Freshwater Pollution Guided Notes

Holt Environmental Science Section 5.2, pg. 131

1. What is water pollution? Water pollution is the
introduction of chemical, physical, or biological agents
into water that degrades the quality of the water and
affects the organisms that depend on it.
2. What are the major causes of water pollution? The two
major causes are industrialization and the human
population explosion.
3. What is point pollution? Provide one example. Point
pollution is pollution that is discharged from a single
source like from a waste treatment plant.
4. What is nonpoint pollution? Provide one example.
Nonpoint source pollution is pollution that comes from
many sources rather than a specific site, it could come
from highways.
5. Why is nonpoint pollution a more serious problem? It is a
serious problem because 96% of the polluted bodies of
water comes from nonpoint sources.

**Leave some room here for a sketch (wastewater

treatment)**
6. What is sludge and how do we deal with it? Sludge is the
solid material that remains after treatment, we deal with
it by being incinerated or buried in a secure landfill.
7. What are pathogens? List some examples. Pathogens are
disease causing organisms like bacteria, viruses, and
parasitic worms.
8. How can biological magnification affect polluted aquatic
ecosystems? It can affect aquatic ecosystems because
toxins are passed from eater to eater.

**Leave some room here for sketches (biomagnifications &

eutrophication)**

9. What is thermal pollution and why is it a problem?

Thermal pollution is when excessive amounts of heat are
added to a body of water. Thermal pollution is a problem
because it can be a problem because it can kill a massive

number of fish because the water is too warm for the

fish to tolerate.
10.
What is the Clean Water Act? When was it passed?
The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 and it stated
that you must restore and maintain the chemical,
physical, and biological integrity of the nations waters.
11. Why will groundwater pollution be a long-lasting
problem? Groundwater pollution will be a long-lasting
problem because even if we stopped polluting today,
the water would still be polluted for generations from
now.
12.
Where does most bottled water come from?
Bottled water comes from tap water that has been
filtered and treated with various chemicals.