The Negative Effects Of Water Pollution?

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The word pollution is often associated with exhaust, litter, and greenhouse gases; however, water, specifically water runoff, poses as a major source of harm to the environment. Runoff occurs when excess water flows over the earth’s surface, and it is usually the result of rain, meltwater, or storms (“Application”). While this water is not innately toxic, unless it is runoff resulting from acid rain or a contaminated mountain, it becomes harmful as it travels to water drains (“After”). During its path to these drains, the water often comes into contact with various impurities, such as metals, bacteria, and chemicals (“After”). As a result, anything that goes down a drain, including illegal disposals, all have the potential to end up in large bodies of …show more content…

Thus, contaminated water from water runoff continues to be a constant threat to the world’s ecosystem and humanity’s health. Additionally, given that some states, including California, are currently in droughts and facing dwindling water supplies, the lack of clean water poses an even larger issue. Through its negative impacts on the health of humankind, the state of the natural environment, and the quality of water, water runoff poses a huge threat to the earth’s well-being and requires immediate attention. Given the drainage of polluted water and illegal disposals, contaminants easily find their ways into bodies of water and threaten the world’s ecosystems. For example, algal blooms generally do not occur naturally; instead, these detriments to the environment are caused by the toxins carried to lakes, oceans, and streams (“Application”). They consist of rapid increases in populations of algae in an aquatic system, and during this period of increase, the growth in algae also leads to a growth in bacteria populations. This bacteria then need oxygen to survive; however, other animals living in the water also need the same oxygen to live. Due to this competition

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