ways to solve environmental problem water pollution

16 Ways to Reduce Water Pollution

The global water crisis is only growing – but what can individuals do to reduce water pollution at home?

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Water pollution is hurting our marine life, our environment, and populations around the world – and the pollutants that enter our waters aren’t just single use plastics ! Waterways and bodies of water are polluted when harmful substances like chemicals or toxic waste contaminate them.

When waters are polluted millions of people lose access to safe drinking water, leading to disease and even death: 80% of diseases around the world are related to poor-quality drinking water.

In addition, ecosystems aren’t able to support the complex ecosystems that depend on clean, unpolluted water. Knowing all of the disastrous effects of water pollution, many people are looking to make a change in their personal lives, and find ways to reduce water pollution.

In this article, we’ll explore several different ways to reduce water pollution in your home, work, and personal life, and why these changes matter.

16 ways to reduce water pollution and help look after our planet

While a large percentage of the world’s water pollution is caused by large-scale industrial, agricultural, and maritime transit operations, each individual still plays a role in reducing water pollution.

While some of these ways to reduce water pollution may not surprise you, some you may not know. In fact, some of these suggestions shine a light on how certain acts can actually lead to increased pollution levels!

Let’s take a closer look at the different ways to reduce water pollution.

1. Pick up litter and dispose of it properly

One of the best ways to reduce water pollution is to prevent it at the source: by disposing of waste properly. In fact, 60% of water pollution today can be attributed to litter.

Waste that litters our roads, fields, and sidewalks often flows into nearby drains and streams when it rains. When the litter degrades, chemicals and microparticles are released. 

Chemicals and other pollutants from this litter can negatively impact the environment and wildlife in waterways. Cigarette butts are a common example of litter that can seriously damage the natural environment. They can contain chemicals like arsenic and formaldehyde that will seep into soil, and in turn, freshwater sources.

2. Dispose of chemicals and fuel properly

It’s important to know that you should never pour used motor oil or antifreeze down a storm drain, onto the soil, into a waterway, or into the sanitary sewer. All of these drains flow into rivers, meaning this harmful substance will certainly make its way to wreak havoc on the natural life of your waterway.

So how can you dispose of it?

Put used oil or antifreeze in a sturdy container and take it to a local service station or other approved center.

Your community may have a recycling center that will accept the used motor oil and recycle it. Community collection centers and drop-off sites also exist in some areas.

It’s even a good idea to label the container, so others will know that allowing liquids other than storm water to get into the drain leads to the pollution of lakes and streams.

3. Mulch or compost grass or yard waste

In many places around the world, leaves and grass are important parts of the natural environment. Left on land, leaves decompose, feeding your plants and enriching your soil. 

However, these same leaves and yard waste can lead to problematic water pollution. When large amounts of leaves are washed off our lawns, down our driveways, and into storm drains, they make their way into our water bodies; the y release phosphorus and nitrogen into our water , contributing to water pollution.

There are a few potential solutions to this issue, however:

• Your city may be able to dispose of your leaves and yard waste – you can bag your leaves for curbside pick-up.
• You can also mix your leaves into your compost pile, creating a nutrient-rich fertilizer for your plants.
• Using a mulching mower, you can create mulch from your leaves to use in flower beds.
• Leave leaves and yard waste in your front yard if you can’t compost them – avoid blowing leaves into the street and clogging and damaging storm drains.

4. Don’t pour fat and grease down the drain

Most of the dishes we cook leave some sort of fat, oil, or grease residue behind. These substances should never be disposed of down the drain in your kitchen.

When poured down the drain, fat and grease can build up over time and clog your pipes. This will lead to sewer pipes clogging and even backing up into your yard and basement. It can also lead to water pollution by carrying contaminants to local bodies of water.

Instead, grease, fat, and used cooking oil should be disposed of in the trash or kept in a glass jar for disposal with other solid waste.

5. Minimize your use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers

In the continental U.S., about half a million tons of pesticides, 12 million tons of nitrogen, and 4 million tons of phosphorus fertilizer are applied annually to crops. These chemicals can cause critical damage to our waters through the soil, runoff, and air.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends several techniques for large-scale farm operations to mitigate these effects, such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which encourages natural barriers and limits pesticide use.

At home, however, you can do your part by minimizing your use of fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn and gardens. You can also select plants that are native to the area and can thrive in your landscape’s natural conditions. In turn, you will have to fertilize them less and use less water in the long run.

If you must use fertilizers, make sure to blow or sweep it back onto your grass if it gets onto paved areas, and avoid applying fertilizer on the grass right before it rains, so it doesn’t wash into storm drains and waterways.

6. Use the minimum amount of laundry detergent

Laundry detergent and other cleaning products contain chemicals like phosphates that are harmful to our waters and marine life.

Phosphates lead to algae blooms and kill fish and other aquatic animals by reducing the oxygen in the water. Soaps and detergents can also break up oil and send it lower into the water column, causing damage to more marine organisms.

When spilled in our waterways, soaps and detergents in and of themselves are actually a pollutant that may be harmful.

By cutting down on detergent, or using phosphate-free detergent, you can further cut down on water pollution from your own home. There are plenty of effective natural laundry detergents that you can substitute for chemically-intensive detergents in your home.

7. Dispose of medical waste properly

Never flush pills, powders, or liquid medicines down the toilet or dump them outside, whether on land or water. These drugs can accumulate in the water and be consumed by fish and other wildlife.

Hormones and other compounds end up causing a variety of health problems in fish and birds and contaminate drinking water that people and livestock use.

Studies have found that medicines flushed down the drain can contaminate our lakes and streams and eventually end up in our drinking water. This can lead to adverse reactions for some people and even cases of accidental poisoning.  

University of Minnesota researchers have also detected antibiotics used for human and animal treatment at low levels in lakes, rivers, and streams throughout Minnesota. The U.S. Geological Survey has also found antibiotics in groundwater in both non-agricultural and urban areas.

8. Avoid using a garbage disposal

Depending on where you live, the garbage disposal in your kitchen can also lead to harmful environmental effects like water pollution.

Near large bodies of water, garbage disposals will wash food scraps down the drain and into bodies of water that can be contaminated by the high levels of nitrogen in food waste. Nitrogen can harm local marine and plant life significantly.

It’s best to keep your solid waste solid , experts say, and opt for a compost pile from food scraps when possible.

9. Check your sump pump or cellar drain

If your home has a sump pump or cellar drain, you can check to make sure that it does not drain into the local sanitary sewer system. This connection often dumps harmful biological waste, cleaning chemicals, heavy metals, and more into the system.

As we know, local sewer systems drain straight into rivers, streams, and other bodies of water.

At home, you can do your part when it comes to going green and preventing water pollution by checking your sump pump or cellar drain connection. If you’re not sure, you can contact your city’s local pollution control department.

10. Eat more organic food

Organic foods are not only better for you, but opting for organic is also a big way to reduce water pollution.

Organic foods tend to be cultivated with few synthetic chemicals, and in turn, they result in less chemical pollution in waterways.

The process of organic farming also can be used to reduce water pollution in the U.S., as studies have found. The leaching of nitrate from farming soil into water drainage systems is a major source of water pollution in the upper Midwestern state of the U.S.

In an attempt to reduce the environmental impacts associated with heavy fertilizer use in conventional agriculture, some producers have begun to investigate organic methods.

All in all, agriculture is one of the largest culprits of water pollution around the world. From fertilizer and pesticide use, to the synthetic chemicals used to preserve foods and the fuel used to power equipment, all of these factors play a part in increasing water pollution.

By opting for less chemically-intensive foods, individuals can make a difference in the quality of our waters.

11. Try to avoid buying plastic items

Plastics, like most waste, can end up in a landfill. When improperly managed, waste from landfills make its way into our ocean and bodies of water. From plastic shopping bags to bottles to tupperware, all of these products can cause water pollution at a large scale.

Plastics break down slowly in some waters, but usually, end up degrading the water quality with toxic compounds and harming human and animal health.

Microplastics have been detected in water worldwide, including in our streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. In these waterways, the microplastics end up in the water we drink and the fish we eat, including shellfish.

Thus, one of the best ways to reduce water pollution is to avoid buying and using new plastic items, especially those that are not accepted at your local recycling facility. There are some great alternatives on the market to replace commonly-used plastic products like plastic wrap , sippy cups , and trash bags . 

12. Plant some trees

It may surprise you to find out that deforestation is one of the main causes of water pollution. Healthy forests can act as a filter to keep pollution out of water, anchoring soil against erosion and helping the forest absorb nutrients.

