Water Pollution By David Lomeli

What is Water Pollution? Water pollution is the contamination of bodies of water (Ex;Lakes,Rivers,Streams, Oceans) from both natural and unnatural pollutants discharged into the water through humans or naturally occurring distribution.

What causes water pollution? Domestic households, industrial and agricultural practice produce wastewater that can cause pollution of many lakes and rivers. Sewage is the word used for waste water that often contains feces, urine and laundry waste. There are billions of people on Earth, so treating sewage is a big priority and problem. Sewage disposal is a major problem in developing countries because many people in these areas don’t have access to sanitary conditions and clean water. Untreated sewage water in such areas can contaminate the environment and cause diseases such as diarrhea. Sewage in developed countries like the U.S. is carried away from the home quickly and hygienically through sewage pipes. Sewage is treated in water treatment plants and the waste is often disposed into the sea. Sewage is mainly biodegradable and most of it is broken down in the environment. In developed countries, sewage often causes problems when people flush chemical and pharmaceutical substances down the toilet. When people are ill, sewage often carries harmful viruses and bacteria into the environment causing health problems

How does water become polluted? Oxygen depletion: Microorganisms that live in water feed on biodegradable substances. When too much biodegradable material is added to water, the number of microorganisms increase and use up the available oxygen. When oxygen levels in the water are depleted, relatively harmless aerobic microorganisms die and anaerobic microorganisms begin to thrive. Some anaerobic microorganisms are harmful to people, animals and the environment, as they produce harmful toxins such as ammonia and sulfides. A lot of the Earth’s water is found underground in soil or under rock structures called aquifers. Humans often use aquifers as a means to obtain drinking water, and build wells to access it. When this water becomes polluted it is called groundwater pollution. Groundwater pollution is often caused by pesticide contamination from the soil; this can infect our drinking water and cause huge problems. Surface Water Pollution: Surface water pollution is caused by polluting the water on the surface of the earths crust such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. They can be polluted by sewer run off, trash and plastic bottles not thrown where they should be, car oil, boat oil and waste, and even feces.

Diagram of how pollutants get into water sources.

How does water become polluted - pg 2: Nutrients and their affect on Water: Nutrients are essential for plant growth and development. Many nutrients are found in wastewater and fertilizers, and these can cause excess weed and algae growth if large amounts end up in water. This can contaminate drinking water and clog filters. This can be damaging to other aquatic organisms as the algae use up the oxygen in the water, leaving none for the surrounding marine life. Microbiological Water Pollution: Microbiological water pollution is usually a natural form of water pollution caused by microorganisms. Many types of microorganisms live in water and cause fish, land animals and humans to become ill. Microorganisms such as : Bacteria, viruses, and also protozoa. Serious diseases such as cholera come from microorganisms that live in water. These diseases usually affect the health of people in poorer countries, as they do not have the facilities to treat polluted water, Such as Haiti and the massive and deadly cholera outbreak which happened months after the massive earthquake.

Pictures of Pollution

How does water become polluted - pg 3 Suspended Matter: Some pollutants do not dissolve in water as their molecules are too big to mix between the water molecules. This material is called particulate matter and can often be a cause of water pollution. The suspended particles eventually settle and cause a thick silt at the bottom. This is harmful to marine life that lives on the floor of rivers or lakes. Biodegradable substances are often suspended in water and can cause problems by increasing the amount of anaerobic microorganisms present. Toxic chemicals suspended in water can be harmful to the development and survival of aquatic life. Chemical Water Pollution: Industrial and agricultural work involves the use of many different chemicals that can run-off into water and pollute it. Metals and solvents from industrial work can pollute rivers and lakes. These are poisonous to many forms of aquatic life and may slow their development, make them infertile or even result in death. Pesticides are used in farming to control weeds, insects and fungi. Run-offs of these pesticides can cause water pollution and poison aquatic life. Subsequently, birds, humans and other animals may be poisoned if they eat infected fish. Petroleum is another form of chemical pollutant that usually contaminates water through oil spills when a ship ruptures. Oil spills usually have only a localized affect on wildlife but can spread for miles. The oil can cause the death of many fish and stick to the feathers of seabirds causing them to lose the ability to fly.

