition provided above and to help tackle the issue in a more focused manner. 

Many people would naturally look up to the farmers and other businesses that play a huge role in the contamination of rivers, streams, and lakes in Illinois but the void towards doing that is vague. Tackling the E. coli issue invading streams and rivers is going to be a challenging one, factors such as urban development along with growth on the agricultural and industrial fronts can be said to have a role to play in not only the growth of a certain economy but more importantly the growth of the nation. What these boundaries would or might do though is add further risks and challenges especially considering there lies a delay in understanding the industry and developing a marketing frame. The risks posed by the rural areas and farms would be tremendous, however that being said there is a tremendous potential to resolving that within engaging communities along with water resources. There is a roadmap prepared by scientists that entails significant promises it has heroto out the political agenda regard that particular subject and also highlighted branding strategies along with marketing.

The issue of E. coli residue is further made complex by non-specific approaches. More awareness about pollution can be targeted along with the improvement in agricultural practices and enhancement of effluent treatment plant. But as is evident that no one approach deals with the substance pollution problem comprehensively. Since environmental aspects are always interlinked, approaches will always have to be cross sectoral and dynamic. Working together with local people, policymakers and environmentalists can foster creative solutions tailored for each polluted waterway while also enhancing the water quality management from a broader perspective.

A critical feature of E. coli contamination challenges in Illinois is the fact that there is no discernable endpoint. Pollution is not an issue that can be dealt with once and for all but one that can best be characterized by preventive measures and constant supervision. E. coli content is expected to alter with the shifting climatic parameters and anthropogenic practices, thus evaluation and re-evaluation is provides the best answer to the problem. Rather than work towards a resolution, it is better for stakeholders to work towards rather develop resilience in the affected communities and ecosystems.

The issue of irreversibility also plays a significant role in the E.coli contamination problem. Once the water is contaminated, the effects tend to be long lasting, impact a persons health, surrounding wildlife, and ecosystems. For example, the introduction of E. into water habitats can harm fish populations and disrupt food chains, leading to bigger economic consequences. The contamination may alter recreational opportunities for residents, affecting their quality of life and connection to nature. The reality downplays proactive measures aimed at preventing contamination and preserving the integrity of our water systems. 

Each river, stream and lake in illinois water systems cannot be over looked. Factors such as land use, and local ecology contribute to the specific challenges faced by each water body. This necessitates tailoard solutions that account for local conditions and stakeholders needs. For instance, a rural river may require different management practices compared to urban stream with high levels of runoff.

The urgency of addressing E coli. Contamination in Illinos water systems cannot be over looked. WIth potential health risks to the community, such as stomach illness and other serious health concerns, we must act now. The contamination affects not only us but also surrounding wildlife, which relies on clean water for survival. 

SOURCES

Illinois Environmental Council. “Clean Water.” Illinois Environmental Council, 

Clean Water

C%20and,which%20negatively%20impact%20aquatic%20life.

Illinois Department of Public Health. “E. Coli.” Illinois Department of Public Health, https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and

-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/e-coli.html.

Keith Hawkins 

Dr. Shea 

Research Team 120 

6 September 2024 

Multimodal #1 

Water is the most prevalent source on the planet. Over 70% of the entire planet is covered by water so any type of water issue would most likely be important. I want to discuss water infrastructure, specifically the concept of building roads and businesses to be able to handle heavy rainfall without flooding. 

Two years ago, in a town close to where I am from called Florissant Missouri, there was a heavy storm that caused a massive flood on a business strip called Florissant Meadows.  The Florissant Meadows shopping center was a strip mall off the busy street of Lindbergh. Stores in this strip mall included Save A Lot, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, CVS Pharmacy, a DMV, a ST. Vincent De Paul thrift store, and more. On July 26, 2022, a storm flooded this strip mall and put businesses out for months and years. 

This is a picture of what the flood looked like outside of Walgreens from (nytimes.com) 

I believe that this situation can be classified as a wicked problem. It is understood that in order to be a wicked problem, a situation must have six characteristics: a vague problem definition, an undefined solution, have no end point, be irreversible, unique, and urgent. 

The Florissant Meadows flood is a vague problem because it breeds an abundance of issues not just for the business owners but also for the community. Members of the local Florissant community relied heavily on stores like Save A Lot, Dollar Tree, and CVS for their everyday living. Save a lot and Dollar Tree were cheap and easily accessible ways for people to get groceries and more specifically produce without having to travel more than a couple of miles. The second closest available grocery store is located a little more than a mile down Lindbergh. That store is harder to reach for community members who don’t have access to motor vehicles. The thrift store is one of the only places in the area to buy affordable clothing within two miles of the strip mall. 

