WATER POLLUTION
Table of contents
What Is Water Pollution?
01
02
What Are the Causes of Water Pollution?
03
What Can You Do to Prevent Water Pollution?
What Is Water Pollution?
01
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances — often chemicals or microorganisms— contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
2. What Are the Causes of Water Pollution?
- Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a “universal solvent,” water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on earth.
- It’s the reason we have Kool-Aid and brilliant blue waterfalls. It’s also why water is so easily polluted. Toxic substances from farms, towns, and factories readily dissolve into and mix with it, causing water pollution.
3. What Can You Do to Prevent Water Pollution?
It’s easy to check the oil company with a leaking tanker, but we’re all accountable to some degree for today’s water pollution problem. Fortunately, there are some simple ways you can prevent water contamination or at least limit your contribution to it:
Reduce your plastic consumption and reuse or recycle plastic when you can.
Properly dispose of chemical cleaners, oils, and non-biodegradable items to keep them from ending up down the drain.
Maintain your car so it doesn’t leak oil, antifreeze, or coolant.
If you have a yard, consider landscaping that reduces runoff and avoid applying pesticides and herbicides.
If you have a pup, be sure to pick up its poop.
Thank you for watching and listening!
One of the most effective ways to stand up for our waters is to speak out in support of the Clean Water Rule, which clarifies the Clean Water Act’s scope and protects the drinking water of one in three Americans.