Bronte Wells
Water pollution is a pressing issue that poses a threat to our health, the environment, and the economy. It occurs when harmful substances contaminate bodies of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic or unsafe for human use. This contamination can come from various sources, including industrial waste, agricultural runoff, sewage discharges, and plastic pollution. While we are all accountable to some degree for today's water pollution problem, there are also simple ways we can help prevent it. Understanding the unique qualities of water in our local areas and adopting sustainable practices can help reduce our contribution to this global issue.
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What You'll Learn
Oil spills and leaks
Oil spills harm marine life, including microscopic phytoplankton, which serve as food for larger aquatic organisms. Oil penetrates the structure of the plumage of birds and the fur of mammals, reducing its insulating ability and making them more vulnerable to temperature changes and less buoyant in the water. Oil spills can also strand and kill many marine species, including keystone species like the Arctic cod, and make seafood unsafe to eat.
Cleanup and recovery from an oil spill are challenging and time-consuming, and even with advanced technology, 100% of the spilled oil can never be removed. Factors that influence the cleanup process include the type of oil spilled, the temperature of the water, and the types of shorelines and beaches involved. In some cases, the cleanup efforts can cause additional harm, as seen with the use of high-pressure, hot-water hoses during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
Oil spills contribute to water pollution in various ways. Oil can reach the oceans through runoff from land-based sources, including oil on roads, rivers, and stormwater drains. Oil spills from pipelines, tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs, and wells can also directly discharge large amounts of oil into the sea. Additionally, natural sources of oil, such as seepage from the ocean floor and eroding sedimentary rocks, contribute to oil pollution.
To address oil spills and leaks, it is essential to properly dispose of oil and other hazardous chemicals. Maintaining vehicles, such as cars and boats, to prevent oil leaks is also crucial. By taking these measures, we can reduce the impact of oil spills and leaks on water pollution.
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Industrial waste
The production of all kinds of industrial goods generates wastewater that can be contaminated with toxic substances. The quality and quantity of wastewater generated depend on the type of industry. For example, the food products industry and the processing of industrial chemicals produce wastewater containing specific and readily identifiable chemical compounds. The pharmaceutical industry produces wastewater contaminated with active pharmaceutical ingredients, especially from cleaning the production facilities. The textile industry uses chlorobenzene, a carcinogenic hazardous substance, as a solvent.
The increased population has led to a rise in the demand for goods, which has, in turn, caused rapid industrialization. This has resulted in an increased production of industrial wastes, which cause major environmental havoc by polluting the water, air, and soil. Industrial waste can be both hazardous and non-hazardous. Hazardous waste includes things like ammonia, solvents, and petroleum, whereas non-hazardous waste includes things like rubbish and debris. However, non-hazardous waste is not necessarily harmless to the environment.
In many cases, industrial wastewater is properly cleaned by industrial wastewater recycling systems and is sometimes reused or disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. However, this is not always the case, especially in emerging countries such as China, India, Africa, or South America, where the number of industrial plants has only recently started to grow. In these countries, environmental policies are often lacking or not consistently implemented or monitored, leading to the illegal discharge of untreated wastewater from industries into nearby public waters, including rivers and lakes.
Even in developed countries like the United States, industrial waste has been found to contaminate drinking water. A News21 analysis of EPA data showed that the drinking water of more than 244 million people contains contaminants linked to industrial practices that are not currently regulated. Hundreds of companies have been contaminating drinking water for decades with everything from arsenic and lead to mercury and chromium, mostly due to improper dumping and waste disposal. For example, in Ringwood, New Jersey, Ford Motor Co. dumped more than 35,000 tons of toxic paint sludge onto lands occupied by the Turtle Clan of the Ramapough Lenape tribe, poisoning the groundwater.
To address the environmental and health issues created by industrial wastewater, it is necessary to treat it adequately with physical, chemical, and biological means before releasing it into water bodies to maximize the quality and quantity of potable water. Several countries are now framing policies on water quality control, and technologies have been developed to separate and recycle various types of industrial waste.
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Agricultural activities
Agriculture is a major cause of water pollution, accounting for 70% of water withdrawals worldwide. Farms discharge large quantities of agrochemicals, organic matter, drug residues, sediments, and saline drainage into water bodies. This includes pesticides, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, antibiotics, and silage effluents. The use of these substances in agriculture can contaminate both groundwater and surface water, leading to eutrophication and ecosystem damage.
