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Summary: 40 ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
B
in eastern states that historically have had plenty of it.
Aquatic wildlife is going extinct at a rate much higher than
organisms in either terrestrial or marine ecosystems. In
June 2004, drinking water in Wisconsin was found to exceed
levels of nitrate considered safe. In July 2005, scientists
reported that high levels of nutrients and sediments from
river tributaries had created a dead zone that blanketed a
third of the Chesapeake Bay. In October 2005, homes in Con-
necticut, New York, and New Jersey were flooded when
rivers overflowed their banks after a week of rain. All three
of these disasters are linked to the degradation of rivers
and streams.And all three of them could have been prevented
by ecological restoration.
River restoration means repairing waterways that can
no longer perform essential ecological and social functions
such as mitigating floods, providing clean drinking water,
removing excessive levels of nutrients and sediments before
they choke coastal zones, and supporting fisheries and
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