What happens when groundwater is contaminated?
Drinking contaminated groundwater can have serious health effects. Diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic tank waste. Poisoning may be caused by toxins that have leached into well water supplies. Wildlife can also be harmed by contaminated groundwater.
What contaminants might be found in groundwater?
Arsenic, hydrogen sulfide and radon are all leached out of the soils by percolating groundwater and can be found in California’s aquifers. Arsenic is a semi-metallic element used in wood preservatives, agricultural chemicals, herbicides and pesticides.
How does pollution affect Earth’s water supply?
What is water pollution? Water pollution is when waste, chemicals, or other particles cause a body of water (i.e. rivers, oceans, lakes) to become harmful to the fish and animals that need the water to survive. Water pollution can disrupt and negatively impact nature’s water cycle as well.
What are the 10 effects of water pollution?
EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION
- Destruction of biodiversity. Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.
- Contamination of the food chain.
- Lack of potable water.
- Disease.
- Infant mortality.
What are main causes of water pollution?
Major sources of water pollution are discharge of domestic and agriculture wastes, population growth, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers and urbanization. Bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases are spreading through polluted water and affecting human health.
What is the prevention of water pollution?
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 fertilisers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources.
What are the five sources of water pollution?
Causes of water pollution
- Industrial waste. Every day, industries produce large amounts of waste.
- Wastewater and sewage.
- Marine Dumping.
- Oil Spills.
- Pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
- Sewage and wastewater treatment.
- Protect large water bodies.
- Reduction of water as a coolant in power plants and industries.
What are the 3 major sources of water pollution?
Sources of Water Pollution
- Sewage (Waste Water) Sewage is another name for waste water from domestic and industrial processes.
- Agricultural Pollution. The agriculture industry covers 76% of the land area of England and Wales.
- Oil Pollution.
- Radioactive Substances.
- River dumping.
- Marine Dumping.
What are the six major sources of water pollution?
Article shared by : Some of the important sources of water pollution are: (i) Domestic effluents and sewage, (ii) Industrial effluents, (iii) Agricultural effluents, (iv) Radioactive wastes, (v) Thermal pollution, and (vi) Oil pollution.
What is the two main sources of water pollution?
The main point source of pollution to water is from sewage and waste water treatment, while for diffuse pollution, main sources are from farming and fossil fuel power plants (via the air).
What is a direct source of water pollution?
Direct sources include effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, waste treatment plants etc.. that emit fluids of varying quality directly into urban water supplies. Indirect sources include contaminants that enter the water supply from soils/groundwater systems and from the atmosphere via rain water.