⟵ The Crisis
⟵ Lack of Access Health ⟶
Pollution
Many people only have access to water that is polluted. Nearby streams, rivers, lakes, or other freshwater sources are contaminated with chemicals, diseases, or potentially dangerous elements. This is evident especially in developed countries.
Runoff
Agricultural
The agricultural sector is one of the main polluters of water. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, agriculture contributes to the widest range of known water pollution in rivers and streams. Because large quantities of wastewater are often released, runoff from this sector often contains harmful pollutants, such as fertilizers and pesticides.
For example, nutrient pollution is a major concern worldwide. Nitrogen and phosphorous, naturally occurring elements, can become dangerous when high levels are present. Rainwater often washes excess nutrients from fertilizers into drinking water sources. This excess causes algae blooms, a phenomenon when algae grows too fast for the ecosystem. Algae blooms reduce oxygen levels in water, and they can increase toxins and bacteria growth. If nutrient pollution occurs in groundwater, a common drinking source, exposure to harmful nitrates, which are nitrogen based, can cause people to have reduced amounts of usable oxygen in the body. Young children have the highest risk of nitrate poisoning.
Agricultural runoff also commonly includes animal manure, which often has antibiotics, hormones, metals, or salts. Millions of tons of animal waste are produced each year and released into the environment. Some farms use antibiotics and hormones in their livestock, and some metals can be used to boost poultry or cattle growth. These pollutants, along with salts present in manure, harm sources of clean water.
Storm water
Because of paved roads and buildings in mostly more urban areas, much of the ground is impermeable, meaning that the amount of runoff is greater. Storm water runoff becomes harmful when rainwater and melted snow carry hazards into water sources. These hazardous substances can include debris, oil, and road salts. The water then can carry these substances through drains into precious sources of water, such as lakes and rivers. Also, because drains carry water in only one pipe, water is often released at large speeds. When water is released so quickly, nearby vegetation and other particles can be wiped into the water sources as well, creating potential for greater water pollution.
Leakage
Sewers
Leakage from sewers is incredibly common. In the United States, 850 billion gallons of untreated water is released because of old sewer systems. Sewage treatment systems are easily overwhelmed because of the growing population. As a result, approximately 40,000 sewage overflows occur each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These outdated sewer systems can be found all throughout the country. In North Carolina, repairing the broken pipes and fixing the poor design will cost millions of dollars. In San Francisco, likewise, 60 percent of sewers are over 80 years old. Half of these are over a century old.
Pollutants from sewage disposal range vary widely, but are harmful nevertheless. For example, dry-cleaner solvents cause pollution, while people routinely flush a variety of products down the toilet. People who are sick with diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis, and cholera can transfer the illness to others through wastewater from their homes.
Landfills
Landfills can also become subject to leakage. Landfills have a protective bottom layer. If this layer contains holes or is completely absent, toxins can easily enter groundwater. Waste that end up in landfills include batteries and household cleaners, which can leak acid and other toxins into water, therefore polluting it.
Another concern with waste disposal is the presence of leachate, or landfill liquid. Though this is not as common of a problem because of modern leachate drainage systems, it is one of the most dangerous results of landfill pollution. Leachate can include rain and other liquid or dissolved waste. The result of the combined pollutants is a dense fluid that can seep into the ground, creating dangerous groundwater.
Industry
Oil
While large oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, certainly contaminate water, there are also equally worrisome sources of oil pollution that result from everyday functions. Larger tanker spills make up only around 10 percent of the oil in global waters, but are incredibly harmful because they release large amounts of oil all at once. On the other hand, everyday vehicle oil drips, shipping functions, and other oil-releasing industries can seriously pollute the water as well.
Mining
The mining industry often involves rock crushing and mineral extraction. Leftover material can combine with runoff, but the toxins can also possibly mix with water in other ways. This industry’s harmful toxins most notably include sulfides and metal. For example, in AMD, or acid mine drainage, sulphides in rocks are exposed to the elements, resulting in the production of sulphuric acid that can be left in streams. Also, toxic chemicals are often used for purposes such as separating ore.
Fossil Fuels
The burning of fossil fuels most commonly results in toxic ash particles that mix with water vapor. Acid rain is then created and can severely harm water bodies. This acid rain can also be formed through vehicle emissions from fossil fuels. The methods in which fossil fuels are extracted, mainly mining and drilling, also pose serious threats to the goal of clean water.
Foundries
Like the mining industry, foundries, or places where metal castings are formed, can release harmful metal particles that enter groundwater and other water sources. Nearby foundries were releasing untreated waste that resulted in black water for the cattle to drink.
Radioactive Waste
Radioactive and other hazardous waste can cause some of the most serious illnesses. Over 20,000 uncontrolled waste sites pose a serious threat. Old containers may leak, releasing contaminants into valuable groundwater. Radioactive waste is also a result of industry activities, especially nuclear power plants. Because radioactive substances take thousands of years to decay, cleanup is especially hard. For example, Sellafield, a plant in the United Kingdom, is expected to be completely dismantled by 2120, over a century away. Isotopes released during radioactive pollution, such as Iodine-131, harm water and create clear danger for all people.