Pollution that enters water at just one point is called point source pollution. For example, chemicals from a factory might empty into a stream through a pipe or set of pipes (see Figure 21.9). Pollution that enters in many places is called non-point source pollution. This means that the pollution is from multiple sources. With non-point source pollution, runoff may carry the pollution into a body of water. Which type of pollution do you think is harder to control? There are three main sources of water pollution: 1. Agriculture. 2. Industry. 3. Municipal, or community, sources. Huge amounts of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are applied to farm fields (see Figure 21.10). Some of the chemicals are picked up by rainwater. Runoff then carries the chemicals to nearby rivers or lakes. Dissolved fertilizer causes too much growth of water plants and algae. This can lead to dead zones where nothing can live in lakes and at the mouths of rivers. Some of the chemicals can infiltrate into groundwater. The contaminated water comes up in water wells. If people drink the polluted water, they may get sick. Waste from livestock can also pollute water. The waste contains bacteria and other organisms that cause disease. In fact, more than 40 human diseases can be caused by water polluted with animal waste. Many farms in the U.S. have thousands of animals. These farms produce millions of gallons of waste. The waste is stored in huge lagoons, like the one in Figure 21.11. Unfortunately, many leaks from these lagoons have occurred. Two examples are described below. In North Carolina, 25 million gallons of hog manure spilled into a nearby river. The contaminated water killed Factories and power plants may pollute water with harmful substances. Many industries produce toxic chemicals. Some of the worst are arsenic, lead, and mercury. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive chemicals. They cause cancer and other serious health problems. Oil tanks and pipelines can leak. Leaks may not be noticed until a lot of oil has soaked into the ground. The oil may pollute groundwater so it is no longer fit to drink. Municipal refers to the community. Households and businesses in a community are also responsible for polluting the water supply. For example: People apply chemicals to their lawns. The chemicals may be picked up by rainwater. The contaminated runoff enters storm sewers and ends up in nearby rivers or lakes. Underground septic tanks can develop leaks. This lets household sewage seep into groundwater. Municipal sewage treatment plants dump treated wastewater into rivers or lakes. Sometimes the wastewater is not treated enough and contains bacteria or toxic chemicals. The oceans are vast. You might think they are too big to be harmed by pollution. But thats not the case. Ocean water is becoming seriously polluted. The oceans are most polluted along coasts. Why do you think thats the case? Of course, its because most pollution enters the oceans from the land. Runoff and rivers carry the majority of pollution into the ocean. Many cities dump their wastewater directly into coastal waters. In some parts of the world, raw sewage and trash may be thrown into the water (see Figure 21.12). Coastal water may become so polluted that people get sick if they swim in it or eat seafood from it. The polluted water may also kill fish and other ocean life. Oil spills are another source of ocean pollution. To get at oil buried beneath the seafloor, oil rigs are built in the oceans. These rigs pump oil from beneath the ocean floor. Huge ocean tankers carry oil around the world. If something goes wrong with a rig on a tanker, millions of barrels of oil may end up in the water. The oil may coat and kill ocean animals. Some of the oil will wash ashore. This oil may destroy coastal wetlands and ruin beaches. Figure 21.13 shows an oil spill on a beach. The oil washed ashore after a deadly oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Thermal pollution is pollution that raises the temperature of water. This is caused by power plants and factories that
Output: major cause of water pollution