Though we think of acid rain most often when we are thinking of Greece or Italy, North America is impacted by acid rain as well. Acid rain is measured by evaluating the PH in the water... pure water has a PH of 7.0, while average rain water ...with dissolved CO2... measures 5.6 PH. The more acid it gets, the less PH... in 2000 measurements in the US showed that the most acidic rain collected was measured at 4.5.
Even though not as strong as the acid in European environments, North American acid rain is changing ecosystems and damaging the soil, plants and wildlife in our forests, lakes, streams and rivers and results in a range of problems, from depleted plant life and reduced oxygenation to all out fish kills.
US Title IV of the Clean Air Act mandates control of acid deposition, but how is this being managed?
The Acid Rain Program, a National program in the US, has as its goal to achieve significant environmental and public health benefits through reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)—the primary causes of acid rain. Reduced use of high Sulfur Coal in power generation is one key example of how acid rain reduction is being addressed.
Other examples of how individuals can help reduce airborne acid... limit or eliminate the trash burned in fires, things like magazines with heavy acrylic inks and plastic wrap add to the problem, and limit your use of fertilizer which contributes to nitrogen oxides in our waterways and evaporated into the atmosphere.
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