By Greta Bernier
What Is Water Pollution?
Water pollution is when waste such as plastics, oils, and fertilizers contaminate bodies of water. This is a major threat to aquatic life. Contaminated water not only harms water, plants, and animals, but the surrounding environment as well. In certain parts of the world, humans struggle to find clean drinking water due to the amount of toxins in the groundwater.
Cause:
Water gets polluted by many different toxins. Some are harmful chemicals, called chemical pollution, whereas others are more organic but equally as harmful, called nutrient pollution. For example, organic manure fertilizer is a common pollutant in water sources. When farmers spread manure on fields near streams or lakes, rain can wash some of that manure directly into the water. This manure runoff contaminates the surrounding water.
Another large source of pollution is the industries. In the early through mid-1900s major factory corporations dumped their toxic waste directly into streams and other bodies of water. (The Center for Public Integrity) Studies from The Carnegie Corporation have shown that although these businesses have stopped the direct flow of waste into water, these pollutants from over 40 years ago, still contaminate the water. Despite the fact that most industries no longer put waste directly into the water, most factories still greatly contribute to the pollution problem. Harmful gases are released through smoke or steam. These toxins leave the atmosphere as acid rain, which further pollutes the water. According to the EPA, “acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents....While a small portion of the SO2 and NOX that cause acid rain is from natural sources such as volcanoes, most of it comes from the burning of fossil fuels.” (EPA.gov)
Oil spills are a substantial contributor to water pollution as well. NOAA states that most oil pollution are “caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs and storage facilities, but also occur from recreational boats and in marinas.” (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) This polluent directly impacts marine life. When birds and mammals are exposed to oil, it interferes with their insulating and water repelling capabilities. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
A major pollutant across the globe is plastic. About 14 billion pounds of trash end up in the ocean annually. (seastewards.org) While some of this plastic is directly put into the sea, a lot of it washes into the ocean through streams and water runoff. This causes a huge problem for the organisms living in the ocean. Small particles of plastics called microplastics, build up in the ocean, taking around 450 years to break down! (World Economic Forum) A significant amount of floating plastic is located in the North Pacific ocean. This is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This garbage patch is the largest of many floating trash “islands.”
What You Can Do To Help Keep The Water Clean:
There are many small steps that people can take to help keep our water clean.
Cut down on single-use plastic.
This can make a large difference. Cutting down on single-use plastic lessens the amount of plastic ending up in the ocean and is beneficial to the climate as well. You can do this by switching to reusable items such as metal straws, metal or glass water bottles, and canvas shopping bags.
Educate yourself and the people around you.
Learn about environmentally friendly ways to farm. Although manure fertilizer spreading can create an issue, there are ways to do it sustainably depending on the time of year, location, and weather. Learn about some of the many other pollutants. With more knowledge, you can take extra steps to do your part in this global issue.
Clean up the water!
There are many organizations that focus on getting people outdoors and cleaning up nearby water sources. Getting involved (or starting an organization of your own!) is a great way to show your appreciation of the environment. You can learn more about such organizations at online websites such as World Water Council, and Project WET.
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