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Explain human activities that contribute to water pollution

      

Explain human activities that contribute to water pollution

  

Answers


Ruth
- Dumping
Dumping garbage in the woods, near streams, or in ditches can quickly cause
pollution in both groundwater and surface water.
- Industrial Runoff
When it rains, chemical waste is washed away from factories as storm water
runoff. That runoff soon reaches the groundwater or sources of surface water, and
pollution continues.
- Agricultural Runoff
Many times chemicals are used without regulations in agricultural situations.
Farms that don’t dispose properly of animal waste often contribute to the build-up
of ammonia and nitrates in local water sources, as well as the potential for illness
to spread through animal faeces. Bacteria in these water supplies is very common.
- Chemical Runoff
Frequent use of chemicals to treat your lawn for pests or to encourage grass to
grow may seep into the soil in your yard and spread to groundwater sources.
Disposing incorrectly of detergents, soaps, and cleaners by dumping them out in
your yard can also cause a similar runoff issue.
- Landfills
Landfills that are hastily constructed or aren’t up to modern-day standards let
garbage sit for a long time and allow it to seep into the ground around it. This can
lead to runoff, groundwater pollution, and even surface water pollution if the
dump is located too close to sources of surface water.
- Plastics
Allowing plastic to sit for a long time and be exposed to rain and soil causes
chemicals from the plastic to leach into the groundwater nearby.
- Construction Runoff
Construction sites make use of harsh chemicals as well as metals that can cause
too much of certain minerals to build up in the water supply, and they must be
regulated for water safety.
- Batteries
When batteries aren’t recycled properly, they end up in landfills, where the
chemicals and acid inside are allowed to leach into the soil. This can actually
poison the nearby water supply and can cause people in the area to become very
sick. It’s also incredibly damaging to the fish and wildlife in the area, and in some
cases, it can contribute to the possibility of wildfires.
- Septic Systems
Many times, septic systems are not installed correctly for their location, and
they’re not kept up with regularly either. In these situations, human waste can
quickly contaminate water and may lead to severe bacterial infections, dysentery,
intestinal parasites, and hepatitis in people who drink the water. This can also
cause death in animals and plants in the area, which means that entire ecosystems
will suffer along with any humans who are exposed to this contaminated water.
Septic systems can be very dangerous and should always be handled properly to
reduce the risk of pollution.
- Hormones and Antibiotics
In places where agriculture is more prevalent, especially larger factory farms,
animals are often treated with hormones and antibiotics to keep them healthy or
encourage growth. Animal urine that may otherwise be filtered from water sources
can still contain these substances in amounts large enough to cause illness in
humans who drink this water.
- Mining
Mining may lead to poisonous minerals in rocks being exposed to water supplies
or seeping into groundwater, which in turn can cause severe illness in any humans
or animals who drink this water. Arsenic, lead, sodium and many other minerals
can build up significantly in water sources near mining sites.
NatalieR answered the question on June 30, 2022 at 05:21


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