Water Pollution continued

Open Ended

Apart from the Michigan Water Crisis, provide two examples of water pollution:

What is water pollution?

● Water pollution is the:

addition of harmful chemicals to natural water.

What are some sources of water

pollution?

● Sources of water

pollution in the US
include:

○ industrial waste

○ runoff from fields

treated with chemical
fertilizers

○ runoff from areas that

have been mined

What is point source pollution?

● Point Source Pollution

- contamination that
enters the
environment through
a specific traceable
means

● Examples: sewage

plant pipes, coal ash
ponds

What is non-point source

pollution?

● Non-Point Source Pollution - does not have a

specific point of origin.

● Results from land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric

deposition, drainage or seepage.

Non-point source examples:

● Storm water runoff

● Arsenic from mining

● Sediment from land

runoff

Runoff – any water that

does not infiltrate into
the ground

Multiple Choice

Can be traced back to the point of origin.

• Point Source Pollution

• Non-point source pollution

Multiple Choice

Cannot easily be traced to the source of the pollution.

• Point Source Pollution

• Non-point source pollution

Multiple Choice

Coliform bacteria in runoff from an unknown farm

• Point Source Pollution

• Non-point source pollution

Multiple Choice

Sewage leaking from a pipe into the Catawba River

• Point Source Pollution

• Non-point source pollution

• Fertilizers

• Pesticides

• Sewage systems

• Industrial chemicals

• Arsenic (naturally occurring, factories,  mining, and preserving bodies)

Ways groundwater can be polluted:

• Generated from rain and snowmelt that flows over land, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground.

• 'Polluted runoff is one of the greatest threats to clean water in the U.S.' - EPA

​Storm Water Runoff

• ​Arsenic is a naturally occurring element, but long-term exposure can cause cancer in people.

• Leaching of arsenic from treated wood products

​​Naturally/Human Occuring:

Effects to Humans:

​Arsenic in Groundwater

• ​People are exposed to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water, using contaminated water in food preparation and irrigation of food crops

Multiple Choice

Which is a toxic element that can occur naturally in groundwater, which can happen near mines or industrial factories?

• Tin

• Lithium

• Arsenic

• Bismuth

Sedimentation

• No, not the rock

• Sedimentation is the process through which dirt and heavier particles of a mixture settle at the bottom when water is added to it.

Multiple Choice

The process of settling down of particles of a solid in a liquid is

• Decantation

• Filtration

• Sedimentation

• Sublimation

How do pollutants move through

the water supply?

● Pollutants move through a water supply along with

the water!

● As water moves towards the ocean, pollutants

build up and can become more concentrated.

​What is Eutrophication?

Video for Honors