Sources Of Water Pollution And Environmental Impacts

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

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

It is cited that the largest contributors to water pollution are power plants, pulp, paper and paperboard mills, slaughterhouses and poultry plants.5 In smaller farming operations, contamination is considered “non-point source” because the animal waste and fertilizer of farming are brought into the soil and washed away by rain and into the water supply.6 These

Another way that water can be polluted is with chemicals from factories. Factories use water from streams, river, and lakes to power and cool off their machinery. This used water contains many chemicals from the factory processes that are released back into the normal water (Lenntech, 1988-2016). This released water is also warmer, causing the whole body of water to heat up. This causes lower oxygen levels, which can disturb the organisms living in the water (Lenntech, 1988-2016).

Water pollution can affect every body of water that is linked to the source, because water tends to travel everywhere due to the water table. Water contamination comes from multiple sources, such as dumping waste, which is a direct way. There is also indirect pollution, such as runoff from pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers soaking into the ground and moving with the ground water into rivers. Ethanol crops are large

These pollutions don't just affect that one area they affect the whole water cycle. The water cycle consists of condensation, evaporation, precipitation, surface runoff, and accumulation. When the water comes down from the clouds in the from of precipitation you get surface runoff and it accumulates in the ocean or river. Now you add a pollution to

However, for all of its potential environmental, healthful, and economic strengths, conventional tillage has some serious downsides. Plowing the soil makes the soil very loose and highly susceptible to erosion by wind and water. The Department of Agriculture reports annual losses of almost 1.7 billion tons of topsoil, which costs farmers a lot and also harms ecosystems (Tabuchi). Traditional farming also tends to waste a lot of water due to evaporation and runoff into watersheds (Tabuchi). Losses of soil and water have great impacts on watershed ecosystems, where qualities such as turbidity, or cloudiness, and chemistry of water mean life or death for aquatic organisms. Runoff from traditional farms, even organic farms, carries any fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides used on the farm downhill into lakes and streams (Ritter). These chemical additions to aquatic ecosystems lead to eutrophication, an excessive presence of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. Eutrophication, in turn, leads to algal blooms, fish kills, and ultimately the destruction of valuable biodiversity. Conventional tillage farming also has dramatic impacts on the global economy and health. When loss of topsoil and water causes costs of farming to rise for farmers, the prices of agricultural products subsequently rise for consumers. Sadly, this rise in prices for consumers leads to poorer global nutritional health and disproportionately high mortality rates for children, women, and the

All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.

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

A reason that water pollution is a problem today is because many people don’t realize that they are hurting out water supplies when they really are. There are many pollutants that hurt our water supply such as farming. When farmers spray their fields with chemicals and apply fertilizers. Some of these chemicals reach the river, and animal urine and manure may be washed into the river. Another cause of water pollution is from accidents, such as tanker spills. Accidents with chemicals may cause river pollution as well. Mining can be another cause because the dusts and minerals get washed into the rivers. Seepage is another cause of water pollution. Because chemicals from waste dumps join the groundwater flow into the river. Urban Wastes is a major cause because the sewage comes from toilets, sinks, and industrial processes. This causes many human diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, and cholera.

This paper discusses the effects of agricultural production on water quality. This is caused as a result of pesticides and fertilizers used to enhanced production ending up in the water. The main focus will be on fertilizer, primarily nitrogen.

Leaching of pesticides, herbicides and other Argo-chemicals, these chemicals are the overriding causes of agricultural pollution owing to the numbers of invasive pests, weeds, and diseases. They're highly toxic and have the potential of remaining in the environment for ages. When it rains, these chemicals will leak

In agricultural lands the receiving water is contaminated by nonpoint pollution due to different agricultural activities like crop production, cattle operations, crop pattern and rangelands.

What makes water pollution occur? Firstly, urbanisation in which people move to the big cities can cause physical disturbance on land due construction of houses, industries, roads, etc. According to Mohan Rao,1971; CPHERI, 1972 water pollution occurs when there is a removal from the industrial sector, emissions from municipal waste, and elimination of defective products affect water quality. In addition to construction works, chemical pollution from industries and mines are also contributing to even worsened water pollution. Over population in certain cities causing inadequate sewage collection and treatment with unmanaged litter, plus increase in fertilisers to grow more food. This results in an increase in nutrients (nitrates and

waterways. Because water can float and be carried by the wind, it can cause harm