Water Pollution

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A wpollutant in the water is thought of as any substance that degrades water quality or is hazardous or toxic.

Residence time: the length of time a pollutant stays in the system.

Point Source: an easily identifiable, single source of pollution to a water system.

Non-point source: pollutant is not easily identifiable, may come from many wide-spread sources.

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Specific Pollutants:

1) Metals:

Source: natural or biproduct of industrial and mining industries.

Effects: affect the nervous and reproductive system, bioaccumulate.

pH has an important affect on the solubility of metals in an environment.

Treatment: buffer water flowing through source area.

2) Organic Compounds:
 

Source: industrial and manufacturing processes.

Effect: carcinogens and/or toxic
 

3) Acids:
 

Source: mine drainage or direct discharge from industrial industry.

Effect: affects metal and nutrient solubility in the environment.

4) Thermal Pollution:

Source: cooling water from power generating plants and industrial activity

Effects: lowers dissolved oxygen

5) Organic Matter:

Source: naturally from leaves, plants and animals.  Also from sewage, feed lots, septic tanks, paper manufacturing and food processing.

Effects: acts as a fertilizer to stimulate algae growth which causes eutrophication of the water system.

6) Biological Organisms:

Source: pathogenis organisms from untreated sewage

Effects: variety of diseases including typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis.

 7) Sediment:

Source: constuction and agriculture activity.

Effect: smothers an ecosystem, brings fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides into system.