Water Pollution
By: Adam Robertson
Agricultural Polluting Water
This growth in agricultural production has resulted in an increase in contaminants polluting soil and waterways. The increase in contaminants has prompted efforts to reduce the amount of pollutants in waterways in order to improve overall water quality. The booming industry of agriculture is causing more pollutants to runoff in the water causing the overall water quality to decrease. Agricultural activities that cause non point source pollution include:
- Poorly managed animal feeding operations
- Overgrazing
- Overworking the land (for example, plowing too often)
- Poorly managed and ineffective application of pesticides, irrigation water, and fertilizer. These are examples of things that if were managed better then it would not pollute water sources.
Water Regulations
How the Water is Regulated
Sources of drinking water are subject to contamination and require appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing contaminants. Contamination of drinking water supplies can occur in the source water as well as in the distribution system after water treatment has already occurred. Even though the United States has one of the largest safe drinking water supplies, contamination can still occur after water purification. The EPA regulates our drinking water supply and rarely ever fail. This leads to having fresh and safe drinking water.
Works Cited
"Experts Discuss Water Pollution in Hampton Bays." Westhampton-hampton Bays, New York Patch. Community Corner Patch, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
"Water Contamination." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.
"Water Pollution Control." WHO. UNESCO, WHO, & UNEP, 1997. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
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