Trees also help protect water quality by capturing, storing, and using rainfall. In doing so, they reduce the amount of runoff that carries pollution off of the landscape and into nearby rivers and lakes. This process also decreases the rate and volume of stormwater flowing through local storm sewers.

In this way, one of the best ways to reduce water pollution is to plant some trees! If you live in an urban area, a healthy tree canopy is especially important. Trees provide other health benefits like helping heat and cool buildings, filtering air pollution, and more.

Select some species that are native to your area, and in no time your trees will begin improving air quality and doing their part in reducing water pollution. If you lack the space, try to find a local communal garden or space to plant some trees elsewhere in your community.

13. Keep your vehicles from leaking

It’s important to maintain your vehicle’s maintenance, not only to save money, but also to prevent oil and other fuels from leaking onto the road. Leaky seals, hoses, and gaskets often leak fluid from cars and end up in the local water table, or runoff into nearby streams, rivers, and other bodies of water.

Oil and other fuels do not dissolve in water, and are toxic to people, wildlife, and plants and can disturb natural aquatic environments.

These toxic substances can last a long time and stick to everything in and near an aquatic environment, from sand to bird feathers. To prevent leaks from our cars getting onto roads and washed into storm drains, regular vehicle maintenance is important.

14. Shop with water pollution in mind

Like your food choices, your shopping tendencies can make a difference when it comes to finding ways to reduce water pollution. The textile industry is one of the largest culprits for releasing pollutants into our waters.

This is because textile processing involves applying vast amounts of chemicals to fabrics – over 8,000 synthetic chemicals, in fact. It’s estimated that around 20% of all water pollution worldwide comes from the dyeing of textiles.

But how does making clothes lead to water pollution? Water is used during the process of applying chemicals and dye to fabrics and this contaminated water is often dumped back into rivers and other waterways.

To reduce the water pollution that results from textile production, try to only buy brand new clothes when you need them, and opt for second-hand clothing wherever you can. This reduces the amount of new clothing that must be produced and thus the water required to create them.

You can also recycle your clothes for a more sustainable wardrobe, or shop locally to limit the pollution that comes from transporting goods long distances.

15. Support environmental charities

To directly make a difference in reducing water pollution, there are several nonprofits that are making clean, unpolluted waters available throughout the world. Supporting these organizations, whether by monetary donations or volunteering can help them maximize their influence.

Some examples of these non-profits include Water.org , U.S. Water Alliance , Water for People , and the Water Project .  

16. Cut down on meat consumption

You may not have known that changing up your diet, even once a week, can make a huge difference when it comes to reducing water pollution.

Raising and housing animals requires large amounts of water – in the U.S. especially, slaughterhouses raise millions of animals per year for consumption – more than 8 billion chickens, 100 million hogs, and 30 million beef cattle.

All of the resources that these animals require are often contaminated and disposed of improperly. Most meat and poultry plants in the U.S. release contaminants into drinking water systems and soil, which in turn contaminates groundwater. These contaminants can include nitrate, nitrite, and fecal coliform, as well as byproducts like chlorine.

These chemicals can not only harm drinking water, they’re also toxic to plants and animals in local ecosystems.

Final thoughts on the ways to reduce water pollution

If you’re looking to live a greener life and care about bettering your area, these are sure ways to reduce water pollution, improve drinking water, and create cleaner aquatic ecosystems in your area.

From making easy switches from plastic, cleaning products, and laundry detergent in your home, to properly disposing of chemicals and cooking oil, it’s often not hard to play your part in reducing pollutants in our waters.

If you observe a possible violation of environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. like illegal dumping of pollutants, you can also report it to the EPA via this form .

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Water pollution: an introduction

by Chris Woodford . Last updated: October 1, 2023.

O ver two thirds of Earth's surface is covered by water ; less than a third is taken up by land. As Earth's population continues to grow, people are putting ever-increasing pressure on the planet's water resources. In a sense, our oceans, rivers , and other inland waters are being "squeezed" by human activities—not so they take up less room, but so their quality is reduced. Poorer water quality means water pollution .

We know that pollution is a human problem because it is a relatively recent development in the planet's history: before the 19th century Industrial Revolution, people lived more in harmony with their immediate environment. As industrialization has spread around the globe, so the problem of pollution has spread with it. When Earth's population was much smaller, no one believed pollution would ever present a serious problem. It was once popularly believed that the oceans were far too big to pollute. Today, with around 7 billion people on the planet, it has become apparent that there are limits. Pollution is one of the signs that humans have exceeded those limits.

Photo: Stormwater pollution entering a river from a drain. Photo by Peter C Van Metre courtesy of US Geological Survey .

What is water pollution?

Water pollution can be defined in many ways. Usually, it means one or more substances have built up in water to such an extent that they cause problems for animals or people. Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other inland waters can naturally clean up a certain amount of pollution by dispersing it harmlessly. If you poured a cup of black ink into a river, the ink would quickly disappear into the river's much larger volume of clean water. The ink would still be there in the river, but in such a low concentration that you would not be able to see it. At such low levels, the chemicals in the ink probably would not present any real problem. However, if you poured gallons of ink into a river every few seconds through a pipe, the river would quickly turn black. The chemicals in the ink could very quickly have an effect on the quality of the water. This, in turn, could affect the health of all the plants, animals, and humans whose lives depend on the river.

Photo: Pollution means adding substances to the environment that don't belong there—like the air pollution from this smokestack. Pollution is not always as obvious as this, however.

Thus, water pollution is all about quantities : how much of a polluting substance is released and how big a volume of water it is released into. A small quantity of a toxic chemical may have little impact if it is spilled into the ocean from a ship. But the same amount of the same chemical can have a much bigger impact pumped into a lake or river, where there is less clean water to disperse it.

"The introduction by man, directly or indirectly, of substances or energy into the marine environment (including estuaries) resulting in such deleterious effects as harm to living resources, hazards to human health, hindrance to marine activities, including fishing, impairment of quality for use of sea water and reduction of amenities." [1]

What are the main types of water pollution?

When we think of Earth's water resources, we think of huge oceans, lakes, and rivers. Water resources like these are called surface waters . The most obvious type of water pollution affects surface waters. For example, a spill from an oil tanker creates an oil slick that can affect a vast area of the ocean.

Photo: Detergent pollution entering a river—an example of surface water pollution. Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service Photo Library.

Not all of Earth's water sits on its surface, however. A great deal of water is held in underground rock structures known as aquifers, which we cannot see and seldom think about. Water stored underground in aquifers is known as groundwater . Aquifers feed our rivers and supply much of our drinking water. They too can become polluted, for example, when weed killers used in people's gardens drain into the ground. Groundwater pollution is much less obvious than surface-water pollution, but is no less of a problem. In 1996, a study in Iowa in the United States found that over half the state's groundwater wells were contaminated with weed killers. You might think things would have improved since then, but, two decades on, all that's really changed is the name of the chemicals we're using. Today, numerous scientific studies are still finding weed killers in groundwater in worrying quantities: a 2012 study discovered glyphosate in 41 percent of 140 groundwater samples from Catalonia, Spain; scientific opinion differs on whether this is safe or not. [2]

Surface waters and groundwater are the two types of water resources that pollution affects. There are also two different ways in which pollution can occur. If pollution comes from a single location, such as a discharge pipe attached to a factory, it is known as point-source pollution . Other examples of point source pollution include an oil spill from a tanker, a discharge from a smoke stack (factory chimney), or someone pouring oil from their car down a drain. A great deal of water pollution happens not from one single source but from many different scattered sources. This is called nonpoint-source pollution .

When point-source pollution enters the environment, the place most affected is usually the area immediately around the source. For example, when a tanker accident occurs, the oil slick is concentrated around the tanker itself and, in the right ocean conditions, the pollution disperses the further away from the tanker you go. This is less likely to happen with nonpoint source pollution which, by definition, enters the environment from many different places at once.

Sometimes pollution that enters the environment in one place has an effect hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This is known as transboundary pollution . One example is the way radioactive waste travels through the oceans from nuclear reprocessing plants in England and France to nearby countries such as Ireland and Norway.

How do we know when water is polluted?

Some forms of water pollution are very obvious: everyone has seen TV news footage of oil slicks filmed from helicopters flying overhead. Water pollution is usually less obvious and much harder to detect than this. But how can we measure water pollution when we cannot see it? How do we even know it's there?

There are two main ways of measuring the quality of water. One is to take samples of the water and measure the concentrations of different chemicals that it contains. If the chemicals are dangerous or the concentrations are too great, we can regard the water as polluted. Measurements like this are known as chemical indicators of water quality. Another way to measure water quality involves examining the fish, insects, and other invertebrates that the water will support. If many different types of creatures can live in a river, the quality is likely to be very good; if the river supports no fish life at all, the quality is obviously much poorer. Measurements like this are called biological indicators of water quality.

