11 .36 Types of Water Pollution

Learn about water pollution and how water pollutants make the water dangerous for humans, plants, and animals. Discover how pollution works and different types of water pollutants, such as sewage, pesticides, and other chemicals.

Water and Pollutants

Look at this picture of the earth.

Notice all of the blue areas. These areas give us an idea of how much water covers the earth. Almost ¾, or 75%, of the earth is made up of water. That’s a lot of water! In the picture here, the water looks clean and blue. Sadly, this is not always the way water looks in real life. Sometimes things make water too dirty to safely drink or too dirty for animals to live in. These things that make the earth dirty are called pollutants.

We see water in oceans, ponds, lakes, streams, and many other places on the surface of the earth. Some water is found underground, and sometimes water falls from the sky as rain, ice, or snow. All of these water sources can get polluted. Humans and animals cannot live without clean water. It’s important to know about different types of water pollution so that we can keep our water clean and safe.

1. Main points:

The text illustrates that about 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, evident from the blue areas in the image. It mentions that water, while appearing clean in images, can be polluted in reality, affecting its safety for drinking and wildlife. The text stresses the importance of understanding different types of water pollution to protect water sources like oceans, lakes, streams, underground water, and precipitation.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, and what are the different sources of water mentioned in the text?
• Contextual Analysis: How does the text describe the difference between the appearance of water in pictures and the reality of water pollution?
• Thematic Analysis: Why is it important to understand different types of water pollution, as highlighted in the text?

3. Further Discussion:

• What are some ways we can help reduce water pollution in our daily lives?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: The text states that 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, found in oceans, ponds, lakes, streams, underground, and as rain, ice, or snow.
• Contextual Analysis: The text contrasts the clean and blue appearance of water in pictures with the reality that water can be too dirty for safe drinking or living due to pollutants.
• Thematic Analysis: Understanding different types of water pollution is important to keep water clean and safe, as both humans and animals rely on clean water for survival.

How Pollution Works

There are many things that make rivers, lakes, oceans, and other water sources dirty. Let’s take a look at some common pollutants that can make water unsafe.

Solid trash in the water is ugly, but it’s also unhealthy. Birds, fish, and other creatures that live around water can get hurt by the things we throw away. Waste from humans and animals pollutes water and makes it unsafe for drinking. Cleaning supplies, medicine, paint, and other chemicals can be toxic, or poisonous, to living creatures. When these things get into our water, it becomes polluted.

Riding on boats and jet skis can be fun, but sometimes engines cause pollution by leaking fuel into the water. These leaks are small, and they pollute a small amount of water. Sometimes, huge ships used to carry oil across oceans spill a lot of oil at one time. These oil spills cause a lot of pollution that’s sticky and poisonous. The oil can hurt or even kill birds, fish, sea turtles, sea otters, and other creatures.

1. Main points:

The text discusses various pollutants that harm water bodies, including solid trash affecting wildlife, waste from humans and animals making water unsafe for consumption, and chemicals like cleaning supplies and medicine being toxic. It also highlights pollution from boats and jet skis leaking fuel, and significant oil spills from large ships, which can damage marine life.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What are some common pollutants mentioned in the text that make water unsafe?
• Contextual Analysis: How do activities like riding boats and jet skis contribute to water pollution, according to the text?
• Thematic Analysis: Why is it important to be aware of the impact of pollutants like oil spills on marine life?

3. Further Discussion:

• What actions can we take to reduce the amount of trash and chemicals that end up in our water sources?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: The text mentions trash, waste from humans and animals, cleaning supplies, medicine, paint, and other toxic chemicals as common pollutants.
• Contextual Analysis: Riding boats and jet skis can contribute to water pollution through leaking fuel into the water.
• Thematic Analysis: Awareness of the impact of pollutants like oil spills is important because they can be sticky and poisonous, harming or killing marine life like birds, fish, and sea turtles.

Pesticides and Sewage

When we spray gardens or fields with pesticides, or chemicals that kill insects, this leads to water pollution. Rainwater washes the pesticides into nearby water sources, like ditches, rivers, lakes, and oceans. It’s important for farmers to find safer ways to keep insects off of their crops.

When people use the toilet, their waste material gets flushed into a place that keeps it away from drinking water. This kind of waste is called sewage. Sometimes sewage causes pollution by getting dumped directly into oceans, lakes, and rivers. Dumping sewage directly into fresh water is against the law, but some people don’t obey the laws.

1. Main points:

The text identifies pesticides used in agriculture as a source of water pollution, explaining how rainwater can carry these chemicals into nearby water sources. It also discusses sewage, the waste material from toilets, as another pollutant that, despite being illegal, sometimes gets dumped into bodies of water, highlighting the need for adherence to environmental laws and safer agricultural practices.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: How do pesticides used in agriculture lead to water pollution, as described in the text?
• Contextual Analysis: What is the impact of sewage on water sources, according to the text?
• Thematic Analysis: Why is it crucial to find safer ways to manage agricultural practices and sewage disposal?

3. Further Discussion:

• What are some alternatives to using pesticides that farmers might consider to protect water sources?

4. Answers:

• Content Analysis: Pesticides lead to water pollution when rainwater washes them into nearby water sources like rivers, lakes, and oceans.
• Contextual Analysis: The impact of sewage on water sources is pollution, especially when it’s dumped directly into oceans, lakes, and rivers, which is illegal.
• Thematic Analysis: Finding safer ways to manage agricultural practices and sewage disposal is crucial to prevent water pollution and protect the environment.

Lesson Summary

Let’s take a moment or two to review what we’ve learned. Pollutants are things that make water unsafe for us to drink and can be harmful to animals. Some common pollutants of water are trash, toxic (meaning poisonous) chemicals, oil, and pesticides, which are chemicals used to kill insects on crops. Sewage is another source of pollution that comes from human waste. Thankfully, it’s illegal to dump sewage and other pollutants in much of the world but, unfortunately, it still happens.