A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers.Ĭontrol of water pollution requires appropriate infrastructure and management plans as well as legislation. Heat can also be a pollutant, and this is called thermal pollution. Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Pollution may take the form of toxic substances (e.g., oil, metals, plastics, pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, industrial waste products), stressful conditions (e.g., changes of pH, hypoxia or anoxia, increased temperatures, excessive turbidity, unpleasant taste or odor, and changes of salinity), or pathogenic organisms. Pollution is the result of the cumulative effect over time. Non-point sources are more diffuse, such as agricultural runoff. Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain, a wastewater treatment plant or an oil spill. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. Water pollution reduces the ability of the body of water to provide the ecosystem services (such as drinking water) that it would otherwise provide. Water pollution can also lead to water-borne diseases for people using polluted water for drinking, bathing, washing or irrigation. For example, releasing inadequately treated wastewater into natural waters can lead to degradation of these aquatic ecosystems. It can be grouped into surface water pollution (either fresh water pollution or marine pollution) or groundwater pollution. Water pollution can be attributed to one of four sources: sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater. Water pollution results when contaminants are introduced into these water bodies. : 6 Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses.
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