What are the causes of water pollution?

Most water pollution doesn't begin in the water itself. Take the oceans: around 80 percent of ocean pollution enters our seas from the land. [16] Virtually any human activity can have an effect on the quality of our water environment. When farmers fertilize the fields, the chemicals they use are gradually washed by rain into the groundwater or surface waters nearby. Sometimes the causes of water pollution are quite surprising. Chemicals released by smokestacks (chimneys) can enter the atmosphere and then fall back to earth as rain, entering seas, rivers, and lakes and causing water pollution. That's called atmospheric deposition . Water pollution has many different causes and this is one of the reasons why it is such a difficult problem to solve.

With billions of people on the planet, disposing of sewage waste is a major problem. According to 2017 figures from the World Health Organization, some 2 billion people (about a quarter of the world's population) don't have access to safe drinking water or the most basic sanitation, 3.4 billion (60 people of the population) lack "safely managed" sanitation (unshared, with waste properly treated). Although there have been great improvements in securing access to clean water, relatively little, genuine progress has been made on improving global sanitation in the last decade. [20] Sewage disposal affects people's immediate environments and leads to water-related illnesses such as diarrhea that kills 525,000 children under five each year. [3] (Back in 2002, the World Health Organization estimated that water-related diseases could kill as many as 135 million people by 2020; in 2019, the WHO was still estimating the annual death toll from poor water and sanitation at over 800,000 people a year.) In developed countries, most people have flush toilets that take sewage waste quickly and hygienically away from their homes.

Yet the problem of sewage disposal does not end there. When you flush the toilet, the waste has to go somewhere and, even after it leaves the sewage treatment works, there is still waste to dispose of. Sometimes sewage waste is pumped untreated into the sea. Until the early 1990s, around 5 million tons of sewage was dumped by barge from New York City each year. [4] According to 2002 figures from the UK government's Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the sewers of Britain collect around 11 billion liters of waste water every day; there are still 31,000 sewage overflow pipes through which, in certain circumstances, such as heavy storms, raw sewage is pumped untreated into the sea. [5] The New River that crosses the border from Mexico into California once carried with it 20–25 million gallons (76–95 million liters) of raw sewage each day; a new waste water plant on the US-Mexico border, completed in 2007, substantially solved that problem. [6] Unfortunately, even in some of the richest nations, the practice of dumping sewage into the sea continues. In early 2012, it was reported that the tiny island of Guernsey (between Britain and France) has decided to continue dumping 16,000 tons of raw sewage into the sea each day.

In theory, sewage is a completely natural substance that should be broken down harmlessly in the environment: 90 percent of sewage is water. [7] In practice, sewage contains all kinds of other chemicals, from the pharmaceutical drugs people take to the paper , plastic , and other wastes they flush down their toilets. When people are sick with viruses, the sewage they produce carries those viruses into the environment. It is possible to catch illnesses such as hepatitis, typhoid, and cholera from river and sea water.

Photo: Nutrients make crops grow, but cause pollution when they seep into rivers and other watercourses. Photo courtesy of US Department of Agriculture (Flickr) .

Suitably treated and used in moderate quantities, sewage can be a fertilizer: it returns important nutrients to the environment, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which plants and animals need for growth. The trouble is, sewage is often released in much greater quantities than the natural environment can cope with. Chemical fertilizers used by farmers also add nutrients to the soil, which drain into rivers and seas and add to the fertilizing effect of the sewage. Together, sewage and fertilizers can cause a massive increase in the growth of algae or plankton that overwhelms huge areas of oceans, lakes, or rivers. This is known as a harmful algal bloom (also known as an HAB or red tide, because it can turn the water red). It is harmful because it removes oxygen from the water that kills other forms of life, leading to what is known as a dead zone . The Gulf of Mexico has one of the world's most spectacular dead zones. Each summer, according to studies by the NOAA , it typically grows to an area of around 5500–6500 square miles (14,000–16,800 square kilometers), which is about the same size as the state of Connecticut. [21]

Waste water

A few statistics illustrate the scale of the problem that waste water (chemicals washed down drains and discharged from factories) can cause. Around half of all ocean pollution is caused by sewage and waste water. Each year, the world generates perhaps 5–10 billion tons of industrial waste, much of which is pumped untreated into rivers, oceans, and other waterways. [8] In the United States alone, around 400,000 factories take clean water from rivers, and many pump polluted waters back in their place. However, there have been major improvements in waste water treatment recently. Since 1970, in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has invested about $70 billion in improving water treatment plants that, as of 2021, serve around 90 percent of the US population (compared to just 69 percent in 1972). However, another $271 billion is still needed to update and upgrade the system. [15]

Factories are point sources of water pollution, but quite a lot of water is polluted by ordinary people from nonpoint sources; this is how ordinary water becomes waste water in the first place. Virtually everyone pours chemicals of one sort or another down their drains or toilets. Even detergents used in washing machines and dishwashers eventually end up in our rivers and oceans. So do the pesticides we use on our gardens. A lot of toxic pollution also enters waste water from highway runoff . Highways are typically covered with a cocktail of toxic chemicals—everything from spilled fuel and brake fluids to bits of worn tires (themselves made from chemical additives) and exhaust emissions. When it rains, these chemicals wash into drains and rivers. It is not unusual for heavy summer rainstorms to wash toxic chemicals into rivers in such concentrations that they kill large numbers of fish overnight. It has been estimated that, in one year, the highway runoff from a single large city leaks as much oil into our water environment as a typical tanker spill. Some highway runoff runs away into drains; others can pollute groundwater or accumulate in the land next to a road, making it increasingly toxic as the years go by.

Chemical waste

Detergents are relatively mild substances. At the opposite end of the spectrum are highly toxic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) . They were once widely used to manufacture electronic circuit boards , but their harmful effects have now been recognized and their use is highly restricted in many countries. Nevertheless, an estimated half million tons of PCBs were discharged into the environment during the 20th century. [9] In a classic example of transboundary pollution, traces of PCBs have even been found in birds and fish in the Arctic. They were carried there through the oceans, thousands of miles from where they originally entered the environment. Although PCBs are widely banned, their effects will be felt for many decades because they last a long time in the environment without breaking down.

Another kind of toxic pollution comes from heavy metals , such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. Lead was once commonly used in gasoline (petrol), though its use is now restricted in some countries. Mercury and cadmium are still used in batteries (though some brands now use other metals instead). Until recently, a highly toxic chemical called tributyltin (TBT) was used in paints to protect boats from the ravaging effects of the oceans. Ironically, however, TBT was gradually recognized as a pollutant: boats painted with it were doing as much damage to the oceans as the oceans were doing to the boats.

The best known example of heavy metal pollution in the oceans took place in 1938 when a Japanese factory discharged a significant amount of mercury metal into Minamata Bay, contaminating the fish stocks there. It took a decade for the problem to come to light. By that time, many local people had eaten the fish and around 2000 were poisoned. Hundreds of people were left dead or disabled. [10]

Radioactive waste

People view radioactive waste with great alarm—and for good reason. At high enough concentrations it can kill; in lower concentrations it can cause cancers and other illnesses. The biggest sources of radioactive pollution in Europe are two factories that reprocess waste fuel from nuclear power plants : Sellafield on the north-west coast of Britain and Cap La Hague on the north coast of France. Both discharge radioactive waste water into the sea, which ocean currents then carry around the world. Countries such as Norway, which lie downstream from Britain, receive significant doses of radioactive pollution from Sellafield. [19] The Norwegian government has repeatedly complained that Sellafield has increased radiation levels along its coast by 6–10 times. Both the Irish and Norwegian governments continue to press for the plant's closure. [11]

Oil pollution

Photo: Oil-tanker spills are the most spectacular forms of pollution and the ones that catch public attention, but only a fraction of all water pollution happens this way. Photo by Lamar Gore courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service Photo Library and US National Archive .

