The water pollution

By: Josshuam Massas and Melanie Ginebra

In spite of the United States 25-year efforts to cleanup

rivers and lakes for aquatic life, pollution still exists. In fact,
nearly 40 percent of lakes, estuaries and rivers that the EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency) tested are unsuitable
for swimming or fishing. Any kind of poor water quality
impairs life, but some types of pollution have extreme and
far-reaching effects.

What causes water pollution?

The EPA attributes NPS (Nonpoint Pollution Source) as the

reason that America's lakes, rivers and estuaries remain

polluted. Some of the NPS can be prevented, but much of it is
the result of rain, melting snow and irrigation systems. All
three of these events mean water picks up all types of debris
and pollutants in its path to waterways.
Water runoff from parking lots, industries, farmland and
suburbs carries oil, gasoline, pesticides, sewage and other
various contaminates into water supplies, lakes, rivers and
eventually the oceans. Trash, plastic bottles and other refuse
also are carried away in floods and rainstorms. The pollutants
all have a negative, often devastating, impact on vegetation and
aquatic eco-systems.
Some of the activities that can create NPS include:

Agriculture: The EPA attributes agriculture as the number

one cause of water pollution in its latest National Water Quality
Inventory. This report cites that 60 percent of the degradation
of rivers and and 50 percent of the impaired lake acreage is due
to agriculture. Sediment that washes from agriculture is the
most common form of pollution. The sediment from farms
contains a wide range of pollutants including pesticides,
greases and oils, as well as toxic chemicals. Heavy metals and
salts are also carried from farmlands into water supplies.
Animal grazing: Animal feeding grounds of large and small
farms also create problems from waste as well as the spreading
of deadly viruses and bacteria that get into the country's rivers,
streams and lakes.
Construction: Whether it's a suburb, inner city or road
construction, each brings the danger of pollution finding its
way into the water.
Recreational boating: The gasoline and oil left behind from
boats and jet skis can easily be seen on the surfaces of lakes.
Septic systems: Old and leaky systems and those damaged by
2

floods seep into ground water and can contaminate drinking

water supplies, especially local wells.
Urban runoffs: This form of pollution is cited as "the largest
source of water quality impairments to surveyed estuaries
(areas near the coast where seawater mixes with freshwater)".
This can also come from landfills as well as homes and
shopping malls.
The EPA reports that the household mismanagement of
potentially harmful pollutants is one of the contributing factors
to water pollution. In our opinion the mishandling of these
pollutants, often harsh chemicals, is due to either being
ignorant of proper handling and disposing of the products or
acts of carelessness when dealing with toxic and harmful
household products.

Educating Public about Water Conservation is

the best way to help our environment

In our opinion one of the biggest ways that water pollution can
be prevented and stopped is through public education. This
includes more than just cleanup days where debris is removed
from rivers, although such events are very successful and
necessary. Prevention is the most powerful tool in the arsenal
against water pollution. Learning about harmful chemicals and
how to properly dispose of them is vital to ensuring fresh water
remains usable.