The impact of agricultural activities on water pollution is particularly evident in the United States, where agriculture is the main source of pollution in rivers and streams and a significant contributor to wetland and lake pollution. In China, agriculture is responsible for a large share of surface-water pollution and is the primary source of groundwater pollution by nitrogen. High levels of nitrates in water can pose risks to human health, such as "blue baby syndrome," a potentially fatal illness in infants.
The use of veterinary medicines, including antibiotics, vaccines, and growth promoters, in agriculture has emerged as a new class of pollutants. These substances can move from farms through water to ecosystems and drinking water sources, potentially impacting human health and the environment. Additionally, the unsafe use of wastewater in agriculture can lead to the accumulation of microbiological and chemical pollutants in crops, livestock products, and soil and water resources, further exacerbating antimicrobial resistance.
To address water pollution from agricultural activities, organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) work closely with countries and other entities to monitor, control, and mitigate pollution loads and their negative impacts. Implementing policies and incentives that promote sustainable and healthy diets, reducing food waste, and adopting a combination of regulations, economic incentives, and information dissemination can help mitigate the effects of agricultural activities on water pollution.
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Sewage and wastewater
Sewage pollution is a global issue, with contamination hotspots found in terrestrial, aquatic, and marine systems. In 2020, sewage was released into the UK's waterways on over 400,000 occasions, and wastewater overflow from utility firms lasted for over 3.1 million hours. Southern Water, a UK utility company, was fined £90 million after admitting to thousands of illegal discharges between 2010 and 2015. In the United States, wastewater treatment facilities process about 34 billion gallons of wastewater per day. However, due to aging infrastructure and overwhelmed systems, it is estimated that more than 850 billion gallons of untreated wastewater are released into the environment each year.
The release of untreated or partially treated sewage and wastewater into water bodies can have detrimental effects on both human health and aquatic ecosystems. Sewage and wastewater can contain a variety of harmful substances, including pathogens, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, herbicides, pesticides, hormones, medications, paints, solvents, and human waste. These contaminants can lead to the spread of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 3.4 million people die each year from waterborne diseases.
In addition to the direct health risks, sewage and wastewater pollution can also cause ecological damage. The introduction of high levels of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, into water bodies can lead to a process known as eutrophication. This stimulates the growth of algae, resulting in algal blooms that can block light necessary for photosynthesis, causing the death of other aquatic plants. As the dead organic material accumulates, it leads to a buildup of bacteria, which reduces oxygen levels in the water, creating "dead zones" where aquatic life cannot survive.
To address the issue of sewage and wastewater pollution, it is crucial to invest in upgrading and modernizing wastewater treatment infrastructure. This includes repairing and replacing aging sewer pipes and improving treatment facilities to ensure that sewage and wastewater are adequately treated before being released into the environment. Additionally, natural solutions such as planting trees, restoring wetlands, and creating green roofs can help expand the capacity of sewer systems and prevent overflows. Strong notification programs are also necessary to alert people when there is a risk of exposure to raw sewage, and to galvanize support for reducing sewage pollution.
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Microplastics
The problem with microplastics is that they do not readily break down into harmless molecules. Plastics can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose, during which time they can wreak havoc on the environment. They have been found in natural freshwater systems, including lakes and rivers, and their accumulation can have far-reaching implications for the ecosystem. Urban watersheds, in particular, tend to be associated with rivers that have high concentrations of microplastics.
To address the issue of microplastics in water, several countries have taken action to reduce their presence in the environment. In 2015, the United States banned the use of microbeads, a type of microplastic commonly found in personal care products. However, microplastics remain a significant problem, and their impact on human and animal health is still not fully understood. Individuals can play a key role in reducing microplastic pollution by choosing products made with biodegradable materials and sustainable packaging and by recycling and reusing plastic products.
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Frequently asked questions
Water pollution exists because harmful substances such as chemicals, waste, and plastic contaminate bodies of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic and unsafe for human use.
Harmful substances that cause water pollution include toxic waste, petroleum, disease-causing microorganisms, and industrial waste products.
Water pollution can occur through both legal and illegal discharges from factories, or imperfect water treatment plants. It can also be caused by spills and leaks from oil pipelines, large oil spills, sewage discharges, industrial activities, and agricultural activities.
Water pollution can have negative effects on human health, the environment, and the economy. It can result in the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, the spread of water-borne diseases, and a reduction in ecosystem services such as drinking water.
To prevent water pollution, it is important to properly dispose of chemical waste, reduce plastic consumption, and maintain vehicles to prevent leaks. It is also crucial to address the issue at the source by advocating for better waste management systems and regulations for industries and agricultural sites.