When we think of ocean pollution, huge black oil slicks often spring to mind, yet these spectacular accidents represent only a tiny fraction of all the pollution entering our oceans. Even considering oil by itself, tanker spills are not as significant as they might seem: only 12 percent of the oil that enters the oceans comes from tanker accidents; over 70 percent of oil pollution at sea comes from routine shipping and from the oil people pour down drains on land. [12] However, what makes tanker spills so destructive is the sheer quantity of oil they release at once — in other words, the concentration of oil they produce in one very localized part of the marine environment. The biggest oil spill in recent years (and the biggest ever spill in US waters) occurred when the tanker Exxon Valdez broke up in Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989. Around 12 million gallons (44 million liters) of oil were released into the pristine wilderness—enough to fill your living room 800 times over! Estimates of the marine animals killed in the spill vary from approximately 1000 sea otters and 34,000 birds to as many as 2800 sea otters and 250,000 sea birds. Several billion salmon and herring eggs are also believed to have been destroyed. [13]

If you've ever taken part in a community beach clean, you'll know that plastic is far and away the most common substance that washes up with the waves. There are three reasons for this: plastic is one of the most common materials, used for making virtually every kind of manufactured object from clothing to automobile parts; plastic is light and floats easily so it can travel enormous distances across the oceans; most plastics are not biodegradable (they do not break down naturally in the environment), which means that things like plastic bottle tops can survive in the marine environment for a long time. (A plastic bottle can survive an estimated 450 years in the ocean and plastic fishing line can last up to 600 years.)

While plastics are not toxic in quite the same way as poisonous chemicals, they nevertheless present a major hazard to seabirds, fish, and other marine creatures. For example, plastic fishing lines and other debris can strangle or choke fish. (This is sometimes called ghost fishing .) About half of all the world's seabird species are known to have eaten plastic residues. In one study of 450 shearwaters in the North Pacific, over 80 percent of the birds were found to contain plastic residues in their stomachs. In the early 1990s, marine scientist Tim Benton collected debris from a 2km (1.5 mile) length of beach in the remote Pitcairn islands in the South Pacific. His study recorded approximately a thousand pieces of garbage including 268 pieces of plastic, 71 plastic bottles, and two dolls heads. [14]

Alien species

Most people's idea of water pollution involves things like sewage, toxic metals, or oil slicks, but pollution can be biological as well as chemical. In some parts of the world, alien species are a major problem. Alien species (sometimes known as invasive species ) are animals or plants from one region that have been introduced into a different ecosystem where they do not belong. Outside their normal environment, they have no natural predators, so they rapidly run wild, crowding out the usual animals or plants that thrive there. Common examples of alien species include zebra mussels in the Great Lakes of the USA, which were carried there from Europe by ballast water (waste water flushed from ships ). The Mediterranean Sea has been invaded by a kind of alien algae called Caulerpa taxifolia . In the Black Sea, an alien jellyfish called Mnemiopsis leidyi reduced fish stocks by 90 percent after arriving in ballast water. In San Francisco Bay, Asian clams called Potamocorbula amurensis, also introduced by ballast water, have dramatically altered the ecosystem. In 1999, Cornell University's David Pimentel estimated that alien invaders like this cost the US economy $123 billion a year; in 2014, the European Commission put the cost to Europe at €12 billion a year and "growing all the time. [18]

Other forms of pollution

These are the most common forms of pollution—but by no means the only ones. Heat or thermal pollution from factories and power plants also causes problems in rivers. By raising the temperature, it reduces the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, thus also reducing the level of aquatic life that the river can support. Another type of pollution involves the disruption of sediments (fine-grained powders) that flow from rivers into the sea. Dams built for hydroelectric power or water reservoirs can reduce the sediment flow. This reduces the formation of beaches, increases coastal erosion (the natural destruction of cliffs by the sea), and reduces the flow of nutrients from rivers into seas (potentially reducing coastal fish stocks). Increased sediments can also present a problem. During construction work, soil, rock, and other fine powders sometimes enters nearby rivers in large quantities, causing it to become turbid (muddy or silted). The extra sediment can block the gills of fish, effectively suffocating them. Construction firms often now take precautions to prevent this kind of pollution from happening.

What are the effects of water pollution?

Some people believe pollution is an inescapable result of human activity: they argue that if we want to have factories, cities, ships, cars, oil, and coastal resorts, some degree of pollution is almost certain to result. In other words, pollution is a necessary evil that people must put up with if they want to make progress. Fortunately, not everyone agrees with this view. One reason people have woken up to the problem of pollution is that it brings costs of its own that undermine any economic benefits that come about by polluting.

Take oil spills, for example. They can happen if tankers are too poorly built to survive accidents at sea. But the economic benefit of compromising on tanker quality brings an economic cost when an oil spill occurs. The oil can wash up on nearby beaches, devastate the ecosystem, and severely affect tourism. The main problem is that the people who bear the cost of the spill (typically a small coastal community) are not the people who caused the problem in the first place (the people who operate the tanker). Yet, arguably, everyone who puts gasoline (petrol) into their car—or uses almost any kind of petroleum-fueled transport—contributes to the problem in some way. So oil spills are a problem for everyone, not just people who live by the coast and tanker operates.

Sewage is another good example of how pollution can affect us all. Sewage discharged into coastal waters can wash up on beaches and cause a health hazard. People who bathe or surf in the water can fall ill if they swallow polluted water—yet sewage can have other harmful effects too: it can poison shellfish (such as cockles and mussels) that grow near the shore. People who eat poisoned shellfish risk suffering from an acute—and sometimes fatal—illness called paralytic shellfish poisoning. Shellfish is no longer caught along many shores because it is simply too polluted with sewage or toxic chemical wastes that have discharged from the land nearby.

Pollution matters because it harms the environment on which people depend. The environment is not something distant and separate from our lives. It's not a pretty shoreline hundreds of miles from our homes or a wilderness landscape that we see only on TV. The environment is everything that surrounds us that gives us life and health. Destroying the environment ultimately reduces the quality of our own lives—and that, most selfishly, is why pollution should matter to all of us.

How can we stop water pollution?

There is no easy way to solve water pollution; if there were, it wouldn't be so much of a problem. Broadly speaking, there are three different things that can help to tackle the problem—education, laws, and economics—and they work together as a team.

Making people aware of the problem is the first step to solving it. In the early 1990s, when surfers in Britain grew tired of catching illnesses from water polluted with sewage, they formed a group called Surfers Against Sewage to force governments and water companies to clean up their act. People who've grown tired of walking the world's polluted beaches often band together to organize community beach-cleaning sessions. Anglers who no longer catch so many fish have campaigned for tougher penalties against factories that pour pollution into our rivers. Greater public awareness can make a positive difference.

One of the biggest problems with water pollution is its transboundary nature. Many rivers cross countries, while seas span whole continents. Pollution discharged by factories in one country with poor environmental standards can cause problems in neighboring nations, even when they have tougher laws and higher standards. Environmental laws can make it tougher for people to pollute, but to be really effective they have to operate across national and international borders. This is why we have international laws governing the oceans, such as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (signed by over 120 nations), the 1972 London (Dumping) Convention , the 1978 MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships , and the 1998 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic . The European Union has water-protection laws (known as directives) that apply to all of its member states. They include the 1976 Bathing Water Directive (updated 2006), which seeks to ensure the quality of the waters that people use for recreation. Most countries also have their own water pollution laws. In the United States, for example, there is the 1972 Clean Water Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act .

Most environmental experts agree that the best way to tackle pollution is through something called the polluter pays principle . This means that whoever causes pollution should have to pay to clean it up, one way or another. Polluter pays can operate in all kinds of ways. It could mean that tanker owners should have to take out insurance that covers the cost of oil spill cleanups, for example. It could also mean that shoppers should have to pay for their plastic grocery bags, as is now common in Ireland, to encourage recycling and minimize waste. Or it could mean that factories that use rivers must have their water inlet pipes downstream of their effluent outflow pipes, so if they cause pollution they themselves are the first people to suffer. Ultimately, the polluter pays principle is designed to deter people from polluting by making it less expensive for them to behave in an environmentally responsible way.

Our clean future

Life is ultimately about choices—and so is pollution. We can live with sewage-strewn beaches, dead rivers, and fish that are too poisonous to eat. Or we can work together to keep the environment clean so the plants, animals, and people who depend on it remain healthy. We can take individual action to help reduce water pollution, for example, by using environmentally friendly detergents , not pouring oil down drains, reducing pesticides, and so on. We can take community action too, by helping out on beach cleans or litter picks to keep our rivers and seas that little bit cleaner. And we can take action as countries and continents to pass laws that will make pollution harder and the world less polluted. Working together, we can make pollution less of a problem—and the world a better place.

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• Earth Matters by Lynn Dicks et al. Dorling Kindersley, 2008: A more general guide to problems Earth faces, with each major biome explored separately. In case you're interested, I contributed the polar regions chapter. The book is mostly a simple read and probably suitable for 7–10 (and maybe 9–12).

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Text copyright © Chris Woodford 2006, 2022. All rights reserved. Full copyright notice and terms of use .

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How can we solve the global water crisis?

