Water Pollution

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Water Pollution

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Water pollution.

Water pollution.

The water is a natural resource over 70% of the earth’s surface and without it the life on the earth would nonexistent: it is essential for everything on our planet to grow and prosper but although we as humans recognize this fact, we are polluting our rivers, lakes and oceans.
Everyone wants clean water to drink, for recreation and just to enjoy looking at. If water becomes polluted, it loses its value and properties to keep the life. We use water daily in our homes and industries, about 150 gallons (525 liters) per day per person in the United States. The water we use is taken from lakes and rivers, and from underground (groundwater) and after we have used it and contaminated it most of it returns to these locations.

Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives in it. When humans drink polluted water it often has serious effects on their health. In order to combat water pollution, we must understand the problems and become part of the solution.

What are some different types of water pollution?

· Microbiological Disease-causing (pathogenic) microorganisms, like bacteria, viruses and protozoa can cause swimmers to get sick. Fish and shellfish can become contaminated and people who eat them can become ill. Some serious diseases like polio and cholera are waterborne.

· Chemical A whole variety of chemicals from industry, such as metals and solvents, and even chemicals which are formed from the breakdown of natural wastes (ammonia, for instance) are poisonous to fish and other aquatic life. Pesticides used in agriculture and around the home-- insecticides for controlling insects and herbicides for controlling weeds-- are another type of toxic chemical.

· Oxygen-depleting Substances Many wastes are biodegradable, that is, they can be broken down and used as food by microorganisms like bacteria. We tend to think of biodegradable wastes as being preferable to non-biodegradable ones, because they will be broken down and not remain in the environment for very long times. Too much biodegradable material, though, can cause the serious problem of oxygen depletion in receiving waters. But, oxygen is not very soluble in water. Even when the water is saturated with dissolved oxygen, it contains only about 1/25 the concentration that is present in air. So if there is too much "food" in the water, the bacteria that are consuming it can easily use up all of the dissolved oxygen, leaving none for the fish, which will die of suffocation.

· Nutrients The elements phosphorus and nitrogen are necessary for plant growth, and are plentiful in untreated wastewater. Added to lakes and streams, they cause nuisance growth of aquatic weeds, as well as "blooms" of algae, which are microscopic plants. This can cause several problems. Weeds can make a lake unsuitable for swimming and boating. Algae and weeds die and become biodegrable material, which can cause the problems mentioned above (and below). If the water is used as a drinking water source, algae can clog filters and impart unpleasant tastes and odors to the finished water.

Suspended matter Some pollutants are dissolved in wastewater, meaning that the individual molecules or ions (electrically charged atoms or molecules) of the substance are mixed directly in between the molecules of water. Other pollutants, referred to as particulate matter, consist of much larger-- but still very small-- particles which are just suspended in the water. Although they may be kept in suspension by turbulence, once in the receiving water, they will eventually settle out and form silt or mud at the bottom. These sediments can decrease the depth of the body of water. If there is a lot of biodegradable organic material in the sediment, it will become anaerobic and contribute to problems mentioned above. Toxic materials can also accumulate in the sediment and affect the organisms which live there and can build up in fish that feed on them, and so be passed up the food chain, causing problems all along the way. Also, some of the particulate matter may be grease-- or be coated with grease, which is lighter than water, and float to the top, creating an aesthetic nuisance.

Additional forms of water pollution.

Three last forms of water pollution exist in the forms of petroleum, radioactive substances, and heat:
· Petroleum often pollutes water bodies in the form of oil, resulting from oil spills.
· Radioactive substances are produced in the form of waste from nuclear power plants, and from the industrial, medical, and scientific use of radioactive materials. Specific forms of waste are uranium and thorium mining and refining.
· The last form of water pollution is heat. Heat is a pollutant because increased temperatures result in the deaths of many aquatic organisms. These decreases in temperatures are caused when a discharge of cooling water by factories and power plants occurs.

How do we prevent water pollution?

To keep our used water from spoiling our water resources, we have to remove the pollutants before the water gets back into the environment. In urban areas in most developed countries, the wastewater from homes, businesses and factories is collected by a system of underground pipes-- sewers-- which carry it to one or more central treatment facilities. Most of these are located near bodies of water into which the treated wastewater is discharged.

Homes in non-urban areas that are not connected to a sewer are usually required by their town to have on-site treatment systems. Most common for single homes are septic systems, which consist of a buried tank connected to a set of perforated pipes, embedded in gravel, which distribute the water into the soil. Larger housing complexes may have treatment systems based on the principles used in full-scale sewage treatment plants.

CONCLUSION

Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have the capabilities to break life on our planet to a great extent. Congress has passed laws to try to combat water pollution thus acknowledging the fact that water pollution is, indeed, a serious issue. But the government alone cannot solve the entire problem. It is ultimately up to us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes to the problems we face with our water. We must become familiar with our local water resources and learn about ways for disposing harmful household wastes so they don't end up in sewage treatment plants that can't handle them or landfills not designed to receive hazardous materials.