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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 WATER POLLUTION What is water pollution? Water pollution refers to the presence of compounds that decrease the quality of fresh or marine water. How is water pollution affecting our ecosystem? In some cases a lot of harmful waste will be dumped into rivers and streams killing all living things for several miles. In other cases water pollution may create long-lasting problems. Types of water pollution Water pollution is either from point or nonpoint sources. A bad substance being directly dumped into water is a point source. An oil tank that spills oil and a factory that spews industrial waste directly in a river are point sources. Such easily spotted sources of pollution have been the main targets of the federal pollution regulators under the Clean Water Act. A nonpoint source is an environmental change or development that indirectly contributes to water pollution. How much water do we actually have? Even though most of the planet is covered with water, more than 97 percent of it is saltwater. Of the remaining 2.5 percent of freshwater, more than two-thirds is in glaciers, snow, and permafrost. The rest comes from freshwater lakes and rivers, underwater aquifers, and rainfall. All of these sources have been impacted to some extent by different types of water pollution, including industrial, agricultural, and sewage/household pollution. useable and accessible water not accessible fresh water Salt water What are the major water pollutants? There are many causes of human caused water pollution, including runoff of fertilizer, herbicides, and feces from agricultural land; runoff of gasoline and other chemicals from concrete in urban settings; and household chemicals disposed of by flushing down the toilet (such as medicines or household cleaners). Water pollution around the world Water pollution is a huge global concern. In developing countries, waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, and hepatitis A are among the greatest causes of illness and death, killing over 3.4 million people every year including 4,000 children every day. What needs to be done? We have been doing the cheaper and easier ways for too long but now it is time for change. We need to significantly increase our recycling desalination efforts. What does the government need to do? The world wide water crisis does not have the leadership or the understanding about the true extent of this issue. In order to solve this issue the government and public will have to stand up to push this transition in the right direction. What can you do? The truths of our modern economy are that there are many demands for a limited amount of resources. This is where leadership comes into play. We need people in our state and local governments to take a stand and do something about it. Sources By: Ben Heise Famiglietti, Jay. "The Earth's Water Supply Is in Grave Danger." The Environment. Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Can We End the Global Water Crisis?" 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. "Water Pollution." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. "Water Pollution." Environmental Science: In Context. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 837-842. In Context Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
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