When visiting a favorite fishing hole, one fisherman was puzzled to see the water looking unusually dark. It didn't take long for them to realize the horrifying truth.
They posted about it on the subreddit r/Fishing, writing: "Just assumed it looked like that because it was under shade. I go to cast and notice my line turned black when I was retrieving."
The cause? Somebody had dumped oil into the pond.
"Never been the cleanest body of water but to actually dump oil is beyond ridiculous," they vented, including a photo of a dead turtle floating in the oil-slicked water.
Commenters were incensed, encouraging the original poster to contact the authorities.
"The national response center has been called and I just got off the phone with the local authorities," they wrote in response. "Gave them the best info I could give, offered photos and myself to come out and assist in any way."
One person replied: "Glad to hear it, I hope they take quick action on it and find whoever's responsible."
Many were stunned by the apathy of the dumping, especially considering the fact that oil recycling is free. "You can literally drop off used oil at any garage," one shared.
Sadly, others had witnessed similar incidents before. "In late July a plant managed to forget a valve and left it open spilling 34k gallons of crude oil into the bayou," one person wrote. "My local catfishing spot. The local people we all eat fish out of the waterway."
Another said: "There's recently been a sodium cyanide spill in a canal near me, 14 miles long. How people let stuff like this get anywhere near water is insane."
Whether through deliberate cruelty, accident, or ignorance, this sort of contamination is common. And unfortunately, it's not often discovered until a great deal of damage has already been done. In several areas, it's led to major health issues and even to national parks having to shut down temporarily.
But if pollution is pervasive, so are solutions. From innovating around new ways to remove microplastics from water to fighting chemical-spraying neighbors, every step to keep toxins from entering the environment matters.
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