Water Pollution

Water Pollution

All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, lakes, or the ocean, countries have taken great measures to maintain a high quality of water for both human consumption and as a key component to the environment. We deal with the pollution problems and then decide on ways to clean it up. This valuable resource is the key to survival. Both plants and animals depend on water for their growth, so the water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.

Examples of industrial wastes that can contaminant bodies of water are oil spills, acid rain, and waste run-off from industrial buildings and factories. Oil spills, even though they do not happen that often, can spill millions of gallons of its crude oil cargo into the ocean causing long term damage. The oil spreads out over the surface of the water, creating a deadly coating. It kills fish and animals and washes on shores polluting the beaches, shutting them down to the public. Once the oil has contaminated the water, immediate action must be taken to clean it out of the water. The most common procedure is to contain the oil with oil absorbent plastic booms and then skim the oil off the top of the water.

Waste or industrial run-off from factories can pollute streams that are near the place of discharge. Oils, inorganic minerals, and chemical compounds are the primary types of waste run-off. In the case of industrial run-off, there are three ways the water can be treated to solve the pollution problem before it ever reaches the water source. First, control over the discharge can take place at the point of generation within the plant itself. Second, the polluted water can be sent to water treatment plants before it is released into the surrounding water sources. Third, the waste water can be treated within the plant and recycled again, or treated in the plant and released.

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.

Acid rain also soaks into ground and dissolves nutrients from the soil. When the plants call upon these nutrients to grow, the absence kills the vegetation. Over a short period of time plants begin to die, harming surrounding animal life.

The second main category is agricultural pollution. This type of pollution occurs when erosion of crop land dispenses sediments into nearby streams, affecting the clarity of the water and killing the food source of the fish. Another form of agricultural pollution is field run- off. It is caused when a farmer spreads animal