There is not one singular solution to the Florissant Meadows flood. The strip mall flood resulted from the area’s infrastructure and Coldwater Creek behind the strip mall overflowing. The surrounding area of Florissant Meadows is shaped like a gigantic bowl. When the heavy storm hit, all the water was stuck in the bowl’s center. A big creek being in the center of this bowl did not help the situation. A solution could be to move all the business to a different location so this can’t happen again. But it is just not that simple. Some of the businesses are small local family-owned businesses and not big chain businesses. Those owners had to fight hard to open their stores again but still have that risk of losing everything.  

This is a picture of an empty Coldwater Creek from (alchetron.com) 

To continue from the last sentence, there is no endpoint to the problem with Florissant Meadows. Another heavy storm can pass by and flood the strip mall again and hurt the community members and businesses. Any day or night their operations can be slowed or shut down depending on how mother nature feels. 

Here are some stories of some of the local business owners who were affected by the flooding. 

Businesses reopen at Florissant Meadows Shopping Center | ksdk.com 

Florissant businesses closed due to floods; seeking help and answers | FOX 2 (fox2now.com) 

This flood did not just affect the business strip. People’s homes were also flooded that night.  

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FiH7WNl0ELM%3Flist%3DPLtxwUv5r5kpWJaksskn6tQitQUtl0f95Z

Another characteristic of a wicked problem that ties with this situation is that the effects are irreversible. There is no room for error when trying to fix the issues at hand. Homes and places of businesses are affected by floods in this area. Failing to solve the problem can result in the repeated devastation of lives in the community. The method of trial and error simply does not work in this situation. 

What makes this problem unique is the fact that it stems from multiple sources. The infrastructure of the area being shaped like a gigantic bowl is already an issue for flooding by itself. To make matters worse, there is a creek in the middle of the big bowl to add more water to the flood. 

The last characteristic of this wicked problem of the Florissant Meadows flood is how urgent the issue needed and still needs to be addressed. The businesses have been opened back up and are running currently. However, if another heavy rainfall storm occurs like the one that took the businesses out two years ago, the exact same results will take place. The locals that live in that area cannot afford to be constantly at flood risk whenever there is a storm. 

The Florissant Meadows shopping center is crucial to the local community members and their way of life. This strip mall flooding is a wicked problem for the community because of the abundance of problems for the community it causes, there not being a specific answer to its problems, the issue does not have an end, damages and failures to help fix the problems are irreversible, the issue has unique circumstances that cause the problems, and it was and still is an urgent issue. 

Works Cited 

Alchetron. “Coldwater Creek (Missouri River).” Alchetron, 21 December 2023, https://alchetron.com/Coldwater-Creek-(Missouri-River). Accessed 14 September 2024. 

Errebhi, Ala. “Florissant businesses closed due to floods; seeking help and answers.” Fox2now, Fox 2 news, 7 August 2022, https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/florissant-businesses-closed-due-to-floods-seeking-help-and-answers/. Accessed 14 September 2024. 

KSDK NEWS. “FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers open in Metro East Friday.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 October 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiH7WNl0ELM&list=PLtxwUv5r5kpWJaksskn6tQitQUtl0f95Z. Accessed 14 September 2024. 

Mackey, Mercedes. “Businesses reopen at Florissant Meadows Shopping Center.” KSDK, 11 December 2024, https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/i-couldnt-give-up-florissant-business-back-open-after-julys-historic-flood/63-442af086-8c6f-4790-9a6a-23529d02a5a6. Accessed 14 September 2024. 

The New York Times. “How Have You Been Dealing With Extreme Weather in the U.S.? (Published 2022).” The New York Times, 27 July 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/us/extreme-weather-callout.html. Accessed 14 September 2024. 

Photos above taken by Venus Morgan to capture the smoke towers that reside on Lake Springfield.  

 

As the sun still shines in Springfield, Illinois, Lake Springfield continues to flourish. Or so, the citizens of Springfield believe. The actuality of this issue is that the CWLP (City Water Light Power) plant, which is Springfields only source of water, light, and power, remains directly under and beside our lake. There are towers that exude smoke which affect the species on the lake, our whole town, and even the body of water in general.  This addresses the concept of a wicked problem which is defined as a problem that “cannot be addressed using only traditional approaches” and a sustainability challenge in our textbook, Sustainable World: Approaches to Analyzing and Resolving Wicked Problems written by Sonya Remington-Doucette. They explain that wicked problems have the general characteristics of vague problem definition, undefined solutions, no endpoint, irreversible, unique, and urgent. Lake Springfield’s issue falls under this category.  

