How Does Nitrate Contamination Of Groundwater

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

There are three main mechanisms by which the chemical composition of groundwater, which is our natural source of drinking water, may be changed: by natural processes, by man's waste-disposal practices such as those for sanitary wastes, liquid industrial wastes, solid wastes, and radioactive wastes, and by spills, leaks, and agricultural activities and other sources unrelated to disposal. The degree of risk posed by contaminants varies according to many factors. These include the volume and toxicity of the contaminant, its concentration in the aquifer, its persistence in the environment, and the degree of human and environmental exposure to the contaminant. In addition, the number of persons affected, or likely to be affected, over time and the percentage of available groundwater both locally and regionally should be taken into consideration. If the contaminants in the groundwater exceed the standards set for drinking water by the federal government, for example, then the water is hazardous for the use for which it was designated under the standards. These standards include, however, only a limited number of chemicals, and thus they do not necessarily protect humans or the environment against either the short-term or the long-term effects of every contaminant that might be found in

Harmful chemicals, manure, and pollution factor into it. These can cause large amounts of blue-green algae, which can be more of an issue then the nitrates. They take away oxygen from the water which would cause a decrease in organisms. In the article, “The muted voice in water quality debate is finally heard.” Mike Kilen (2016) says, “But while we focus on nitrates, we also can’t forget the dangerous bacteria and blue-green algae increasingly popping up in our rivers that are even more a danger to public health.” So although the fertilizer problem is important, the nitrates and phosphorous is not the only thing to worry

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

One of the reasons why the San Joaquin Valley is highly susceptible to water contamination is because of agriculture pesticides such as the nitrogen-based fertilizer called “nitrate.” Nitrates, once they 've entered the body, are converted to “nitrites” (Basic Info. About Nitrate in Drinking Water). If a baby younger than six months consumes water with more nitrate than the

According to Water.org 844 million people living without access to clean water, the threat of unsafe water seems like a problem only faced in lesser developed countries. Recent Agricultural and human activities are causing this threat in local rivers. This is causing many environmental and safety issues in Iowa. High levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus are contaminating local rivers across the state.

If you wish to avoid nitrates in your body, it is recommended to “eat as little as possible any processed foods and cured meats, reading labels for any nitrates and nitrites, organics, sometimes the water may also be contaminated with nitrates or

Since I live in the Texoma area the majority of our drinking water comes from Lake Texoma. I think the three sources of groundwater contamination that might affect groundwater in my area would be human-made materials that are littered into the lake, agricultural activities, and human/animal wastes. There are a lot of people in the area who like to go fishing near the lake and drinking alcoholic beverages. These people throw their beer cans and all of their trash into the lake. They also urinate and defecate into the lake as well. There are many nearby farms and ranches to the lake and with all of the flooding water has run-off from these areas back into the lake.

High amounts of nitrate from agricultural field watershed contaminate the groundwater, creating a consumption hazard. A nitrate level greater than 10 mg/L causes negative health effects for the local population and aquatic organisms.

The other dayI caught a report concerning excess of nitrates in the water in one of the communities in which our family once lived. having gone through this before in that neighborhood, I said a quick prayer for all of our friends who live and work there. The excess is for most, simply a inconvenience. You need to be careful, drink bottled water etc., until the nitrates have been flushed out of the water supply.

Let me go all APES here. Water contamination has been an issue across the country. Nutrients like phosphorous, which are found in many fertilizers, can runoff into streams and rivers causing eutrophication. Eutrophication is just a fancy word for these organic nutrients causing a reduction in dissolved oxygen in

Our creek, Little Mill Creek hasn’t been doing too well lately, it’s too polluted. What we need to improve is the nitrate levels. This seems most important because we CAN solve it! Nitrates are chemicals that can be found in sewage and in feces. The top causes of nitrates in creeks are from dogs and birds.

Levallois, P ; Thériault, M ; Rouffignat, J ; Tessier, S ; Landry, R ; Ayotte, P et al. 1998, Groundwater contamination by nitrates associated with intensive potato culture in Québe, Science of the Total Environment, view 22 October 2013, < http://www.researchgate.net/publication/13590434_Groundwater_contamination_by_nitrates_associated_with_intensive_potato_culture_in_Qubec>

Supporting Detail: Nitrate leaching in the Waikato region caused by dairy farming led to around 30 % of groundwater sites under dairy land did not meet the Ministry of Health’s drinking water guidelines, compared with only 5 % from dry stock farms and urban wells when tested in 2008. Foote et

Interactions between groundwater and surface water are complex. Consequently, groundwater pollution, sometimes referred to as groundwater contamination, is not as easily classified as surface water pollution.[7] By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are susceptible to contamination from sources that may not directly affect surface water bodies, and the distinction of point vs. non-point source may be irrelevant. A spill or ongoing releases of chemical or radionuclide contaminants into soil (located away from a surface water body) may not create point source or non-point source pollution, but can contaminate the aquifer below, defined as a toxin plume. The movement of the plume, a plume front, can be part of a Hydrological transport model or Groundwater model. Analysis of groundwater contamination may focus on the soil characteristics and site geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, and the nature of the contaminants.