Human activities are jeopardizing water at its source. Image:  Unsplash/mrjn Photography

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Ngozi okonjo-iweala, johan rockström, tharman shanmugaratnam.

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Stay up to date:, fresh water.

This article is produced in collaboration with Project Syndicate.

• Water-related crises around the world show that current systems of water management are unsuited for a world altered by global warming.
• Water-use restrictions, power cuts and other stopgap measures are no longer fit for purpose.
• The task now is to understand the links between water, climate change and biodiversity loss, and to properly govern water as a global common good.
• The world needs to clearly define its plans, as this will help governments steer innovation and knowhow towards meeting critical goals.

The floods, droughts, heatwaves, and fires that are devastating many parts of the world underscore two fundamental facts. First, damage to freshwater supplies is increasingly straining human societies, especially the poor, with far-reaching implications for economic, social, and political stability. Second, the combined impact of today’s extreme conditions are unprecedented in human history, and are overwhelming policymakers’ ability to respond.

In East Africa, a devastating four-year drought has destroyed millions of livelihoods and left more than 20 million people at risk of starvation. In Pakistan, recent flooding has submerged one-third of the country, killing at least 1,500 people so far and wiping out 45% of this year’s crops. In China, an unprecedented heatwave has caused acute water shortages in regions that account for one-third of the country’s rice production .

Moreover, droughts and fires in the United States and Europe, and severe floods and droughts across India, have reduced global grain yields and food exports, highlighting the extent to which our food production depends on large, stable volumes of water. Add to this the impact of the war in Ukraine on grain and fertilizer supplies, and there is a substantial risk that today’s global food crisis will persist.

For the first time in our history, human activities are jeopardizing water at its very source. Climate change and deforestation are reshaping the monsoon season, causing ice on the Tibetan plateau to melt , and affecting freshwater supplies to more than one billion people. Rising global temperatures are changing evaporation patterns and reducing moisture feedback from forests, disrupting downwind rainfall. And a destabilized global water cycle is itself aggravating climate change. For example, the depletion of water in the soil and forests is reducing their ability to sequester carbon .

Water-use restrictions, power cuts, and other stopgap measures can no longer paper over the fact that our water governance and management systems are not suited for a world of radical environmental change. All our current arrangements rest on the assumption, now invalidated, that the water supply is relatively stable (within the bounds of natural variability), predictable, and manageable in localized ways. But the water crisis is global, and it can be solved only with transformational thinking and new governance.

We must recognize that all our key environmental challenges are connected to water – whether there is too much or too little, or whether it is too polluted for human use. The task now is to understand the links between water, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and to properly define, value, and govern water as a global common good. Thinking about water in this way will allow us to mobilize collective action and design new rules that put equity and justice at the center of our response.

For too long, most governments have either ignored market failures or responded to them with quick fixes, rather than mobilizing the public and private sectors around common ambitions. The public sector must see itself as a market shaper that works with all stakeholders in the water economy to create pathways for innovation and investment, ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation, and provide enough water for food, energy, and natural systems.

A key lesson from past challenges that demanded systemic innovation is that a clearly defined mission is needed to organize our efforts. Mission-oriented policies allow governments to steer innovation and knowhow directly toward meeting critical goals. When guided by an inclusive “common-good” approach, they are uniquely capable of delivering solutions to challenges that require tremendous levels of coordination and financing across many years. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and water crises are precisely such challenges.

Mission-based strategies can help governments innovate with purpose, direction, and urgency. But to be effective, policymakers must heed the experience and wisdom of the ordinary citizens, communities, and innovators who know how to prosper in a world of water scarcity, higher temperatures, and altered coastline and river systems.

We must now recognize threats to the global freshwater system and translate our awareness into collective action. Because water scarcity will jeopardize all the other Sustainable Development Goals, it should solidify our collective determination to limit temperature increases to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels (as specified in the Paris climate agreement), and to preserve the natural systems that ensure stable rainfall and runoff patterns.

Water security – both sustainable supply and clean quality – is a critical aspect in ensuring healthy communities. Yet, our world’s water resources are being compromised.

Today, 80% of our wastewater flows untreated back into the environment, while 780 million people still do not have access to an improved water source. By 2030, we may face a 40% global gap between water supply and demand.

The World Economic Forum’s Water Possible Platform is supporting innovative ideas to address the global water challenge.

The Forum supports innovative multi-stakeholder partnerships including the 2030 Water Resources Group , which helps close the gap between global water demand and supply by 2030 and has since helped facilitate $1Billion of investments into water.

Other emerging partnerships include the 50L Home Coalition , which aims to solve the urban water crisis , tackling both water security and climate change; and the Mobilizing Hand Hygiene for All Initiative , formed in response to close the 40% gap of the global population not having access to handwashing services during COVID-19.

Want to join our mission to address the global water challenge? Read more in our impact story .

In tackling these global challenges, we must hardwire the principles of equity and justice into whatever new arrangements we devise. No community can thrive without a reliable supply of clean water. But safeguarding this global common good requires new policies and systems.

Law and economics must both be reoriented to ensure universal access to clean drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, and to build more resilient and sustainable food systems. Incentives must change so that the private sector can do its part to provide access to technology and innovation to poor and rich countries alike. This will require long-term finance and novel mechanisms to regulate how the public and private sectors work together.

Have you read?

Ensuring sustainable water management for all by 2030, we need to rethink how we manage our water systems — before it’s too late, low-income communities lack access to clean water. it’s time for change.

The UN 2023 Water Conference – the first in almost 50 years – will be a pivotal moment for the international community to start mapping out a future that works for everyone. In preparing for it, we can take inspiration from Nicholas Stern , who rewrote the economics of climate change , and Partha Dasgupta , who rewrote the economics of biodiversity . As the four co-chairs of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water , our goal is to transform the world’s understanding of the economics and governance of water, placing a much stronger emphasis on equity, justice, effectiveness, and democracy.

We can still redefine our relationship with water and redesign our economies to value water as a global common good. But the window of opportunity is closing. To have a chance of avoiding climate catastrophe and adapting to unavoidable change, we must ensure a resilient water future for poor and rich societies alike.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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How to Reduce Water Pollution

Last Updated: November 6, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Kathryn Kellogg . Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. She's the author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,011,353 times.

Water is one of the world's most important resources, and we can all do our part to stop it from getting polluted. Simple changes like using natural cleaning products instead of toxic ones in your home and planting more trees and flowers in your yard can make an important impact. On a larger scale, consider speaking up against industries that dump waste into local streams, rivers, and beach fronts to reduce water pollution in your community. Every action you take makes a difference.

Use fewer chemicals to clean your home.

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a list of cleaning products (as well as a variety of other products) that are considered "green," meaning they won't pollute the water supply. See epa.gov/greenerproducts. [1] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source
• Common household supplies like white vinegar and baking soda can be used for everything from washing windows to scrubbing bathroom tiles, and they're completely non-toxic.

Dispose of waste properly.

• Cleaning solvents
• Pool chemicals

Don't flush medication.

Don't flush trash.

• You can also help by using cloth diapers, recycled toilet paper and biodegradable tampons, which reduces the number of items that end up in the landfill.

Conserve as much water as possible.

• Take showers instead of baths, since baths require more water.
• Turn off your faucets when you aren't using water, such as when you're brushing your teeth.
• Don't overwater your lawn. Make sure lawn sprinklers are turned off when it rains.
• Water your garden before the sun comes up or after it sets to reduce evaporation, which leads to water waste. [6] X Trustworthy Source National Resources Defence Council Multinational environmental advocacy group focused on grassroots activism and legislative action Go to source

Avoid using plastic.

Don't use pesticides and herbicides.

• Look into organic gardening practices to find creative ways to deal with garden pests. For example, many pests can be dealt with using a simple solution of dish soap and water.
• Planting native species can also help, since native species have developed a resistance to the pests and weeds in the area. Species native to other lands are more susceptible to disease as well.

Replace concrete with ground cover

Prevent soil erosion from occurring .

Contain and compost yard waste.

• Your compost should be contained in a bin or barrel to prevent the materials from being washed away. Some municipalities provide these for free or at low cost.
• Use a mulching mower instead of bagging grass clippings. Mulching mowers add a natural layer of compost to your lawn and you don't have to deal with disposal of grass clippings.
• Dispose of yard waste and grass clippings properly. If you don't compost or if you have yard waste that you can't compost, contact your local waste management or environmental protection agency to determine how to dispose them.

Keep your car in good repair.

• In addition, don't forget to dispose of motor oil properly instead of washing it down the drain.

Get involved at school and work.

