Water Pollution: A Water Resource Plan
Water Pollution: A Water Resource Plan
Introduction
The definition of pollution is the “undesirable state of the natural environment being
contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities.” The definition of
water pollution is “pollution of the water in rivers and lakes” (FreeDictionary, 2008). When one
combines these two definitions, the result is a hazard of large proportions.
To better understand the hazards of water pollution, one must understand how much water
consumption takes place. In the year 2000, the United States estimates of water use were 408
billion gallons per day. The major use of this water consumption was through irrigation and
thermoelectric power. When one considers the amount being used in 2000, the amount can be
considerably larger as populations expand. This makes sustaining the water supply all that
more important (Hutson et al., 2005).
Water Pollution: Types and Sources
Water pollutants can be identified by three classes. The first class is that of disease-causing
agents that enter into sewage systems and untreated waste; such as bacteria and viruses. The
second class is that of oxygen-demanding wastes. These are wastes that are decomposed by
bacteria that require oxygen. The oxygen levels in the water are depleted during this process
causing other organisms in the water to die. The third class is that of water-soluble inorganic
pollutants such as salts and toxic metals (Lenntech, 2008).
Water pollution originated from different sources of human activity. There are two classes of
sources, point and non-point. Point sources are pollutants that are discharged from specific
locations into the surface water, such as sewers and pipelines. Non-point sources are pollutants
that cannot be traced to a specific location, such as acid from the air or pollutants that enter
through the groundwater (Lenntech, 2008).
Water pollution can result in other...
View Full Essay