Water pollution is arguably the worst, or one of the worst forms of pollution affecting the world today. Take a look into a glass of tap water, looks clean right? From the naked eye, tap water looks clear, yet there are millions of microscopic contaminants in that single glass of water. Depending on where one lives, receives their water, and the environment around them, determines the purity of the water. Water pollution can be devastating to the environment, affects economics, and alters people 's daily lives. The most problematic of water pollutants are microbes that induce disease. Two main types of these pollutants make up all pollution are created by humans, those being point source, and non-point source pollution. Point source pollution
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Non-point source pollution does not directly impact the environment like point source does. Instead it involves pollutants getting caught up in runoff, carrying them down into rivers, streams, and lakes. These pollutants can come from cattle feces, landfills, crop fields, cities, and other pollution causing areas. If a cattle barn is on top of a hill, all the hazardous waste in the feces, left by the livestock, would build up in the soil. Once rain struck, this waste would be carried down the hill in the runoff. Wherever the runoff leads, the bacteria and disease follow. Runoff will eventually lead to a larger body of water, and so will the …show more content…
Nitrates and algal blooms in drinking water are the biggest threat to the drinking water supply. It costs millions to billions of dollars to clean up bodies of water. Every dollar spent on protecting sources of drinking water saves in water treatment costs. Also, The tourism industry, nation wide, loses almost a billion dollars each year, mostly through losses in fishing and boating activities, as a result of water bodies that have been affected by nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms. Airborne pollutants also affect visibility in outdoor tourist locations, which adds to the amount lost by the tourist
Non-point source pollution does not directly impact the environment like point source does. Instead it involves pollutants getting caught up in runoff, carrying them down into rivers, streams, and lakes. These pollutants can come from cattle feces, landfills, crop fields, cities, and other pollution causing areas. If a cattle barn is on top of a hill, all the hazardous waste in the feces, left by the livestock, would build up in the soil. Once rain struck, this waste would be carried down the hill in the runoff. Wherever the runoff leads, the bacteria and disease follow. Runoff will eventually lead to a larger body of water, and so will the …show more content…
Nitrates and algal blooms in drinking water are the biggest threat to the drinking water supply. It costs millions to billions of dollars to clean up bodies of water. Every dollar spent on protecting sources of drinking water saves in water treatment costs. Also, The tourism industry, nation wide, loses almost a billion dollars each year, mostly through losses in fishing and boating activities, as a result of water bodies that have been affected by nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms. Airborne pollutants also affect visibility in outdoor tourist locations, which adds to the amount lost by the tourist