Freshwater Pollution Guided Notes

Holt Environmental Science Section 5.2, pg. 131

1.What is water pollution?
Is the intrusion of chemical, physical, or
biological agents.
2.What are the major causes of water pollution?
Industrialization and the human population
3.What is point pollution? Provide one example.
Is pollution that is discharged from a single
source such as wastewater pollution.
4.What is nonpoint pollution? Provide one
example.
Is pollution that comes from many sources
rather than from a single specific sit like homes
or lawns
5.Why is nonpoint pollution a more serious
problem?
It has no one source so it becomes harder to
stop it or slow it down
**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.
7.What are pathogens? List some examples.
Pathogens are disease causing organisms like
bacteria.

8.How can biological magnification affect

polluted aquatic ecosystems?
When an aquatic system gets infected by the
toxin the small organisms will get sick then
theyll be eaten only to pass it on to the next
eater making the toxins worse and until the top
eater is sick and dies.
**Leave some room here for sketches
(biomagnifications & eutrophication)**

9.What is thermal pollution and why is it a

problem?
When excessive amounts of heat are added to
a body of water it can be a problem because it
can cause massive fish kills.
10. What is the Clean Water Act? When was it
passed?
In 1972 the CWA was passed. The CWA is the
upkeep of the nations rivers the goal was to make
the water clean enough for fishing and swimming.
11. Why will groundwater pollution be a longlasting problem?
It is a long-lasting problem because we still are
going to use chemical fertilizers, agricultural
chemicals, pesticides, etc and it will still seep into
the ground and pollute the water
12. Where does most bottled water come
from?

It comes from bottled water plants and are filtered

and treated with various chemicals then given to
the public