Safe and readily available water is important for public health, whether it is used for drinking, domestic use, food production, or recreational purposes. Improved water supply and sanitation and better management of water resources can boost countries’ economic growth.
What Causes Water Pollution?
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances - often chemicals or microorganisms - contaminate our streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, aquifers, or other bodies of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
The Most Common Types of Water Contamination
Agricultural
Around the world, agriculture is the leading cause of water degradation. Every time it rains, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from farms and livestock operations wash nutrients, chemicals and pathogens—such bacteria and viruses—into our waterways. Nutrient pollution, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water or air, is the number-one threat to water quality worldwide and can cause algae blooms, a toxic soup of blue-green algae that can be harmful to people and wildlife.
Sewage and wastewater
Used water is wastewater. It comes from our sinks, showers, and toilets (think sewage) and from commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities (think metals, solvents, and toxic sludge). The term also includes stormwater runoff, which occurs when rainfall carries road salts, oil, grease, chemicals, and debris from impermeable surfaces into our waterways. Worst part is, most of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused.
Oil pollution
Big spills may dominate headlines, but consumers account for the vast majority of oil pollution in our seas, including oil and gasoline that drips from millions of cars and trucks every day. Moreover, nearly half of the estimated 1 million tons of oil that makes its way into marine environments each year comes not from tanker spills but from land-based sources such as factories, farms, and cities. At sea, tanker spills account for about 10 percent of the oil in waters around the world, while regular operations of the shipping industry—through both legal and illegal discharges—contribute about one-third. Oil is also naturally released from under the ocean floor through fractures known as seeps.
Radioactive substances
Radioactive waste is any pollution that emits radiation beyond what is naturally released by the environment. It’s generated by uranium mining, nuclear power plants, and the production and testing of military weapons, as well as by universities and hospitals that use radioactive materials for research and medicine. Radioactive waste can persist in the environment for thousands of years, making disposal a major challenge. Accidentally released or improperly disposed of contaminants threaten groundwater, surface water, and marine resources.
These water contaminations are bad, not only to the environment but to humans too, if consumed.
With water filtration systems available at Delcol, we can help you get pure, clean water for you and your family. Contact our agent today to find out more!