Point versus Non-Point Source Pollution
Essential Question: How do humans affect the quality of water with point and non-point sources of water pollution in North Carolina?
Pollutants o A pollutant is a substance or energy, like heat, that can cause
harm to the environment and the organisms in it. o Water pollutants have a negative effect on the water
system or living things that depend on the water.
Point versus Non-Point Source Pollution o Sources of pollution in water are identified by how they enter the water system. o A pipe gushing orange water or a tanker oil spill into a river would be from a single source, which is called a
point source.

o Sometimes it is hard to locate the source of pollution. o Runoff from a farm field, or street is a widespread source of pollution called non-point source pollution.
Contamination Plumes o An underground area where pollutants have been
spread by groundwater is called a contamination
plume. o These plumes can also be from point or non-point sources. o Picture of site in Minnesota after
underground oil pipeline break. o The NC Triad has many oil pipelines running across it underground. What would happen if one of them broke?

Activity:
1.
Cut out each source of pollution.
2.
Glue the Category Heading “Point Source” to the left and
“Non-Point Source” to the right on the top of a piece of paper.
3.
Cut out each of the other types of pollution and sort them into
one of the categories.
4.
Glue them down after the class checks the answers.
Damaged wastewater pipe
Leaking underground storage tank
Acid rain dish water release from homes soil and silt from farms
Waste runoff from hog farms
Point Source Pollution release of chemicals from paper mill
Fertilizer runoff from golf courses heated water release from Duke
Power Plant into Belews Creek salts from irrigation of farms
Non-Point Source Pollution
Raw sewage release from wastewater treatment plants
Do water Lab 17 pp A-105 to A- 108.
1. Students do the lab 17 on page A-105 of our book. Student groups of four divide into pairs. Table one does Part one: Point source contamination and the second table does Part Two: Non-point source contamination.
2. Student pairs do the experiment and write down observations.
3. Tables 1 and 2 share the results of both parts of the experiment.
4. Draw the results of both parts of the experiment.

Answers:
Point Source Pollution
Damaged wastewater pipe
Raw sewage release from wastewater treatment plants release of chemicals from paper mill dish water release from homes heated water release from
Duke Power Plant into
Belews Creek
Leaking underground storage tank
Non-Point Source Pollution
Waste runoff from hog farms
Fertilizer runoff from golf courses soil and silt from farms salts from irrigation of farms
Acid rain