Environmental Effects Of Water Pollution

When you think of problems in the world today, water pollution isn’t one that would normally come up. In fact it is one of the worst problems in the world today. Water pollution, by definition, is the contamination of streams, lakes, underground water, bays, or oceans by any substances harmful to living things. All living things contain water and most need water to survive, so water pollution is a big problem. If severe, the pollution can kill off birds, fish, and any animals that use the water source. In some cases even killing an entire species.

Furthermore, factory farms pollute drinking water sources. Manure and fertilizers are rich in nitrates and phosphates, which are very unhealthy for living things. They pollute groundwater sources by seeping in through lagoons of waste sewage that factory farms create. Lagoons of animal feces and spent fertilizers are a very cheap way of dealing with waste (NRDC). The chemicals travel through the soil to groundwater that the local communities depend on. Ingesting nitrate tainted water will lower the amount of oxygen a person can intake. This can lead to death for infants. Some of the pollutants can reach open waters if they are carried by rain or irrigation water, called runoff. Runoff pollutes ponds, lakes, oceans, and other open bodies of water. Polluted waters with high levels of nitrates kill fish, aquatic plants, and other aquatic organisms because they experience the same problems with oxygen intake. High levels of phosphorus in our waters cause algae blooms in open bodies of water. Algae blooms disrupt the ecosystem in the water and kill the organisms living in the water. They use up all the oxygen in

Water is probably the most important resource we as people have. Humans can survive without food for several weeks, but without water we would die in less than a week. On a slightly less dramatic note, millions of liters of water are needed every day worldwide for washing, irrigating crops, and cooling industrial processes, not to mention leisure industries such as swimming pools and water-sports centers. Despite our dependence on water, we use it as a dumping ground for all sorts of waste, and do very little to protect the water supplies we have.

Although the amount of pollutants from a single town or construction site may seem insignificant, the combined concentrations of contaminants threaten our lakes, streams and wetlands. When things such as: human and animal waste, decaying plants and animals, discarded litter, or food waste enter surface waters, either dissolved or suspended in stormwater runoff, they can deplete the supply of dissolved oxygen in the water. When dissolved oxygen is reduced below a certain critical level, it can impair or kill aquatic plants and animals (CNYRPDB, 2011).

The polluted water supply that results can become harmful to humans. Aquatic life quickly suffers the effects of watershed pollution.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in our lakes, rivers, streams, and drinking water sources cause the degradation of these water bodies and harm fish, wildlife, and human health." In the 2000 National Water Quality Inventory, states reported that agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution was the leading source of water quality impacts on surveyed rivers and lakes, as well as the second largest source of impairments to wetlands, and a major contributor to contamination of surveyed estuaries and groundwater. Agricultural activities that cause NPS pollution include poorly located or managed animal feeding operations; overgrazing; plowing too often or at the wrong time; and improper, excessive or poorly timed application of pesticides, irrigation water and fertilizer. Since the 1960s, the high input of agriculture production has resulted in the surplus of nitrogen and phosphorus in farm fields, which run off into surface waters. High concentrations of nitrates and phosphates in surface waters could lead to eutrophication and instability of the aquatic ecosystems. Eutrophication is caused by the over-enrichment of water with phosphates and nitrates, a problem that has become a widespread in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal

The pollution is created from fertilizers in privately owned yards and agriculture washing out into the river as well as inadequate waste water treatment facilities. The fix to these issues the Clean Water Act of 1972 was passed for the surface waters after

Agricultural runoff is another big factor in water pollution and it is similar to the storm water process but only with more dangerous pollutants. Agricultural waste runoff from the barnyards finds its way into the drainage emerging with the water bodies. The runoff from the barnyard being polluted by the multiple fertilizers used in the crops, pesticides, and livestock waste. Then the polluted water from the runoff makes contact with the water bodies such as lakes and rivers polluting them. There are two essential chemicals for the growth of crops and livestock: nitrogen and phosphorus. However, nitrogen and phosphorous are very dangerous chemicals when they make contact with water or soil. High concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in