List of dangerous pollutants Detergents form cars being washed,plastics(water bottles, food containers) cigarette butts, fat and grease from food processing waste, insecticides and herbicides, gasoline, diesel fuel, motor oil, industrial solvents, and many different personal hygiene and cosmetic products. Save Our Shores Cleanup Data -Total numbers for top 5 items picked up(as of August 10th, 2010): 1.) Styrofoam pieces: 12,598 2.) Plastic pieces: 10,761 3.) Cigarette butts: 10,368 4.) Glass pieces: 5,184 5.) Plastic food wrappers: 4,019

What is affected by water pollution. Plants, animals, and Humans can all be affected by pollutants, bacteria, and even parasites and can get very ill and or even cause death in some cases. Water-born diseases and bacteria can affect anyone or anything who drinks, swims, or touches any infected or polluted water.

Animals harmed by water pollution

How are they affected by water pollution? Virtually all types of water pollution are harmful to the health of humans and animals. Water pollution may not damage our health immediately but can be harmful after long term exposure. Different forms of pollutants affect the health of animals in different ways Heavy metals from industrial processes can accumulate in nearby lakes and rivers. These are toxic to marine life such as fish and shellfish, and subsequently to the humans who eat them. Heavy metals can slow development; result in birth defects and some are carcinogenic. Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that damage the health of aquatic animals and those who eat them. Some of the toxins in industrial waste may only have a mild effect whereas other can be fatal. They can cause immune suppression, reproductive failure or acute poisoning. Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and human life through drinking water. Microbial water pollution is a major problem in the developing world, with diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever being the primary cause of infant deaths.

How are they affected by water pollution? - Pg 2 Organic matter and nutrients causes an increase in aerobic algae and depletes oxygen from the water column. This causes the suffocation of fish and other aquatic organisms because they don’t receive enough oxygen that the body of water. Sulfate particles from acid rain can cause harm to the health of marine life in the rivers and lakes it contaminates, and can result in death. Suspended particles in freshwater reduces the quality of drinking water for humans and the aquatic environment for marine life. Suspended particles can often reduce the amount of sunlight penetrating the water, disrupting the growth of photosynthetic plants and micro-organisms

Why should you care? If everyone in Santa Cruz didn’t recycle or start caring about the amount of trash and plastics that we use and toss away everyday will start showing up at some of our favorite and beautiful beaches where we now swim and fish in will start to look like India’s beaches such as this one on the right.

Why should you care pg 2 Sooner or later, water pollution will start affecting humans by means of infecting human’s sources of drinking water, polluting bodies of water where we catch our fish which we eat, destroy a beautiful ecosystem and harm any animal which uses the ecosystem to survive on a daily basis. Some of our bottled water is all ready unsafe for humans to drink, and some even exceed legal limits of water purity regulations in the state of California.

What can you do to prevent water pollution? Conserve water by turning off the tap when running water is not necessary. This helps prevent water shortages and reduces the amount of contaminated water that needs treatment.

What can you do to prevent water pollution? Be careful about what you throw down your sink or toilet. Don’t throw paints, oils or other forms of litter down the drain. Use environmentally household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents and toiletries. Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources. By having more plants in your garden you are preventing fertilizer, pesticides and contaminated water from running off into nearby water sources.

What can you do to prevent water pollution? Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect the litter and put it in a nearby trash can or recycle bin.

Some easy, daily choices that could change the future of our oceans for the better: Most types of pollution affect the immediate area surrounding the source. Sometimes the pollution may affect the environment hundreds of miles away from the source, such as nuclear waste, this is called trans-boundary pollution. The solution begins with us - Make a pledge to make a difference: Buy less plastic - reuse the plastic you have! Use less gas and oil - reduce the demand for oil! Consume less product - reuse Bags and Waterbottles! Pack your trash! Participate in a Bleach clean-up! (Save our Shores sponsors these every month)

Bibliography Google.com- I used Google Images for all of the pictures presented on this slide show. Google has a large collection of pictures with an enormous spectrum of different types of images. NRDC.org: I used this website for a page of notes on livestock pollution and agricultural pollution. This site had lots of information on those two forms of pollution. water-pollution.org.uk: This was the main website I used for both gathering notes and information for this slide show. Lots of great information given in an easy to understand manner. Saveourshores.org : This site is also a local Santa Cruz non-profit organization located on the East Side by the harbor. They specialize in informing students in the local schools and also organizing clean up dates. You can also sign up to adopt a beach and sign up for the next trash pick up on there online website.