Water Pollution

Ms. Campbell
Water pollution (page 377-382 in text)
Water pollution
• Is the alteration of fresh water by human’s pollutants, so that it is no longer
suitable for their needs.
• The pollutants also make the water unsuitable for organisms to live in.
Major water pollutants
• Suspended solids
• Dissolved mineral salts/Plant nutrients
• Phosphates
• Nitrates
• Organic matter
• Toxic chemicals
• Pesticides
• Pathogens
• Vectors
• Radiation
• Heat
Suspended solids
• Origin – soil erosion, which causes slit and sand to wash into bodies of water
when it rains; domestic and industrial waste
• Effects
• Reduce light penetration, which reduces photosynthesis in aquatic plants
• Block river and lakes

• Prevention - filter water

Plant nutrients, e.g. phosphates & nitrates
• Origin –sewage; washing powders/detergents; farmyard waste e.g.
manure; chemical fertilisers
• Effects
• Eutrophication – no oxygen, large growth of weeds, foam (from detergent)
• High nitrate levels make water poisonous for babies to drink

• Prevention - use biodegradable detergents; change waste disposal;

 Eutrophication
• Eutrophication is a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients,
especially phosphates and nitrates, in lakes or other bodies of water.
• It causes a massive overgrowth of aquatic plant and algae, which gives the water a
green appearance.
• The algal ‘bloom' prevents sunlight from reaching other plants.
• When the plants and algae die, decomposers in the water break them down. These
decomposers are aerobic bacteria, which quickly multiply and use up the dissolved
oxygen in the water.
• This creates a high level of CO2 which make the water acidic
• This causes other aquatic organisms e.g. fishes, to suffocate and die.
There are 3 main sources of these minerals
salts:
• Fertilisers applied by farmers to crops, get leached (washed) from the soil into
streams ( mostly nitrates)

• Bacteria decompose the organic matter from sewage and other sources (rich in
minerals salts)

• Detergents from sewage and industrial waste (phosphates)

Harmful algal blooms turn water in Milford Lake, Kansas,
emerald green. (Credit: Jennifer Graham, USGS)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencephoto.com%2Fmedia
%2F929722%2Fview%2Falgae-
bloom&psig=AOvVaw3otOY2mU4JPeODpABQqTUF&ust=1591318369671000&source=images&
cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCMC0soz55ukCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Organic matter
• Origin – sewage; manure and other farm waste; industrial waste
• Effects
• Reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in water needed for respiration, leading to the
death of aquatic organisms

• Prevention - proper sewage treatment

Toxic chemicals e.g. DDT, oil, mercury,
lead
• Origin – pesticides; disinfectants ; industrial waste; spillage from
factories and ships
• Effects
• May be toxic to organism and kill them directly e.g. birds and fish
• May become higher in concentration up food chains and harm top consumer
e.g. humans may eat fish containing mercury
• Damage many body tissues and organs , especially parts of the nervous
system

• Prevention - test first, use other pesticides, remove from waste,

remove with detergent, prevent accidents
Pesticides
• Origin – in agriculture to control pests, pathogens and weeds
• Effects
• Can harm beneficial organisms as well
• May cause extinction of some natural and wanted species
• The wide use of pesticides has caused resistant species to develop e.g. rats
resistant to warfarin
• Become higher in concentration up food chains and can harm top consumers

• Prevention - use biological control or natural, biodegradable

pesticides instead of synthetic pesticides
Pathogens Do you recall the
causative agents for
each diseases above?

• Origin - human sewage; animal manure

• Effects
• Various infectious diseases e.g. cholera, typhoid, dysentery, diarrhea,
hookworm

• Prevention - proper sewage treatment and hygienic precautions

Radiation
• Origin - power station wastes; x-rays, ultraviolet rays
• Effects
• Mutation – chromosome and gene change
• Can lead to death

• Prevention - use radiation screen

Heat
• Origin - factories and power plants, which release waste heat into bodies of
water
• Effects
• May kill organisms directly
• Makes organisms more susceptible to pathogens
• Reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen for aquatic organisms
 Water pollution affecting Caribbean natural habitats

• Water pollution are destroying mangrove swamps that provide a natural habitat for many
organism such as birds, crabs, fish and oysters.

• In the same way the valuable coral reefs are under threat from pollutants.

• Overfishing and visitors also cause much damage

• Conservation practices to maintain these habitats in their natural state are in force.

• Noise is also considered a pollutant. It is unwanted and created by humans, so it pollutes the
environment. Research to make quitter machines, noise abatement laws, attempt to remove this
form of pollution