Water Pollution and Sources.
Water Pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment. Any kind of water can become polluted, regardless of its size or location. The contamination can be natural or human induced.
Pollution Sources.
POINT SOURCE POLLUTION
These refer to a single source that causes contaminants to enter a specific water body. Examples are coal plants, factories, storm drains and sewage treatment plants.
The largest Clean Water Act settlement in US history. Formosa Plastic located in Calhoun County Texas agreed to pay over $50 million after illegally dumping plastic pellets into open waterways. In this 2018 photo, plastic pellets and powder are seen floating along the shoreline near the Formosa Plastics plant. (Credit: San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper)
NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION
Toxic chemicals and contaminates that enter a body of water from many sources. Examples are fertilizer runoff from agriculture and urban runoff due to stormwater. Non-point sources are harder to identify and even more complicated to resolve.
Washington: There are many sources of pollution affecting Puget Sound today including pollution from industrial agriculture, sewage, fossil fuel production, and stormwater runoff. (Photo Credit: Paul Franklin)
I am Water.
PROTECT ME.
Photo Credit: Liana Mikah
TRANSBOUNDARY POLLUTION
Sometimes pollution that enters the environment in one place has an effect hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This is known as transboundary pollution. It originates in one country but is able to cause damage in another country’s environment, by crossing borders.
When British Petroleum’s (“BP”), headquartered in St. James’s, Westminster, London, Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico endured what would ultimately become the world’s largest oil spill in history. Current estimates show the 210 million gallons of oil released by the damaged BP Deepwater Horizon Macondo well spread out over the equivalent of 92,500 miles.
Photo: Shown here May 6, 2010, is an aerial view of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Mobile, Ala., taken from a U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. Watkins/Released)
AIR POLLUTION
Many do not think about air pollution causing water pollution, but it does. Just think of the phrase, what goes up must come down. Air pollution can make its way into rivers, lakes, or streams. Some fall from the sky as dry particles. Other air pollutants are carried to the ground in raindrops, snowflakes, or fog.
Burning coal releases toxic heavy metals, particulate matter, and chemicals in the fly ash from the stacks that rains down into rivers, streams and primary drinking sources. Furthermore, each year, coal-burning power plants in the United States produce millions of tons of coal ash pollution, the toxic by-product of burning coal. This waste is stored at sites across the country, leaches into groundwater and causes water quality problems in affected communities. Coal ash is linked to numerous illnesses, life threatening diseases and premature deaths.
Featured Photo: TVA Coal Plant in Paradise, Kentucky (Photographer – Luke Sharrett:Bloomberg)