By: Isabella Iacona,
Micaiah Battle,
and Rebecca Freedman
What is the problem?
 If the the pollution is coming from just one source:
single source pollution
 Many sources: non-point pollution
 7 types of water pollution: surface water pollution,
oxygen depleting pollution, ground water pollution,
nutrient pollution, microbiological pollution,
suspended matter pollution, and chemical pollution
Surface Water Pollution
 Found on the exterior of the earth’s crust, surface
waters are natural resources on earth:
 Lakes
 Oceans
 Rivers
 When these waters become polluted, it becomes
surface water pollution
Oxygen Depleting
 Microorganisms in the water eat biodegradable
substances
 Too much biodegradable material added to the water,
amount of microorganisms increase, using up all the
oxygen
 When oxygen levels are lowered, aerobic
microorganisms die and anaerobic microorganisms’
population increases
 They are harmful to people, animals, and the
environment, due to harmful toxins they produce
Ground Water Pollution
 A large amount of earth’s water is found in aquifers
under ground
 To get access to these aquifers, you have to build wells
 It becomes ground water pollution when this water
becomes polluted
 Caused by pesticide contamination from soil, causes
health problems by infecting drinking water
Nutrient Pollution
 Nutrients are essential for development and plant
growth
 Many are found in fertilizers and wastewater, causing
excessive algae and weed growth
 This can:
 Clog filters
 Contaminate drinking water
 Algae uses up the oxygen, leaving none for the other
marine life
Microbiological Pollution
 Natural form of water pollution caused by
microorganisms
 Usually only affect health of people in poorer
countries, due to the lack of treatment of water
 Microorganisms in water cause animals, fish, and
humans to become ill
 Microorganisms include:
 Bacteria
 Viruses
 Protozoa
Suspended Matter Pollution
 Some pollutants can’t dissolve in water and are too big
to mix between the water molecules
 Suspended particles settle at bottom. Harmful to
marine life that lives on the floor of lakes and/or rivers
 Biodegradable substances increase the amount of
anaerobic microorganisms, which decreases oxygen
 Toxic chemicals suspended in water can effect the
development and survival of marine life
Chemical Pollution
 Solvents and metals from industrial work are
poisonous to aquatic life and slow development and
cause infertility mainly in rivers and lakes
 Pesticides from farms run-off into the water and
poison aquatic life. Birds, humans, and other animals
can be effected if they eat infected fish
 Petroleum comes from oil spills and can cause the
death of many fish. They also stick to feathers of
seabirds, causing them to lose the ability to fly
What is causing it?
 There are 8 main causes of water pollution:
 Sewage and wastewater
 Marine dumping
 Industrial waste
 Radioactive waste
 Oil pollution
 Underground storage leakages
 Atmospheric deposition
 Global warming
 Eutrophication
Sewage and wastewater
 Water that contains feces, urine, and laundry waste
 Sewage contaminates the environment and causes
disease
 Sewage is carried away from the home and put
through sewage pipes
 It is then treated and the waste is put into the sea
Marine dumping
 Litter takes large amounts of times to degrade
 Quick Facts:
 Newspaper: 6 weeks to degrade
 Styrofoam: 80 years to degrade
 Plastic packing: 400 years to degrade
 Glass takes so long to degrade that scientists are still
unknown about how long it takes
Industrial waste
 Many industrial facilities use fresh water to take away
the waste, putting it in rivers, lakes, and oceans
 Pollutants include:
 Lead
 Mercury
 Oils
 Phosphates
Radioactive waster
 Produced from scientific, medical, and industrial
processes
 Nuclear-fuel reprocessing plants in northern Europe
have the biggest source of man-made nuclear waste
Oil pollution
 Oceans are polluted by oil almost everyday
 Oil spills make up 12% or oil in the ocean
 Oil spills are usually localized, and are terrible for the
surrounding marine life
 Oil cannot dissolve in water and forms thick sludge
Underground storage leaks
 Often, a tank underground hold petroleum and is
harmful to the environment that surrounds it
 Overtime, the steel corrodes and causes leaks
Global warming
 The death of aquatic life is due to the increase in
temperature
 Coral bleaching is caused by a rise in water temperature
 Creates damage to the reef, which is what much of the
aquatic life depends on
Eutrophication
 When the environment becomes rich with nutrients,
becomes eutrophication
 Causes algal blooms in lakes
Atmospheric Deposition
 Pollution of water caused by air pollution
 Example: Acid Rain
How do human interferences
connect?
 “"Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a mixture of
wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the
atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts
of nitric and sulfuric acids. The precursors, or
chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result
from both natural sources, such as volcanoes and
decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily
emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
resulting from fossil fuel combustion” (“What Is Acid
Rain?”)
Acid rain continued
 So basically, acid rain happens due to the emissions
from cars.
 These gases react in the atmosphere with oxygen,
water, and other chemicals.
 It results in sulfur acid and nitric acid, which is carried
by the wind, occasionally blowing hundreds of miles
Dangers of water pollution
 Harmful to health of animals and humans
 It disrupts the food chain by poisoning marine life that
humans and animals consume
 It harms our water supply, which we need to live and
plants need to survive
Water pollution in China
 Many rivers that are needed for water and fishing are
constantly contaminated by nearby factories and
dumping by locals
 “This March, more than 2,000 dead pigs were found
floating in a Shanghai river, a main water source for
the city's 23 million residents.”
 “Polluted water sources have been linked to a rise in
"cancer villages," or areas where cancer rates are high
among people who live along tainted waterways.”
Pictures of China
What if it continues?
 If water pollution continues, many species could be
wiped out
 The chemicals could kill many of the aquatic marine
life
 A vital food source would also be lost due to the large
amount of fish deaths
 Many animals would lose their source of food and
water
The water cycle
 The most obvious cycle that would be effected is the
water cycle
 If the water cycle starts out with polluted water in
rivers, lakes, and oceans, those chemicals could
circulate throughout the earth
 They could eventually get into the water we drink and
get us sick
Ways you can help
 Turn off your water. This reduces the amount of water
that needs treatment
 Don’t throw litter and oils down the drain
 Don’t overuse pesticides and fertilizers because it will
cause run-offs
 And obviously, don’t throw littler into rivers, lakes, and
oceans
Websites
 "What Is Acid Rain?" EPA. Environmental Protection
Agency, n.d. Web. 01 June 2013.
 "Water Pollution." Water Pollution. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
June 2013.
 "If You Think China's Air Is Bad, You Should See The
Water." Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June
2013.
 "Ocean Waves Wallpaper - HD Wallpaper." Ocean
Waves Wallpaper. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 June 2013.