| Drinking Water Pollution |
| While unthinkable on the surface, drinking water pollution is something that actual occurs more frequently than we would all like to believe. Surfers, divers and other water enthusiasts are often exposed to polluted waters without knowing it and, unwillingly, end up drinking water pollution. Water has the remarkable ability to renew and cleanse itself. When waste materials are deposited into a receiving stream, they often settle out, break down, or become diluted in the stream. However, pollution can occur if too much of a substance or too many substances are discharged so that it overwhelms the capacity of the stream to assimilate the substance(s) or cleanse itself. Water pollution may also occur if even just a little of a highly toxic substance is discharged into a receiving stream (e.g., dioxin). There are six major types of water pollutants: biodegradable wastes, plant nutrients, heat, sediments, hazardous and toxic chemicals and radioactive wastes Water pollution can be classified into two main categories: point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. The difference between the two categories is simple. Point source pollution is any type of pollution that can be identified as coming from a clearly established source. This may be a factory, a previously polluted stream, or other source that is obviously causing pollution. Point source pollution problems are often simpler to control because it's easier to see the cause of the pollution and to do something about it. Nonpoint source pollution problems are more difficult to resolve because they often cannot be traced to one specific location. Nonpoint source pollution includes sediment from rainwater runoff or fertilizer pollution as storms wash nutrients from fields. Nonpoint source pollution can also be runoff from animal wastes, construction sites or mines, and leachate from landfills. Nonpoint source pollution could even be acid rain from atmospheric pollutants that falls to earth in polluted rain or snow and contaminates water bodies. Home Page | FAQs | Glossary | Contact Us |