Groundwater Pollution and Drinking Water Scarcity

Even biodegradable pollutants can damage a water supply for long periods and the life forms within the water start to suffer damage due to pollution. Lakes are particularly susceptible to pollution because they cannot cleanse themselves as rapidly as rivers or oceans. In recent years, waste treatment plants have developed ways to deal with water contamination. Some places, however, still pollute streams by allowing raw sewage to run into them. Septic tanks and cesspools may also pollute the groundwater and neighboring streams.

Nutrient pollution also can cause algae blooms which cause serious environmental problems affecting aquatic ecosystems, and which can cause dangerous health issues for animals and humans. Water pollution caused by sewage is an environmental problem. When sewage pollutes water it can be dangerous especially if it enters people 's source of drinking water as author Woodford states, "It is possible to catch illnesses such as hepatitis, typhoid, and cholera from river and sea water" (4). Chemical and radioactive runoff can be dangerous to humans as well. When water that is contaminated by chemicals is consumed by humans it can lead to sickness, paralysis or even death depending on the kind of chemical polluting the water and the concentration of the pollutant in the water.

Celebrities and organizations around the world pool together millions of dollars into these projects every year yet, somehow every 29 seconds a child somewhere is dying due to contaminated water. A younger charity, known simply as Charity:Water, uses 100% of funds donated toward water related projects has raised over $155 million dollars in only the past two years. This begs the question, what are the causes of this lack of drinking water? The key word is “drinking” water, while the world is made of 71% water, not all of it is suitable “drinking” water. For water to be considered drinkable, it must be devoid of all harmful agents and be safe to not only drink, but also prepare food with as well.

Although God has provided us with water to drink and sustain us, contamination of this water is almost unavoidable. Much of our water is not potable due to the various pollutants left by industries, humans, and animals. Numerous economic, social, and environmental issues arise because of these contaminants. However, proper management of fertilizers or other contamination sources could lessen the negative impact on our water system. Nitrogen, often present in our water system because of fertilizers, is an example of a chemical that affects water quality in a negative way.

Chemical Water Pollution Many industries and farmers work with chemicals that are dumped into water. These include chemicals that are used to control weeds, insects and pests. Metals and solvents from industries can pollute the sources of water. These chemicals are poisonous to the living organisms in water and may slow their growth, make them sterile and can kill them. 8.

Companies rely on water just as much as the individual person does, water is essential to not only life by how a company runs, which is why it will have a drastic impact on economics at the lowest level. A water decreases in supply, businesses will have to place a higher priority on the management of their water resources. Initially water was seen as a “free raw material”, but now that the “marginal cost of water is rising around the world” many companies have begun to shift their perception of the commodity. Christopher Gasson, publisher of Global Water Intelligence stated, “Previously, water was treated as a free raw material. Now, companies are realizing it can damage their brand, their credibility, their credit rating and their insurance costs.

There are many indirect and direct causes that can negatively affect water quality all around the world, including turbidity, physical, and chemical agents that can lead to the destruction of the various significant freshwater ecosystems. Some of the most common issues found in freshwater ecosystems due to domestic waste and runoff include fossil fuels, pesticides/industrial chemicals, plastic, and

Some regions are more susceptible to acid rain because they don't have enough Alkaline soil to "neutralize" the acid before it is able to destroy the rest of the soil or before it can run off into lakes or rivers. Aquatic environments can be greatly affected by soil runoff. Acidic soil may runoff into lakes and rivers due to erosion, causing acid rain to destroy more environment. Acid rain aquatic animals as well as aquatic plant life. When acid rain combines with water in major bodies of water, it not only destroys wildlife habitat, it destroys our drinking water.

Key factors in economic development are manufacturing, farming, and harnessing energy. Although these factors have consequences to their exploitation such as water used to produce steel is water that 663 million people who don’t have access to could use to drink. Realizing toxic waste, a by-product of manufacturing something into the Oceans can disrupting the balance of the ecosystem. Side effects like fertilizer flowing into rivers and lakes throwing the ecosystem of balance and causing eutrophication to occur, making the water dangerous to drink. Another factor in the depletion and deterioration of our water resources is from harnessing energy, hydroelectricity uses a dam to harness the water flow to produce energy which disrupts the balance of the river and lakes.

At high levels, nutrients can over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Excessive growth of these types of organisms consequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters. [David Krantz] This could be very harmful to aquatic organisms as it affects the respiration ability of fish and other creatures of the sea. Pollution is also caused when silt and other suspended solids, such as soil, washoff plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, and eroded river banks when it rains. [David Krantz] Pollution in the form of organic material enters waterways in many different forms as sewage, as leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from livestock feedlots and pastures.