ENVIRNONMENTAL SCIENCE A

5.2 Fresh Water Pollution

• Point pollution can be identified and measures can be taken to react the polluted water.  Non-point pollution comes from many different sources that cannot always be identified.
• There are many types of water pollution;  Pathogens are disease-causing organisms that pollute water sources by way of untreated sewage and animal feces, causes diseases such as cholera, hepatitis and typhoid.
• Organic matter and organic chemicals also cause water pollution; sewage and fertilizer runoff, which contain phosphorus and nitrogen, can run into rivers or lakes, where they can promote the rapid growth of algae.  Oxygen from the water is consumed when the algae did and decompose, suffocating organisms that rely on water's oxygen.
• Other water pollutants include: inorganic chemicals like salts and acids; Toxic chemicals like heavy lead and some household chemicals; Physical agents such as heat and suspended solids like soil; and Radioactive waste from nuclear processing
• Ground water is difficult to clean up because it is difficult to reach underground contaminants that are hidden among sand grains and in tiny rock fissures.
• Sources of Point Pollution include; septic tank systems, waste storage lagoons, landfills, underground storage tanks containing pollutants like gas, and industrial waste water treatment plants.
• Sources on Non-point Pollution include; highway construction and maintenance that erodes soil and uses toxin chemicals, storm runoff, pesticides, fertilizer, and highway salt.

The terms in bold identify kinds of pollutants