According Oraclethinkquest, "Water pollution has the potential to have a harmful effect on all living things including plants and animal species. Chemicals, radioactive waste, industrial waste in the water can affect species and their development. There is no

Another form of industrial waste that contributes to water pollution is acid rain. Acid rain is a product of industries burning coal. The burning of coal produces sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide, and when these chemicals combine with the earth’s atmosphere it forms acid rain The Northeastern part of the United States has the worst acid rain levels in the world. More specific, the states with the highest concentration are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and some boarding parts of Canada and New England area. The falling acid rain can destroy plants and animals in several different ways. The acidification of a lake, river, or stream because of the high acidic levels in the water kills algae. Since algae are the main source of food, for many species of fish, they will also suffer from the high acid levels.

The most significant issues with the land pollution are deforestation, soil contamination, and the improper disposal of garbage. “Land pollution is the degradation or destruction of earth’s surface and soil, directly or indirectly because of human activities; it refers to any activity that lessens the quality and/or productivity of the land as an ideal place for agriculture, forestation, and construction” (CEF, Land Pollution, para. 2). Some people understand land pollution as damaging the earth’s surfaces. There are many places that are suffering due to land pollution. In the Philippines, there were 5,000 people living in tents due to typhoon “Yolanda” in the year 2013; one of the effects that caused the typhoon is deforestation, which also dropped down the forest cover from 70 to 20 percent. (Canadian Reference Center, 2013, para. 28). These damaging effects on the environment do not only impact the forest alone but also cause properties to be destroyed and lives to be taken away. Using hazardous substances in the soil is also an example of land pollution because this can lead to soil contamination. Soil contamination occurs in a lot of developing countries such as Ukraine, which has 8% of its land contaminated due to fertilizers in the year 2014 (The Economist, 2017, para. 4). This soil contamination creates destruction to the land that can be used for agriculture, where people get their source of food. One of the possible effects of soil contamination is the loss of soil fertility. Some farmers use chemical fertilizers to increase the plant growth, however, these only release toxins into the soil and reduce soil fertility (Baker, 2017, para. 3). This action does not just affect the fertility of the soil, but it also has consequences to the growth of population, number of deaths of humans and animals, which results from the ingestion of foods from contaminated soil. Another thing that is also a concern in the society referring to deterioration of the earth’s land is the waste that is collected and sent to different landfills. Garbage can be seen everywhere, whether in schools, restaurants, or home. Waste is very common in many places and is also known as a cause of pollution. The biggest source of waste is

One of the leading causes of water pollution is from agriculture. Some of the reasons for this are that agriculture is close to most bodies of water, agriculture is the most widespread land use in the U.S., and agriculture uses chemicals and nutrients to improve production. Figures

Water and food to life and civilization is an essential resource. Agriculture has been prosperous in producing high quantities of food. Although, agricultural production is a hazard to the quality of water. Agricultural chemicals have boosted the productivity of agriculture drastically. The chemicals used in fertilizers are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Runoff of these chemicals into surface waters or from infiltration into groundwater results in water pollution. Agricultural run-off contributes to poor water quality.

70 % of our Earth surface is covered by water and almost 60% of the human body contain water for nutrient transportation. The unique characteristic of water is water molecule is the only substance in this Earth that exist in all three physical states of matter which are solid, liquid and gas. All human beings need water to survive. The national development over the years cause the rate of water pollution increased. According to Gebre & Rooijen (2009) water pollution can be considered as a sign that derives from economic growth and is a common phenomenon in urbanized cities in developing countries. In general, there are three main issues that related to water pollution which are the causes, effects and the way to decrease this problem.

Water is a basic need and survival source that is essential to any living organism. The quality of water is a vital source to the environment in which both society and the natural environment depend on. Monitoring the water quality is tested and done regularly in regards to maintain a constant, safe, and reliable source. A knowledgeable approach to regulate and discover specific problems are done through testing. It is significantly important to test the quality of water for intended purposes, may it be irrigation, drinking water, or