Welcome to Water Pollution Guide
What Is Water Pollution Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Causes of Water Pollution
from:Water pollution is a serious problem that affects everyone. Over 40% of the rivers and 46% of the lakes in America are too polluted to fish in, swim in, or maintain marine life. There are many causes of water pollution. Water pollution come from two different types of sources. A “point source” is a result of pollutants being emitted directly into a water body, such as a pipe from an industrial facility leaking toxics directly into the water. There is also a “nonpoint source” type of polluting that is a result of pollutants being indirectly transported to the water such as run off from fertilizers flowing in to a larger body of water by rain.
One of the most common causes of water pollution is from pesticides. Pesticides run off from farms and individual home owners into streams and rivers and are also absorbed into the ground water polluting the water that people drink and causing trouble with the fish in the rivers where the pesticides run off. Another one of the causes of water pollution are fertilizers and nutrient pollution. Nitrates and phosphates that are prevalent in the manure, sewage and chemical fertilizers that run into the streams and rivers causes excessive growth in aquatic plants and algae leading to clogged waterways and dead zones. Oil, gasoline and additives spills such as what happens when a major oil tanker has a leak is one of the causes of water pollution that gets a lot of coverage and press due to it’s effects o marine animals, local fisherman and coastal businesses. Oils can also seep into the waterways through the groundwater as a result of a leak or small spill. Another one of the causes of water pollution as a result of an industry is mining which exposes heavy metals ad sulfur compounds that get leached and absorbed into the ground water and make their way into the nearby water sources. Mines can continue to drain toxic elements into the water supply long after the mining has come to a close.
A few additional causes of water pollution are:
• Sediment build up as a result of clear cutting
• Chemical and industrial processes that produce waste that is injected into deep groundwater sources
• Personal care products and household cleaning products such as bleach, fabric softener, lotion, perfume and hair dye
• Pharmaceuticals such as growth hormones used in farming
• Sewage
• Air pollution due to power plants and emissions from vehicles
• Carbon Dioxide which causes acidification in oceans
• Heat from power plants that causes water pollution by killing fish and marine organisms.
There are many other causes of water pollution in addition to these that will need to be dealt with and addressed in order to reduce the strain on the water supply.
What Is Water Pollution Specific links
What Is Water Pollution News
Redlands + County Partner with Foamy Car Wash to Reduce Water Pollution - Patch.com
Redlands + County Partner with Foamy Car Wash to Reduce Water Pollution Patch.com By Guy McCarthy Storm water officials with San Bernardino County and the City of Redlands are partnering with a Redlands carwash in an effort they hope will reduce water pollution. "Wash water from residential car washing contains pollutants such as ... |
EPA Guides Marinas On Best Ways To Prevent Water Pollution - Pollution Online (press release)
EPA Guides Marinas On Best Ways To Prevent Water Pollution Pollution Online (press release) At the Albany Yacht Club this morning, EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck highlighted the best environmental practices for reducing pollution from boat washing and other maintenance activities that can degrade water quality. |
Water Pollution Caused by Birth Control Poses Dilemma - LiveScience.com
Water Pollution Caused by Birth Control Poses Dilemma LiveScience.com Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4:06 pm Eastern US time to clarify a statement about the uncertainty around the effects of ethinyl estradiol pollution in water on mammals. It's not yet clear at what levels it interferes with mammals' ... |
Water quality at LA County beaches improves - Los Angeles Times
 KTLA | Water quality at LA County beaches improves Los Angeles Times Heal the Bay credits the gains to a drier winter and construction of more facilities to capture, treat and divert tainted storm water. But the county still has seven of the state's top 10 most polluted beaches. A swimmer plies the waters off Long Beach ... Water at California beaches cleanest in years LA County Home to 7 of State's Most Polluted Beaches Coronado's Water Quality at the Top Among County Beaches |
Deadline Approaches For National Water Pollution Conference - MarketWatch (press release)
Deadline Approaches For National Water Pollution Conference MarketWatch (press release) DENVER, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The worlds foremost experts on storm and surface-water quality will get together in Denver August 19-23 to explore the newest water pollution prevention and mitigation technologies, share their recent ... |