Another source of acids comes from mine drainage. Waste material containing sulfuric acid is discharged into nearby water ways, killing aquatic life. Temperature or Heat Pollution Heat pollution decreases the ability of water to hold dissolved oxygen, thereby affecting aquatic life. It can affect feeding, growth, and reproduction, and even cause death. A small change in temperature can impair the life cycle of a fish.
Heat pollution is caused by power plants and factories.
They draw in water to cool their systems and then discharge it back into the stream. Other sources are from dams and from removing shading vegetation. This becomes a problem because it increases the area of stream exposed to sunlight. Sediment Is the soil, sand, and materials washed from land into waterways. A healthy stream will have some sediment, but an excess amount of sediment can smother bottom-dwelling aquatic life, clog the gills of fish, and block needed sunlight for underwater plants.