Water pollution

Human activities that generate domestic sewage and toxic waste cause water pollution by contaminating water
with disease-causing microorganisms and poisonous substances. Agricultural runoff, including fertilizers and
pesticides, is another major source of water pollution. Oil spills can have devastating effects on surrounding
ecosystems.
Effect of water pollution on aquatic wildlife
Water pollution, the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or into lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries,
and oceans to the point that the substances interfere with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning
of ecosystems. In addition to the release of substances, such as chemicals, trash, or microorganisms, water
pollution may include the release of energy, in the form of radioactivity or heat, into bodies of water.
Although water pollution was historically a problem mostly limited to congested urban areas, the rapid spread
of industrialization and the growth of the human population to unprecedented levels in modern times have created
a nearly universal problem. Water pollution is a threat to public health, affecting the safety and availability of
drinking water for humans and limiting recreational activities, and it harms terrestrial and aquatic wildlife in both
freshwater and marine ecosystems. Given that the vast majority of water pollution is caused by human activity, the
solutions to the problem typically rely on governmental policy and regulation, though changes to consumer
behavior can be impactful. Unfortunately, attempts at pollution control are often surpassed by the scale of the
problem, especially in less-developed countries.
Types and sources of water pollutants
Water bodies can be polluted by a wide variety of substances, including pathogenic microorganisms, putrescible
organic waste, fertilizers and pesticides, toxic chemicals, sediments, heat, petroleum (oil), and radioactive
substances. Several types of water pollutants are considered below.
Point source
Water pollutants come from either point sources or dispersed sources. A point source is a pipe or channel, such as
those used for discharge from an industrial facility or a city sewerage system. A dispersed (or nonpoint) source is a
very broad unconfined area from which a variety of pollutants enter the water body, such as the runoff from an
agricultural area. Urban storm water drainage—which may carry sand and other gritty materials, petroleum
residues from automobiles, and road-deicing chemicals—is also considered a dispersed source because of the
many locations at which it enters local streams or lakes. Point sources of water pollution are easier to control than
dispersed sources, because the contaminated water has been collected and conveyed to one single point where it
can be treated. Pollution from dispersed sources is difficult to control, and, despite much progress in the building
of modern sewage treatment plants, dispersed sources continue to cause a large fraction of water pollution
problems.
Domestic sewage
Domestic sewage is the primary source of pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) and putrescible organic
substances. Because pathogens are excreted in feces, all sewage from cities and towns is likely to contain
pathogens of some type, potentially presenting a direct threat to public health. Putrescible organic matter presents
a different sort of threat to water quality. As organics are decomposed naturally in the sewage by bacteria and other
microorganisms, the dissolved oxygen content of the water is depleted. This endangers the quality of lakes and
streams, where high levels of oxygen are required for fish and other aquatic organisms to survive. In addition,
domestic sewage commonly contains active pharmaceutical ingredients, which can harm aquatic organisms and
may facilitate antibiotic resistance.
The predominant method of wastewater disposal in large cities and towns is discharge into a body of surface
water. Suburban and rural areas rely more on subsurface disposal. In either case, wastewater must be purified or
treated to some degree in order to protect both public health and water quality. Suspended particulates and
biodegradable organics must be removed to varying extents. Pathogenic bacteria must be destroyed. It may also be
necessary to remove nitrates and phosphates (plant nutrients) and to neutralize or remove industrial wastes and
toxic chemicals. Sewage treatment processes reduce the levels of pathogens and organics in wastewater, but they
do not eliminate them completely.

Domestic sewage (and agricultural runoff) is also a major source of plant nutrients,
mainly nitrates and phosphates. Excess nitrates and phosphates in water promote the growth of algae, sometimes
causing unusually dense and rapid growths known as algal blooms. When the algae die, oxygen dissolved in the
water declines because microorganisms use oxygen to digest algae during the process of decomposition.
Anaerobic organisms (organisms that do not require oxygen to live) then metabolize the organic wastes, releasing
gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, which are harmful to the aerobic (oxygen-requiring) forms of life.
The process by which a lake changes from a clean, clear condition—with a relatively low concentration of
dissolved nutrients and a balanced aquatic community—to a nutrient-rich, algae-filled state and thence to an
oxygen-deficient, waste-filled condition is called eutrophication. Eutrophication is a naturally occurring, slow, and
inevitable process. However, when it is accelerated by human activity and water pollution (a phenomenon
called cultural eutrophication), it can lead to the premature aging and death of a body of water.
Improper Waste Disposal and Land Pollution
The improper disposal of solid waste is a major source of water pollution. Solid waste includes garbage,
rubbish, electronic waste, trash, and construction and demolition waste, all of which are generated by individual,
residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial activities. The problem is especially acute in developing
countries that may lack infrastructure to properly dispose of solid waste or that may have inadequate resources or
regulation to limit improper disposal. In some places solid waste is intentionally dumped into bodies of water.

Land pollution can also lead to water pollution if the trash or other debris is carried by animals, wind, or rainfall
to bodies of water. Significant amounts of solid waste pollution in inland bodies of water can also eventually make
their way to the ocean. Solid waste pollution is unsightly and damaging to the health of aquatic ecosystems and
can harm wildlife directly. Many solid wastes, such as plastics and electronic waste, break down and leach
harmful chemicals into the water, making them a source of toxic or hazardous waste.

Plastic Pollution.
Of growing concern for aquatic environments is plastic pollution. Since the ocean is downstream from nearly
every terrestrial location, it is the receiving body for much of the plastic waste generated on land. Several million
tons of debris end up in the world’s oceans every year, and much of it is improperly discarded plastic litter. Plastic
pollution can be broken down by waves and ultraviolet radiation into smaller pieces known as microplastics,
which are less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length and are not biodegradable. Primary microplastics, such as
microbeads in personal care products and plastic fibers in synthetic textiles (e.g., nylon), also enter
the environment directly, through any of various channels—for example, from wastewater treatment systems,
from household laundry, or from unintentional spills during manufacturing or transport. Alarmingly, a number of
studies of both freshwater and marine locations have found microplastics in every aquatic organism tested. These
tiny plastics are suspected of working their way up the marine food chains, from zooplankton and small fish to
large marine predators, and have been found in seafood. Microplastics have also been detected in drinking water.
Their health effects are unknown.