Introduction
Water pollution is one of the greatest man-made threats to our biosphere, our planet, and ourselves. This first post covers the two main classifications of water pollution.
Classifications of Water Pollution
Water pollution occurs in many different forms and for many different reasons. However water contamination is divided into two main classes of pollution point and non–point pollution. Point pollution comes from stationary sources of contaminants like factories and sewage plants and is directly dumped into the water. Most pollutants from point sources are found in plumes meaning that the concentration of pollutants decreasing the farther away from the source an area is. Point source pollution may also be found in groundwater as volatile organic compounds. The compounds are some of the most persistent forms of pollution in groundwater. These compounds include solvents, paints, and fuel products from near by factories.
Non–point pollution sources include those such as run from agricultural sites, mining, and other activities like it. The pollutants from these activities are picked up by water as it moves across the land. Non–point sources are the harder sources of pollution to trace because they are most likely to be spread out across large areas of land. Residential runoff may also contain numerous amounts of pollutants such as lawn chemicals, gasoline, and residues from other daily activities.
Methods of detection
There are many ways to tell whether water is polluted or not including using the naked eye. Water can be murky, have color, or have small, see-able objects floating in it. Sometimes, however, we cannot see pollution in water with the naked eye. There are some ways to see this in labs, but they can be harmful to our environment. There are also some good ways that use nature or don’t affect it that can seek out pollutants. The first method is by using genetically altered African clawed frog tadpoles with a protein that lights up when the tadpoles are stressed. They become stressed from being in non-pure, polluted water. This is one quick working way to seek pollutants. Another effective way that uses organisms is by using algae. This method is called “listening” to algae. When algae are in water, we can shine a light on them, causing them to photosynthesize. Their photosynthesis creates waves of sound that we can pick up using technology to determine the health of the algae, which is determined by how pure the water is. The next way, which uses technology, is by using robotic fish. These fish are very lifelike in that they can be programmed to travel with schools of real fish. As they enter streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans, they detect water pollution in nature by using chemical sensors. When they dock up to charge their batteries, they transfer the information that they collect to a computer. All of these ways are very beneficial and don’t harm other organisms.
It is commonly known that oil and water do not mix. Water is heavier than oil, and they slide over each other. This is because of the pull of gravity, surface tension, and affinity. People take advantage of this by using several different techniques to remove oil, which can be dangerous to the environment. If the contaminated area is still and has no water flow, then a wastewater sump can be used to recycle the water, oil, and grease while the water goes through the mechanism. If the contaminated area is on the open ocean, then boats pulling containers collect the top layer of oil while filtering the water. Other types of skimmers are belt, disk, drum, mop, large and mini tubes, and floating suction. All skimmers collect a certain amount of oil, but each type is most effective in certain situations. Most skimmers are meant for large-scale use, but there are hand held models as well. Limitations to skimmer effectiveness are if the oil is on fire or near explosive vapors, then air motors and explosion proof skimmers must be used. These types of skimmers are much more expensive. Also, if the water and oil are frozen, then skimmers cannot be used. However, the frozen water can be heated, but this is both costly and potentially dangerous.
Causes and Affects
Pollution is defined as 'to make foul, unclean or dirty'. Water pollution occurs when a body of water is affected due to the addition of large amounts of materials to the water. There are several sources of water pollution. Many cases of water pollution are a result of sewage waste and fertilizers contained in soil wash off from plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, and eroded riverbanks. These materials contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, which harm the environment and its organisms. Other causes of water pollution include petroleum from transportation accidents and offshore drilling, radioactive substances, and heat. Clearly, water pollution is not only an issue of preserving our environment, but is also an economical and ethical issue that business and everyday people need to address.
This pollution over-stimulates the growth of aquatic plants and algae. This excessive growth clogs waterways, removes oxygen from the water as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters. This harms aquatic organisms and reduces their respiration ability. As a result, as oxygen is used up aquatic organisms that live in large numbers in an area die, disrupting the food chain. This occurs when levels of dissolved oxygen drop below two to five parts per million gallons of water. Petroleum pollutes water bodies and shorelines as a result of oil spills. One recent an example of an oil spill that devastated an ecosystem is the Exxon Valdez spilled that occurred in 1989. In fact, one ton of oil is spilled for every million tons of oil. (0.0001%) Waste from nuclear power plants such as uranium and thorium mining and refining also entered the waterway.
Repercussions and Proactive Measures
There are many repercussions due to water pollution. The main concern is the numerous gallons of oil lost each year into the water. It is commonly known that oil and water do not mix. Water is heavier than oil, and they slide over each other. This is because of the pull of gravity, surface tension, and affinity. People take advantage of this by using several different techniques to remove oil, which can be dangerous to the environment. If the contaminated area is still and has no water flow, then a wastewater sump can be used to recycle the water, oil, and grease while the water goes through the mechanism. If the contaminated area is on the open ocean, then boats pulling containers collect the top layer of oil while filtering the water. Other types of skimmers are belt, disk, drum, mop, large and mini tubes, and floating suction. All skimmers collect a certain amount of oil, but each type is most effective in certain situations. Most skimmers are meant for large scale use, but there are hand held models as well. Limitations to skimmer effectiveness are if the oil is on fire or near explosive vapors, then air
motors and explosion proof skimmers must be used. These types of skimmers are much more expensive. Also, if the water and oil are frozen, then skimmers cannot be used. However, the frozen water can be heated, but this is both costly and potentially dangerous.
If you find any source of water pollution, such as a polluted lake or oil spill, make sure the rigt people know about. Contact local environmental groups, and cleaning agencies. Water pollution needs to be cleansed as soon as possible, to reduce its impact on the ecosystem.
Health Risks
Even though some water borne diseases are rare in the United States, they can be affecting you and your family. These health risks need to be known. Cholera is an infection of the intestine. The disease can be caught by ingesting water that contains the bacteria Vibrio cholera. SARS can also be linked to water contaminants; the disease is derived from the Corona virus. Watching what you drink is not enough to prevent water borne diseases, diseases such as swimmers ear happen just by being in the contaminated water. The disease is caused by certain bacteria and fungi that could be in the water that you are swimming in. These are only three of numerous health risks that have to do with polluted water.
Prevention Strategies
Water pollution is a completely preventable harm to the world. Many ways exist to reduce the pollution to the water. Some of those ways include conserving, educating, proper disposal of wastes, and improvement of failing infrastructure. When people conserve water, less is used and less has to go through processes that may add both microbial and chemical pollutants to water. Through educating people, they can realize the true harm of their daily activities such as house cleaning using toxins and over fertilizing their lawns. By seeing the horrible repercussions, the people may indeed change their ways in order to save the water of world and implement other ways of preventing water pollution. If proper disposal of wastes were to be implemented, lease toxins would be released into waterways such as rivers, groundwater, and also the ocean. If littering, which is a form of improper disposals of waste, stopped, the amount of water pollutants would decrease. Finally, by improving the infrastructure, many leaky vessels and second rate filtering systems could be diminished and causing less pollution. If all the methods above for stopping water pollution were implemented, the water of the world would be much cleaner.
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