WATERPOLLUTION AND SOCIETYDavid Krantz and Brad KiffersteinIn order to combat water
POLLUTION, we mustunderstand the problems and become part of the solution. Water pollutionoccurs when a body of water is adversely affected due to the addition of largeamounts of materials to the water. Pollution arising from nonpoint sources accounts for a majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes. Inexcess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants andalgae. When natural bacteria and protozoan in the water break down thisorganic material, they begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in the water.The pollution of rivers and streams withchemical contaminants has become one of the most crutial
environmental problemswithin the 20th century. Three last
forms of water pollution exist in the forms of petroleum,
radioactive substances, and heat. The previously mentioned Exxon Valdezis an example of this type of water pollution. Radioactive substances areproduced in the form of
waste from nuclear power plants, and from theindustrial, medical, and scientific use of radioactive materials. Specificforms of waste are uranium and thorium mining and refining. The last formof water pollution is heat. Because oil and water do not mix, the oilfloats on the water and then washes up on broad expanses of shoreline. The major sources of waterpollution can be classified as municipal, industrial, and agricultural. Municipalwater pollution consists of waste water from homes and commercialestablishments. The handling and disposal of solid residues can account for 25 to 50 percent of the capital and operational costs of atreatment plant. In a treatment plant, the waste is passed through aseries of screens, chambers, and chemical processes to reduce its bulk andtoxicity. The three general phases of treatment are primary, secondary, andtertiary. During primary treatment, a large percentage of the suspended solidsand inorganic material is removed from the
sewage. Agriculture, including commerciallivestock and poultry farming, is the source of many organic and inorganicpollutants in surface
waters and groundwater. Nationally, 53% of thepopulation relies on ground water as a source of drinking water. Several forms oflegislation have been passed in recent decades to try to control waterpollution. In 1970, the Clean Water Act provided 50 billion dollars tocities and states to build wastewater facilities. In addition to thesestandards, the act required that all state beneficial uses and their criteriamust comply with the �fishableand swimmable� goals ofthe act. Figure 1 shows the quality of water for each every state in theUnited States, click on the US link). Raw sewage, garbage, and oil spills havebegun to overwhelm the diluting capabilities of the oceans, and most coastalwaters are now polluted. The most important outcome of the conference was thecreation of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). UNEP was designed to be �the environmental conscience of theUnited Nations,� and,in an attempt to allay fears of the developing world, it became the first UNagency to be headquartered in a developing country, with offices in Nairobi,Kenya. Water quality is closelylinked to water use and to the state of economic development. However,the rapid growth of the urban population (especially in Latin America and Asia)has outpaced the ability of governments to expand sewage and waterinfrastructure. Eutrophication of surface waters from human andagricultural wastes and nitrification of groundwater from agriculturalpractices has greatly affected large parts of the world. Acidification ofsurface waters by air pollution is a recent phenomenon and threatens aquaticlife in many area of the world. It is ultimately up to us, to beinformed, responsible and involved when it comes to the problems we face withour water. We have to preserve existing trees and plant new trees andshrubs to help prevent soil erosion and promote infiltration of water into thesoil. Theseare just a few of the many ways in which we, as humans, have the ability to combatwater pollution. In short, with the technology that currently exists, the years of global environmental mistreatment can begin to bereversed.
More abstracts about the WATER POLLUTION AND SO