• For example, you could recommend that your office or school switch to eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and make suggestions as to which ones work well.
• You could also put up signs reminding people to conserve water in the bathroom and kitchen areas. This could include reminders never to leave a sink running longer than necessary and encouraging the men or boys to use urinals rather than toilet stalls.

Help clean up litter in water-filled areas.

• If you can't find a local group working to reduce water pollution in your area, you might be just the person to start one! Consider hosting a cleanup day. Set a date, publicize the event, and have a plan in place for collecting and disposing of the trash.

Speak up about water issues that affect your community.

• Learn about local and national laws against water pollution and join up with groups working to protect water in your area. [15] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source
• Voting for political candidates who strive to protect waterways is a great way to do your part to reduce pollution.

Community Q&A

• If you are not sure whether something is hazardous, check with your local waste management or environmental protection department, or do some research online. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Think about the big picture. You may think that a little oil leak on your car isn't a big deal. However, the oil from thousands or millions of cars with minor oil leaks adds up quickly and soon you're looking at a cumulative oil spill far worse than any oil tanker crash. You can't fix all the oil leaks in the world, but you can fix yours. Be part of the solution. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
• In some areas, agricultural runoff may be a bigger pollution problem than urban runoff. If you're involved in agriculture, contact your local extension service or environmental protection agency to find out more about ways you can reduce your environmental impact. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• You can help by picking up every single piece of trash around you to solve the problem of land pollution and also soil pollution, which can lead to water pollution. And maybe you can educate your family, friends, or even acquaintances on this topic. By doing this, you could help solve the problem of land and soil pollution.
• Limit how much asphalt, brick, concrete, cigarettes, alcohol (vineyards), and hair/clothing dyes you use. These are the biggest wastes of water!

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts
• ↑ https://raleighnc.gov/stormwater/services/spot-report-and-stop-water-pollution/6-ways-prevent-water-pollution
• ↑ https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know#prevent
• ↑ https://www.nrdc.org/stories/6-ways-you-can-help-keep-our-water-clean
• ↑ Kathryn Kellogg. Environmentalist. Expert Interview. 28 June 2019.
• ↑ https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
• ↑ https://groundwater.org/threats/contamination/
• ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/the-role-of-trees-and-forests-in-healthy-watersheds
• ↑ https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/yard_waste_practices_impact_water_quality
• ↑ https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/how-can-you-help-protect-source-water
• ↑ https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-water#wetlands

About This Article

To reduce water pollution, use natural cleaners like vinegar and baking soda in place of toxic chemicals like bleach and ammonia. Additionally, avoid using pesticides and herbicides in order to prevent groundwater contamination. If you need to dispose of old medications, look into local “take back” programs instead of flushing them down the toilet, where they can end up back in the drinking water. Additionally, avoid flushing non-biodegradable items like diapers and wet wipes, since they can harm fish and other wildlife when they end up in lakes and rivers. For more advice, including how to reduce water pollution by using pesticide and herbicide alternatives, keep reading. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Effects of Water Pollution: Causes, Consequences, & Solutions on Environment

• June 10, 2023
• Environment

Water pollution is a global environmental issue that affects the quality of our water bodies, threatening aquatic ecosystems and human health. This article explores the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to combat water pollution. By understanding the gravity of this problem, we can take necessary actions to protect and preserve our water resources for future generations.

Causes of Water Pollution:

• Industrial Discharges: Industrial activities often release harmful chemicals and pollutants into nearby water bodies, contaminating the water and endangering aquatic life.
• Agricultural Runoff: Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture results in runoff, carrying these pollutants into rivers and lakes, leading to eutrophication and the death of aquatic organisms.
• Sewage and Wastewater: Inadequate sewage treatment systems allow untreated or poorly treated wastewater to flow into water sources, introducing disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
• Oil Spills: Accidental oil spills from shipping, offshore drilling, or transportation accidents have catastrophic effects on marine life, as oil coats and suffocates animals and birds, disrupting the entire ecosystem .

Consequences of Water Pollution:

• Threat to Aquatic Ecosystems: Water pollution disrupts the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems by depleting oxygen levels, destroying habitats, and reducing biodiversity . This, in turn, affects fish populations and other aquatic organisms, leading to ecosystem collapse.
• Human Health Impacts: Contaminated water is a major source of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis. Additionally, long-term exposure to polluted water can lead to various health problems, including cancer, developmental disorders, and reproductive issues.
• Economic Toll: Water pollution has significant economic implications, including the decline of fisheries, tourism, and recreational activities. Cleaning up polluted water sources and providing clean water to affected communities also incur substantial costs.

Key Consequences in Detail:

• Eutrophication: Excessive nutrient runoff, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, leads to eutrophication, causing algal blooms and depleting oxygen levels. This creates dead zones where marine life cannot survive.
• Bioaccumulation: Pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides enter the food chain and accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms. As larger predators consume smaller ones, these pollutants become concentrated, posing risks to human health when consumed.
• Destruction of Coral Reefs: Water pollution, combined with factors like ocean acidification and rising temperatures, contributes to coral reef degradation. Coral reefs support a diverse range of marine life and act as natural barriers against coastal erosion.
• Disruption of the Water Cycle: Polluted water can interfere with the natural water cycle, affecting precipitation patterns, groundwater quality, and overall water availability in a region.

Solutions to Water Pollution:

• Enhanced Regulations: Governments should enforce stricter regulations on industrial and agricultural practices, ensuring proper waste management and reducing the release of pollutants into water bodies.
• Improved Sewage Treatment: Investing in modern wastewater treatment facilities and infrastructure can effectively treat and purify sewage before it is released back into the environment .
• Sustainable Agriculture: Promoting sustainable farming practices, such as organic farming and precision irrigation, can reduce the use of harmful chemicals and minimize agricultural runoff.
• Public Awareness and Education: Raising awareness about the importance of water conservation, pollution prevention, and responsible water usage is crucial in fostering a sense of environmental responsibility among individuals and communities.

Key Takeaways:

Water pollution poses a severe threat to our environment, economy, and public health. By understanding the causes, consequences, and solutions to combat water pollution, we can work together to protect and restore our precious water resources. Implementing stricter regulations, improving wastewater treatment, adopting sustainable agricultural practices, and promoting public awareness are essential steps towards achieving clean and healthy water bodies worldwide. Let us act now to ensure a sustainable future for ourselves and the generations to come.

FAQs about Effects of Water Pollution

Q: what is water pollution.

A: Water pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, oceans, and groundwater with harmful substances, chemicals, or pollutants, making the water unsafe for use and threatening aquatic ecosystems.

Q: What are the main causes of water pollution?

A: Water pollution can be caused by various factors, including industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, sewage and wastewater, oil spills, and improper waste disposal.

Q: How does water pollution affect the environment?

A: Water pollution has detrimental effects on the environment. It can lead to the loss of aquatic biodiversity, destruction of habitats, disruption of ecosystems, and the formation of dead zones where marine life cannot survive.

Q: How does water pollution impact human health?

A: Water pollution can have severe consequences for human health. Consuming contaminated water can lead to waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis. Long-term exposure to polluted water can also result in various health problems, including cancer, developmental disorders, and reproductive issues.

Q: What are the economic impacts of water pollution?

A: Water pollution has significant economic implications. It can lead to the decline of fisheries, loss of tourism revenue, and increased costs for cleaning up polluted water sources. Providing clean water to affected communities and treating waterborne diseases also incur substantial financial burdens.

Q: How can we prevent water pollution?

A: Preventing water pollution requires collective efforts. Some key solutions include enforcing stricter regulations on industrial and agricultural practices, improving sewage treatment systems, promoting sustainable farming methods, and raising public awareness about water conservation and pollution prevention.

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What Is Water Pollution? Sources, Environmental Impacts, Mitigation

What can we do to better protect our water sources from contaminants?

Autumn is an independent journalist and educator who writes about climate, wildlife, biodiversity, and environmental justice and policy.

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Environmental Impacts

How to mitigate water pollution.

Water pollution is defined by any contaminants discharged into aquatic ecosystems that lack the capacity to absorb or remove them. This encompasses contamination from physical debris, such as plastics or rubber tires, as well as chemical contamination, such as when runoff finds its way into waterways from factories, farms, cities, and cars. Biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses, can also contaminate water. 

All life on Earth relies on water, which means water pollution and all its sources are very real threats to our ecosystems. Here, we uncover where water pollution comes from, how the varying types affect the world's aquatic ecosystems, and what organizations and civilians alike can do about it.

