Summary Of Fouling Our Own Nests By Robert Helenon

Sharon Lei

MCWP 40 029

Jennifer Huerta

15 October 2014

Fouling Our Own Nests Response An individual is composed of more than 60% water. With our bodies consisting of such a large percentage of water, water is vital and essential to everybody’s life. In “Fouling Our Own Nests” by Robert Glennon, Glennon begins his excerpt with a vignette taking place in Lake Havasu, a city that is known for their spring break parties and indulgence of fun. The use of the vignette creates a sense of dirtiness and corruption that alludes to the main purpose of the chapter—water pollution. Glennon claims that “water pollution is an acute national problem that threatens our existing water supply” (76). Existing problems that the author discusses in his chapter include: the collection of sewage and storm water in a single collection system, nitrogen fertilizer, and animal feeding operations. Robert Glennon effectively validates his

One of the major pollution problems that affect our drinking water include animal-feeding operations. Within the United States, “animals like cattle, chickens, lambs, are fattened up before slaughter in tens of thousands of pens” (72). As a result, manure builds up because the animals are kept in their pens for such long durations. Even though the manure is moved to other areas for storage or use, rain often causes it to seep into clean waterways and aquifers (72). Our water supply is compromised because “California Central Valley alome is home to 1.4 million cows. That’s 84,000 tons of manure a day” (72). Quantitative data is useful in that the readers are able to tell the severity of the situation based on the large numbers that are given. Most of the numbers that are given are derived from studies that have been conducted. Statistical evidence and creating this larger sense of credibility produces a more effective argument because research is used as grounds and thus, supports the