Water, and how we affect it

Intro

Runoff: Fertilizer
Fertilizer Runoff is an example of Nonpoint source pollution, meaning it can come from many different sources that cant be pinpointed. Fertilizers come mainly from farms and lawns that reside near water. The main problem with fertilizer runoff is that it causes Eutrophication . Eutrophication is when a large algae bloom occurs from the large amount of phosphates in the water. Said algae bloom will then reduce the oxygen and suffocate most aquatic wildlife.

Runoff: Pesticides
Pesticides are widely used on agricultural farms. They spray the crops with pesticides to keep bugs off. The liquid spray of this can then seep into the ground or find its way into nearby bodies of water. Once in the water it will continue to poison the supply causing death in the wildlife and contamination in potential drinking water.

Runoff: Livestock
Livestock worldwide are a problem for water. They produce tons upon tons of manure every year which is then dumped into bodies of water. This can contaminate the water because the manure is loaded with methane and other toxins, as well as microorganisms.

Urban Runoff
Urban runoff is when chemicals and other harmful wastes get into the water system as a result of urban areas. City runoff is not treated. Contaminants include: herbicides, pesticides, oil and gas residues, road salt, household waste, fertilizers, etc. All these chemicals get into the water supply where they then continue to disrupt the local ecosystem that they fall into.

Urban Sewage
Urban sewage is the result of wasteful materials being thrown into the drainage system in an urban area. The sewage is usually dumped out into a nearby body of water or a flowing river. This is a large source of pollution to the water systems. Pollution in urban sewage can contain anything from bulky trash to bad chemicals and biological waste. It can poison water bodies severely and reduce aquatic life.

Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste is the excess waste from nuclear power plants. When this waste isnt disposed of properly it can get into the ground and into water bodies. If it gets into the soil it can eventually seep into the water. Once its in the water body it can cause major harm to the entire ecosystem. Radioactive waste can cause birth defects and can destroy eggs before they even hatch. Mutations can occur in species as well.

Water cooling in Factories

Factories that are stationed near bodies of water pose a dangerous threat to water quality. Most of these factories require water to cool their machinery. What they do is run water from the local body of water through their machines to cool them and then pump it back out after it becomes very hot. After a while this can increase the overall water temperature of the water which is bad for the plants and animals in the local ecosystem.

Oil Spills
Oil spills are one of the deadliest human effects on water and wildlife. It is literally when oil is spilled into nature, usually from a ship. Here is a picture of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the largest oil spills in recorded history. It happened in Alaska in 1989, and we still see its effects today. Oil is poisonous to most living organisms, and when it gets into the water supply its a disaster. Aquatic wildlife and birds that feed off these fish die from ingesting the poisonous oil. It makes the water uninhabitable, as well as it spreads out for miles if its a bad spill. The damage can never be completely fixed.

Acid Rain
Acid rain is a deadly problem in many areas of the globe. It is where air pollution causes water pollution. It is caused when Nitrogen and Sulfur mix with water molecules in the air. The Nox and the Sox get into the air in the first place from burning fossil fuels from factories, cars, etc. It affects water quality, aquatic and land wildlife survivability, and plant survivability. In water it will lower the ph level of the water to a very acidic level. This can cause oxygen to be leached from the water and wildlife can suffocate and die. In plant life it can clog up the pores of plants and prevent them from photosynthesizing.

Industrial Waste

Landfills
Landfills are a point source of pollution Nowadays most landfills are lined and have leachate collection systems but that wasnt always the case. Leachate is the water thats seeped through a landfill that is full of chemicals and other nasty contaminants. Landfills used to be unlined and the leachate would go straight into the soil and seep into nearby waters which would significantly pollute these ecosystems. Modern landfills in the U.S. (but not everywhere) use special liners to collect the leachate for proper disposal, protecting the water.

Conclusion