Chapter 18. Chapter 18: Water Pollution

What is water pollution...?

Why You Should Care

Water pollution is any chemical released that is picked up and carried away by surface water or groundwater. Some water pollutants are toxic, and most of these pollutants are produced by industrial (heavy metals) or agricultural (pesticides) processes. Other water pollutants are dangerous as their levels build up, but not dangerous at low levels (nutrients such as fertilizers and sewage).

Solving water-pollution problems involves identifying the source and treating or minimizing the waste before it is released. Identification of sources can be tricky—any factory will have pipes that carry water pollutants and these are easily identified as point sources. But if a river has high levels of a common pesticide showing up in water samples, how can we identify which farm was releasing it?

1.

Which of the following is an example of a nonpoint source for water pollution?

A.

Aboveground pipeline for gasoline

B.

Industrial waste pipe

C.

Overflow from a farm’s sewage lagoon

D.

Pesticides from farmland

999

Try again.

Correct.

Incorrect.

2.

Which of the following is an example of a point source for water pollution?

A.

Air pollution that falls back in rainfall

B.

Leaking pipes in a shoreline factory

C.

Riverside runoff from croplands

D.

Runoff from pasture or grazing land

999

Try again.

Correct.

Incorrect.

3.

Based on this Infographic, which of the following pollutants is the most common cause of polluted surface waters?

A.

Bacterial pathogens

B.

Metals

C.

Nutrients

D.

Sediments from soil erosion

999

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Correct.

Incorrect.

4.

Which of the following is/are correctly matched source(s) for pathogen pollution?

A.

Nonpoint source – pasture runoff

B.

Point source – animal waste lagoon runoff

C.

Point source – sewage treatment plant overflow

D.

All of the above

999

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Correct.

Incorrect.

5.

Why are pathogens in surface waters such a dangerous water pollutant?

999

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Pathogens cause sickness and death in humans and animals that drink that water downstream. They are all naturally found in water, but the concentrations here are high enough that they cannot be fought off before they cause illness or death.

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