Water Supply & Pollution

Why Is There Only A Limited Water Supply On Earth? This is because, about 97% of the earth’s water is salt water

What Causes Water Shortages? Something that causes a water shortage is a drought. A drought is a period of time when less rain then normal fall in an area.

What Causes Water Pollution? Some things that cause water pollution are human activities such as agriculture, industry, construction, burning of fossil fuels, and mining.

Sewage The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, toilets, and showers

Agricultural Waste Two types of agricultural waste are Fertilizers and Pesticides. Fertilizers are chemicals that provide nutrients to help crops grow better. Pesticides are chemicals that kill crop- destroying organisms but, pesticides can also harm other animals such as birds that feed in the sprayed field

Industry & Mining Chemical plants, paper, textile mills, and factories that use metal produce waste that can pollute water. Mining is one way for water to become polluted and so is industry.

When water runs off bare ground, it turns into a muddy brown color, the color is due to particles of rock, sand, and silt which are called sediments.

Oil & Gasoline One of the most dramatic forms of water pollution is an oil spill. It can take many years for an area to recover from an oil spill. Also another form of pollution is gas that leaks out of the underground storage tanks which over time can so into the soil and pollute the ground water.

Heat Pollution is usually thought of as a substance that has been added to water but, the addition of heat can also have a negative effect on a body of water. Sometimes factories or power plants release water that ha already been used to cool down machinery. If it is released while it is hot it might cause a big change in the temperature and kill plants, animals, and other organisms in the body of water.

Water Supply & Pollution