Water Sources Subject to Pollution

There are two separate sources of water on our planet at risk of pollution. First is surface water—think oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds. This water is home to many plant and animal species that rely on good-quality water for their survival. No less important is groundwater, which is stored below the surface in the Earth's aquifers, feeds our rivers and oceans, and forms much of the world's supply of drinking water. 

Surface water and groundwater can become polluted in a number of ways, and here it helps to understand how pollution types are often divided.

• Point source pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway via a single, identifiable source. Examples include a wastewater treatment pipe or a leaking oil pipeline. 
• Non-point source pollution comes from many scattered locations. Examples include nitrogen runoff from agricultural fields and stormwater runoff that carries contaminants from sewage systems, roadways, lawns, and industrial facilities into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Groundwater, in particular, is affected by point and non-point source pollution. A chemical spill or pipeline leak can seep directly into the soil, polluting the water below. But more often than not, groundwater becomes polluted when non-point sources of contamination such as chemical-laden agricultural runoff enter aquifers.  

The impacts of water pollution may seem obvious: environmental damage and ecosystem disruption. Yet there are different levels to the damage that can ensue, so it is important to dive in and identify the key areas and species affected.

Agricultural Waste and Nutrient Pollution

Each summer off the coast of Louisiana and Texas, scientists measure a dead zone—an area with insufficient oxygen to sustain marine life. The culprit: stream discharge containing high levels of nutrient pollution .

Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from farm fertilizers and animal waste, along with other land-based pollutants like pesticides, flow into waterways that eventually feed into the mighty Mississippi and other major rivers, which then carry massive amounts of nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico.

These nutrients stimulate algae production. As the algae die, they sink and decompose, becoming food for oxygen-consuming bacteria. The low oxygen levels force many marine species to move, creating huge areas void of life. Dead zones also occur in aquatic and marine systems in other parts of the United States and around the world, including in the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. Sometimes the algae itself is toxic, too, rendering water and even the surrounding air dangerous.

Industrial and Extractive Waste

Chemicals and heavy metals from industrial facilities and power plants, along with extractive industries like oil and gas drilling and mining, also contaminate water, often with devastating consequences. 

Power plant emissions account for 30% of water pollution from industrial sources in the United States. Heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic don’t degrade. Instead, they concentrate as they move up the food chain, bioaccumulating in the bodies of fish, wildlife, and people.

Fossil fuel drilling and transport infrastructures like pipelines and tankers are other big water pollution sources. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking and conventional oil and gas drilling, along with wastewater storage and disposal, can contaminate aquifers. That has happened in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where toxic waste fluids from oil drilling operations have leaked or migrated into groundwater.

Pipeline accidents, like the 2010 oil spill in Michigan in which a broken Enbridge Energy Partners pipeline dumped a million gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River, are common in the United States. Offshore drilling rig blowouts, like the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster , along with tanker leaks like the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill have caused ecological disasters in marine and coastal ecosystems.

Wastewater refers to everything that goes down a drain or through a sewage pipe. Human waste contains not only bacteria and viruses, but pharmaceutical products, nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, and contaminants that we’ve consumed. Household cleaners, personal care products, and lawn and garden chemicals contribute additional chemicals and plastics to wastewater. 

While wastewater treatment systems filter some of these, even the most high-tech treatment facilities don’t remove every contaminant. And not all wastewater ends up in treatment systems. Aging and poorly managed septic systems, for example, leach untreated wastewater into the ground, directly contaminating surface and groundwater sources.

Stormwater runoff represents another threat. When rain and snow hit impermeable surfaces like concrete and roads that can’t absorb the precipitation, it flows instead to drains and surface waters, picking up pesticides, oil from roads, and lots of other chemicals. In addition, during heavy precipitation events, many wastewater treatment facilities release untreated sewage into waterways.

Plastic Pollution

Plastics pose another challenge as rapid production of disposable plastic products outpaces humanity’s ability to manage the waste. Significant amounts of plastic end up in waterways and eventually the world’s oceans. Plastic washes up on beaches, and joins the enormous gyres of waste that collectively make up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Once in water bodies, plastic simply breaks into smaller and smaller components called microplastics. These microplastics end up in marine organisms, including fish that people consume, ingesting tiny particles of our plastic bags, water bottles, and synthetic clothing.

In addition to ingesting plastics, birds and marine life die from becoming entangled in fishing gear, six-pack can rings, and other plastic debris.

Climate Change

Climate change is both a contributor to water pollution and a consequence of it. Extreme weather like intense storms and drought worsen water quality, while warmer water temperatures encourage algal blooms and hinder the growth of native plants, like seagrasses, that sequester carbon, and filter contaminants. Carbon emissions are causing ocean acidification, which further impacts marine ecosystems and inhibits the ability of plants and animals to absorb carbon.

Climate change is also converging with water pollution to diminish the world’s drinking water supplies. Only by understanding the relationship between these problems and addressing them in tandem will the world avoid chronic, severe water crises.

Pollution caused in one part of the world can affect a community in another. But political boundaries make it difficult to impose any one standard to regulate how we use and protect the world's water.

Still, a number of international laws aim to prevent water pollution. These include the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1978 MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. In the United States, the 1972 Clean Water Act and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act , among other legislation, were created to help protect both surface and groundwater supplies. 

In addition, global actions to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and mitigate the impacts of climate change on water supplies help combat water pollution. 

Despite these and other actions to protect water quality, some places lack the necessary infrastructure to achieve the standards. In other cases, a government may lack the resources or political will to regulate the industry and enforce pollution controls.

How Can You Prevent Water Pollution?

• Get to know your local watershed and volunteer to help clean litter from rivers, beaches, and oceans.
• Educate yourself about the world's water supply and support projects aimed at protecting it.
• Identify major polluters that impact water quality and advocate for laws and enforcement actions that make it harder for polluters to pollute. 
• Support green infrastructure projects that mitigate water contamination.
• Reduce the use of chemicals that go down the drain, from lawn fertilizers and pesticides to personal care products containing plastics and endocrine disruptors. 
• Limit the use of plastics, especially single-use plastics like bags, bottles, and food containers. The Plastic Pollution Coalition is a good resource for policy updates on reducing plastics.

" Larger-Than-Average Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone' Measured ." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

" The Sources and Solutions: Agriculture ." Environmental Protection Agency .

" The Effects: Human Health ." Environmental Protection Agency .

Medina-Perez, Noemí Immaculada, et al. " Aerosol Toxins Emitted by Harmful Algal Blooms Susceptible to Complex Air-Sea Interactions ." Environmental Science and Technology , vol. 55, no. 1, 2021, pp. 468-477., doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c05795

" Final Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry ." Environmental Protection Agency , 2015.

Jaishankar, Monisha, et al. " Toxicity, Mechanism and Health Effects of Some Heavy Metals ." Interdisciplinary Toxicology , vol. 7, no. 2, 2014, pp. 60-72., doi:10.2478/intox-2014-0009

Gillespie, Janice M., et al. " Groundwater Salinity and the Effects of Produced Water Disposal in the Lost Hills-Belridge Oil Fields, Kern County, California ." Environmental Geosciences , vol. 26, no. 3, 2019, pp. 73-96., doi:10.1306/eg.02271918009

Belvederesi, Chiara, et al. " Statistical Analysis of Environmental Consequences of Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Accidents ." Heliyon , vol. 4, no. 11, 2018, pp. e00901., doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00901

" EPA Response to Enbridge Spill in Michigan ." Environmental Protection Agency .

" Pharmaceuticals in Water ." United States Geological Survey .

" The Sources and Solutions: Wastewater ." Environmental Protection Agency .

" Sources and Solutions: Stormwater ." Environmental Protection Agency .

Lebreton, L., et al. " Evidence That the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Is Rapidly Accumulating Plastic ." Scientific Reports , vol. 8, 2018, pp. 4666., doi:10.1038/s41598-018-22939-w

Campanale, Claudia, et al. " A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health ." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 17, no. 4, 2020, pp. 1212., doi:10.3390/ijerph17041212

" Marine Debris Impacts ." U.S. Department of the Interior .

Arnell, Nigel W., et al. " The Implications of Climate Change for the Water Environment in England ." Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment , vol. 39, no. 1, 2015, pp. 93-120., doi:10.1177/0309133314560369

" Seagrass and Seagrass Beds ." Smithsonian Institute .

" Ocean Acidification ." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

" Water and Climate Change ." United Nations .

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Solutions for water management challenges

Too much water, too little water, sea level rise, pollution, and increased climate change risks. Many know about the world’s water management challenges, but few are aware of the growing number of solutions to help address the challenges, both technical and nature based.

