Water Supply and Pollution By: Allie Bauer

Limited Water Supply The reason humans have a limited water supply is because earth has a lot of ice and it’s most plentiful water resource, oceans 97% of earth’s water is in our oceans The other 3% is fresh water but one third of that is ice like glaciers Taking the salt out of salt water is costly so humans get most of our water from rivers and lakes So to renew the fresh water there is a system called the water cycle and after humans use water for daily activities and other activities the water is then purified and used again

Water Shortages Water shortages can be caused in many ways but the main way is drought Drought is a period with less rainfall than normal in an area and then people have to limit there water use Some places in the world don’t get any rain to support there water needs so people have to support themselves by finding water sources like in rivers or lakes

Water Pollution Water Pollution is any change to water that is harmful to living things Water Pollution can be caused by human activity for farming, construction, and mining which create pollutants and end up in water Pollutants in the water spread quickly and effects areas far from the source Some pollutants like copper or iron make water taste strange but harmful chemicals like mercury harm people and thing that drink and live in the water

Sewage and agricultural waste Sewage is human wastes from toilets, sinks, and showers and if not treated properly, will mix with drinking water and poison people Even treated water containing bacteria still in the water from treatment can multiply and use up oxygen in water killing fish and marine animals Farms house animals and treats crops, but in the process, the animals produce waste and the crops are treated with chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers These pollutants get in to water and also harm land animals and cause many health issues and even birth effects when in the water, the pollutants cause algae that covers the water’s surface blocking out light for plants in the water causing them to die

Industry and mining Mills, chemical plants, and factories use metals that produce pollution that can pollute water Mining also produce metal waste If humans eat an animal exposed to the pollutant or drink polluted water, they get poisoned

Sediments and heat When mud, silt, and sand flow through places, they pile on top of each other with materials from mines and factories the sediment eventually runs into a water source thus polluting it Heat is used to boil water and is good, but sometimes if water from a factory that is used to cool things, the water is heated and when added back into water, changes the temperature and kills plants and marine life

Oil and Gasoline Oil Spills take years to clean and kill many wildlife because of mistakes made when an oil ship’s storage tanks leaks Gasoline leaks are also horrible. The storage tanks under a station or building leaks. Then the gasoline seeps into the soil and enters the groundwater and spreads This causes a lot of problems in water and is hard to control because the sources are underground

The End