Water Pollution Questions
Directions: Use your water pollution notes and your textbook (Chapters 13 and 20) to answer the questions that
follow. Please review the notes on water resources as well.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Define water pollution.
Using examples, explain how point source pollution is different from non-point source pollution.
Discuss the various categories of water pollutants and give examples:
a. Infectious agents
f. Oxygen demanding wastes
b. Inorganic chemicals
g. Organic chemicals
c. Plant nutrients
h. Sediment
d. Radioactive materials
i. Thermal pollution
e. Genetic pollution
Distinguish between the terms eutrophic and oligotrophic.
What is thermal enrichment?
What are some different methods for testing water quality?
How is groundwater becoming contaminated?
Describe the main points of the Clean Water Act.
Discuss ocean pollution.
How does water become polluted with oil?
What are the effects of oil pollution?
What are some of the methods used to clean up oil spills?
What happened to the Exxon Valdez and what was suggested to prevent this from happening again?
Water Pollution Questions
Directions: Use your water pollution notes and your textbook (Chapters 13 and 20) to answer the questions that
follow. Please review the notes on water resources as well.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Define water pollution.
Using examples, explain how point source pollution is different from non-point source pollution.
Discuss the various categories of water pollutants and give examples:
a. Infectious agents
f. Oxygen demanding wastes
b. Inorganic chemicals
g. Organic chemicals
c. Plant nutrients
h. Sediment
d. Radioactive materials
i. Thermal pollution
e. Genetic pollution
Distinguish between the terms eutrophic and oligotrophic.
What is thermal enrichment?
What are some different methods for testing water quality?
How is groundwater becoming contaminated?
Describe the main points of the Clean Water Act.
Discuss ocean pollution.
How does water become polluted with oil?
What are the effects of oil pollution?
What are some of the methods used to clean up oil spills?
What happened to the Exxon Valdez and what was suggested to prevent this from happening again?