There is a vague problem definition regarding Lake Springfield because everyone in the town is affected by the issue of clean and ethically sourced water, power, and light. This creates diversity because there are many different statuses within Springfield such as race, economic class, belief, etc. Based on your status you are more likely to be affected directly because if you can afford different ways to obtain these necessities then you can escape it. Although, many people with higher income live directly on the lake, so their resources are not only being affected, but also their house and air quality is worse living closer to the smoke from the factories. Based upon the abundance of different statuses, people are not likely to agree on a solution.  

There is an undefined solution to this problem because there are so many factors that play a part in causing it. To be frank, I have personally heard little to no coverage about this issue and the extent of it. That would be the first step in solving this problem. Also, it is difficult to plan a solution because our whole city relies on this plant/lake so we cannot ethically leave families without these resources. Additionally, there are an abundance of animal species that live on the lake, and this affects their day-to-day life. Looking at traditional solutions to this problem could not solve it because either way we step in that direction, it leads to some unethical cause for either/both species.  

Photos taken above by Venus Morgan capturing a father/son fishing and the playground that is next to Lake Springfield.  

This problem has no end point because as stated earlier, if we consider trying to create a more ethical solution, there can be unethical consequences. Considering a solution such as moving the plant to a different location. This is what we initially want, but now it can affect all factors. For example, as these species have lived in these conditions for an extended period, their bodies begin to adapt to it. This can possibly affect their breathing, mobility, life longevity, etc. There are many questions concerning this aspect such as: Where will the animals go? Will they be able to adapt to a new environment? Will moving the plant affect humans access to these necessities? Where would they put this plant where it will not harm species? What will they do to replenish their water? The list of questions and concerns can go on and on, but we will never not have a complex answer.  

This issue is irreversible because the problems this caused are so intertwined that they rely on each other. This plant has existed since 1911 which poses a post-industrial problem. This means it affects both the environment and society. A post-industrial problem poses a huge threat to the society that remains. Contextually, industrialization began around the 1800s and is the time when the manufacturing industry, factories, and inventions hit it big. People were not used to having objects that made their lives easier, which allowed them to flourish the way they did. In actuality, the resources they used, and their approach damaged the Earth. For example, the use of fossil fuels as a non-renewable source but also as a main contributor to pollution. This era created the world we see today, and we bear the consequences.  Now, within Springfield, we are seeing it come to light in a place that’s too close to home. These socioecological issues bounce off each other. If you try to take one aspect into account, you are risking hurting the other. This shows that these effects cannot be reversed, but we can put effort into trying to improve them. Even the “solution” of possibly improving the effects can create consequences as well. This exemplifies the complexity of this issue. 

Photos taken above by Venus Morgan to capture fishing on Lake Springfield.  

This problem is unique because depending on the location, this problem is distinct. Because this problem is specifically in the Midwest, it poses many cultural effects too. Let’s consider something that seems like a small problem such as fishing. From a widespread perspective, this wouldn’t seem to affect this problem, but it does. It is so normalized to go fishing on this lake, especially for families to teach their descendants to fish. This adds to the issue because more people are directly affected by the quality of the air, water, and even food (if they decide to eat the fish). The lake water is deemed unsanitary, and the PH balance does not even meet the requirements for humans to swim in it.  So, what makes people think it is okay to fish here? It seems that this is not considered when people decide to fish because it is so common in our culture to do so. If this issue happened somewhere such as a different country, fishing may not pose an additional problem.  

This issue is extremely urgent because if we do not act, this socioecological system will be affected negatively. The species who reside on and around the lake can eventually perish or become endangered because of the chemicals that they breathe and swim in every day. Additionally, if we cannot act urgently the civilians continue to drink water with chemicals in it which can cause death or disease on the body. Also, humans can experience respiratory problems from breathing in the smoke from the factory. This is so complex because we need to solve it quickly, but we also must think intuitively so we don’t affect the community negatively by posing a solution. We need to take all possibilities into account to effectively improve this community and create checkpoints to make sure things are going to plan. This is so difficult because plans like this take a long time, a big team, and a lot of funding. That is why it is so important to be as urgent as possible to improve these living statuses. 

Photo above taken by Venus Morgan to capture a warning for swimming in Lake Springfield.