Chapter 16. Chapter 16: Water Pollution
What is watershed?
Guiding Question 16.3
What is a watershed? What affects the quality of surface water and the quantity of groundwater in a watershed?
Why You Should Care
The water cycle shows us that all water flows from the ocean to the land and back to the ocean again. Watersheds are land areas that channel that water (from fog, rain, or melted snow) through surface waters and groundwater back into the ocean. These watersheds allow us to organize the water cycle regionally and separate pollution from different regional sources.
Humans tend to build towns and cities along rivers, so watersheds also concentrate pollution, both above and below ground. Surface waters tend to carry pollution that is released into quickly flowing water (from sewage treatment pipes). This pollution shows up as dead zones and has direct impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
Groundwater tends to carry water pollution if it is given time to soak into soil layers and reach deeper groundwater layers (from wells or leaking waste storage). If we pump groundwater for drinking water or irrigation, the pollution shows up primarily as human health impacts.
Test Your Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks below.
A(n) is made up of all the land surrounding a river, estuary, or bay through which water could flow and enter that body of water.
A(n) is an underground region that is saturated with water.
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Why are watersheds so hard to set regulations for?
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4.
Which area had the most water-borne nitrogen pollution as an input?
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