Multimedia Collection
We All Live Downstream
VHS
29 minutes
TD424.35 .O7 W41 1996
Fresh water sustains human life. Unfortunately, our planet's limited fresh water supplies are threatened -
by growing populations, development, and pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency reports 40
percent of our nation's fresh water is unsafe for swimming, fishing, and drinking. When regulators began
enforcing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, they focused on some of the worst pollution
sources, such as industry and sewage treatment plants. This type of pollution entered our rivers, lakes,
and streams at specific points and came to be known as point source pollution. After 2 decades
of cleanup, America's point source pollution problems are less serious than they used to be.
Today, regulators face a new challenge: protecting our surface and groundwater from nonpoint source
pollution. This type of pollution is carried by rain and irrigation that runs off our farms, forests, and
city streets. It flows from construction sites, mines, and septic systems. Nonpoint source pollution comes
from just about everywhere, and now poses the greatest threat to our drinking water supplies.
We All Live Downstream is an educational video that examines Oregon's Tualatin River, a
waterway that struggles to survive under pressure from nonpoint source pollution. Like many fresh water
supplies across our nation, the Tualatin absorbs pollution from a variety of sources. This video examines
how local residents and government officials are trying to reduce nonpoint source pollution. It also offers
tips to help each of us play an active role in cleaning up our nation's drinking water supplies.
Contact Us
(541) 737-2538
valley.circ@oregonstate.edu
