Water Pollution

Point Source
vs.
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Water pollution
 Bacteria,Viruses,Protozoa, Parasitic worms
 Oxygen demanding substances
 Inorganic plant nutrients
 Organic chemicals
 Sediment or suspended matter
 Thermal pollution
 Genetic pollution
How great is our water???
Dissolved Oxygen levels in water
Water Do (ppm) at 20˚C
Quality

Good
8-9

Slightly
polluted 6.7-8

Moderately
polluted 4.5-6.7

Heavily
polluted Below 4.5

Gravely
polluted Below 4

Pg. 535
 Point Source Pollution
• comes from a specific source,
like a pipe

• factories, industry, municipal

treatment plants

• can be monitored and

controlled by a permit system

Basically, a source you can directly “point” to!

 Nonpoint Source Pollution
• Nonpoint Source (NPS)
Pollution is pollution
associated with
stormwater or runoff

• NPS pollution cannot be

traced to a direct
discharge point such as a
wastewater treatment
facility

When you can’t pinpoint any one particular source.

Examples of NPS
• oil & grease from cars • sewage & cleaners from
• fertilizers boats
• animal waste • household cleaning
• grass clippings products
• septic systems • litter
“People Pollution”
Point and Nonpoint Sources
NONPOINT SOURCES

Rural homes

Urban streets Cropland

Animal feedlot

Suburban POINT
development SOURCES
Factory

Wastewater
treatment
plant
Leaking
tank

Water
table

Groundwater
flow Free gasoline
Gasoline dissolves in
leakage plume groundwater
(liquid phase) (dissolved Migrating
phase) vapor phase
Contaminant plume moves Water well
with the groundwater
Fig. 20-12
Global Outlook: Stream Pollution in Developing
Countries
 Water in many of central
China's rivers are greenish
black from uncontrolled
pollution by thousands of
factories.

Figure 20-7
Point Source or Nonpoint Source?

Point Source
Point Source or Nonpoint Source?

Nonpoint
Source
Point Source or Nonpoint Source?
 A factory dumping extremely hot water into a river?

Point Source
Point Source or Nonpoint Source?
 Oil dripping from cars on a road and flowing into the
storm drain.

Nonpoint Source
Roger Rosenblatt
 It is a hard truth to swallow, but
nature does not care if we live or die.
We cannot survive without the
oceans, for example, but they can do
just fine without us.