Photo: ©IUCN/Claire Warmenbol

A new website, the Match  Water Solutions Portal , offers an online tool bringing together water managers facing water challenges with technology and nature-based solutions' providers ranging from the simple to the sophisticated, and from low- to hi-tech.

Solutions in Match can be filtered by challenge and solution type, as well as geography. In addition, general guidance on technology maturity, costs and implementation timeframe is offered.

The portal has a global coverage and is completely free. Match is constantly evolving, with new solutions being added over time. If you are a solution provider, you are welcome to add your organization’s details to Match, as such, information on your products and knowledge can be shared in a way that will help you expand your customers. 

The partners behind Match are UNEP-DHI Center, CTCN, UNEP DTU Partnership and the IUCN Global Water Programme. Match is a not-for-profit initiative promoting solutions and technologies available to address water challenges and help countries progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Water Pollution Solutions

• August 24, 2021

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Water covers around 71% of the Earth’s surface, and one of the main issues we are facing today is water pollution. We must reduce water pollution, which is why there are many solutions to combat the problem. 

Sometimes water becomes polluted with chemicals such as oil, harmful bacteria, and other microorganisms. When water becomes polluted, water quality is reduced, often becoming toxic, negatively affecting animals, plants, and the environment. Just because you cannot see the problem or it disappears, it doesn’t mean that it just vanishes. 

The best solution to prevent water pollution is to stop it at the source. Luckily, there are many solutions in reducing water pollution such as wastewater treatments, stormwater management, and water conservation. 

In this article, we are going to cover what water pollution is, solutions to combat the issue, and how to measure water quality. 

What Is Water Pollution?

Water pollution is the contamination of any water system or body, from lakes and oceans to groundwater. We are well aware of water pollution issues thanks to media coverage, especially as we are still producing harmful chemicals that find their way into our waters. 

When water becomes contaminated, it has detrimental effects on both animals and plants (who rely on uncontaminated water), and the sensitive water environment. 

Global warming is increasing, and it is an issue we cannot turn a blind eye to. With climate change and global warming, our precious planet is starting to edge towards a water crisis. Our global population is increasing, putting demand on water availability, and because of this, we are seeing an increase in waterborne diseases due to our waters becoming polluted. 

What Causes Water Pollution?

To find solutions to the water pollution issue, we must understand what causes it in the first place. Causes of water pollution can be anything from overdevelopment to inappropriate sewage disposal. 

Once the cause of water pollution is identified, solutions can be made to combat the issue. 

Water pollution can come from any of the following:

• Urban development 
• Sewage & wastewater
• Marine dumping
• Oil leakages
• Burning fossil fuels
• Agriculture: Chemical fertilizers & pesticides
• Sewer leakages
• Global warming
• Radioactive waste
• Animal waste
• Eutrophication 

10 Solutions to Combat Water Pollution

There is no single or simple answer to stop the water pollution crisis, however, there are many solutions to prevent water pollution both in our daily lives and within industries. 

We can separate the issue with water pollution into 10 notable solutions:

Wastewater Treatment

• Reducing Plastic Waste 

Water Conservation

• Water-efficient Toilets 

Septic Tanks

Do not use the toilet as a trash bin, stormwater management, green agriculture & wetlands, denitrification, ozone wastewater treatment.

Treating water before it enters the waterway system is probably the most efficient way of reducing water pollution – hitting the issue right at the source! 

Wastewater treatment facilities have the technology and tools to remove most pollutants through biological, physical, and chemical processes. For example, sewage treatments allow water to travel through different sanitization chambers to reduce toxic levels of water pollutants and prevent leakages into water systems. 

To ensure that wastewater treatments function properly, regular maintenance of equipment is required. This includes applications such as water treatment sensors, which are vital to measure and remove contaminants to reduce water pollution. 

Water treatment sensors:

• Conductivity sensors
• Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) sensors

Reducing Plastic Waste

Plastic waste is a huge issue. More than 8 tonnes of plastic enters our ocean every year, plus the plastic is to outweigh the number of fish by 2050, these facts are shocking! Plastic waste also decays water supplies. This is why it is extremely important to reduce plastic waste and improve sustainability both locally and globally. 

Plastic bottles and bags get most of the media coverage, but plastics are entering water systems in ways you cannot always see, and are most likely not aware of. 

Microplastics are a major issue and are found in:

• Industrial manufacturing
• Synthetic textiles 
• Personal care products (toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)

To reduce plastic waste at home, we can do the following:

• Recycle plastics
• Use alternatives to plastic like reusable utensils, grocery bags, etc.
• Shop locally and buy fruit & vegetables not wrapped in plastic
• Buy organic/natural & environmentally-friendly care products 

Do you turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, or between shampooing your hair in the shower? 

Water is a scarce resource, so limiting the amount of water you use daily will contribute to reducing water pollution. 

Water-efficient Toilets

Toilets used to use ~3.5 gallons of water per flush, however, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) enforced the rule that all toilets must only flush 1.6 gallons of water, per flush.  

Most houses are now being built with toilets that have 2 buttons, one for a small flush (0.8-1.1 gallons of water), and one for full power (1.6 gallons of water). Water-efficient toilets are one step in the right direction to conserve water and reduce water pollution. 

Having a water-efficient toilet will also save you money!

Septic tanks are a great way to efficiently treat sewage; separating solids from liquid. Septic tanks degrade solids and allow liquid to flow into drainage systems via biological processes. 

Using septic tanks reduces water pollution by removing pollutants already present in water. 

Your toilet is not a trash bin, it is for human waste only. Avoid flushing wet wipes, diapers, and other things that cross your mind down the toilet – that is what a trash bin is for. 

Flushing these items down the toilet can cause sewage lines to become blocked, therefore the sewage system cannot do its job properly. When things get blocked, water cannot be cleaned efficiently in wastewater facilities or a septic tank. 

Another way we can combat water pollution is to manage stormwater where possible. Stormwater flows along the road and other surfaces, which can collect viruses, bacteria, and other harmful pollutants, which then make their way into drains, rivers, and eventually the ocean. 

Treatment and management of stormwater vary from reverse osmosis (RO), advanced oxidation, and sand filtration. 

Agriculture is a trillion-dollar industry worldwide, using up to 70% of surface water supplies to meet the demand of livestock production and farming. 

As agriculture is such a large industry, it is one of the primary causes of water pollution. When it rains, runoff transports pesticides and fertilizers. 

Agriculture can be environmentally friendly, known as green agriculture. Green agriculture involves using pesticides and fertilizers that contain no harmful chemicals. It also includes planting trees and creating wetlands to form buffer zones, which filter runoff and water pollutants.

When nitrate levels are high in water, it creates the perfect environment for eutrophication or overfertilization from runoff to occur. This allows algae and phytoplankton in the water to rapidly grow, reducing water quality, and contributing to the water pollution issue.  

Denitrification is directly converting nitrates into nitrogen gas.  This ecological process prevents nitrate leaching into soils and helps reduce groundwater contamination.

Although this is also a wastewater treatment, it goes through a different process to regular wastewater systems, which is why it is important to also note. 

Ozone wastewater treatment uses an ozone generator to break down water pollutants. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation or an electric discharge field inside the generator converts oxygen into ozone. This process oxidizes bacteria, organic matter, and other water pollutants. 

There are also solutions you can personally do to reduce water pollution:

• Report water polluters
• Check what waterway your drain or sump-pump connects to
• Never pour oil, fat, and grease down your drain
• Use phosphate-free laundry detergents and dish cleaner 
• Dispose of medical and chemical waste properly – never dump medicines in the toilet or rivers
• Consume more organic foods
• Cut down on how much meat you eat
• Support environmental charities 
• Avoid single-use plastics like plastic bottles and plastic grocery bags
• Keep on top of vehicle maintenance to prevent oil leakages
• Cut down on chemicals and use environmentally friendly or organic fertilizers and pesticides 
• Plant more trees and plants 
• Do a beach clean-up if you live by the coast or remove plastic from rivers near your home
• Finally, the issue of water pollution should always be in the back of your mind during daily activities

How Can We Test & Measure Water Pollution?

Testing and measuring water quality tells us if water bodies are polluted. Testing water quality is one of the most important ways to protect sensitive aquatic environments and support clean water for a diversity of plants and animals, including humans. 

There are many ways and to measure water quality that covers a wide variety of parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), ORP , and temperature. 

There are 7 ways we can test water quality and reduce water pollution:

CDOM/FDOM Monitoring

Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, conductivity, salinity & tds monitoring , measuring water temperature, measuring do.

• Evaluating Turbidity & TSS 

CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter) is naturally found in water bodies. UV light is absorbed by the organic matter which decomposes releasing the organic pollutant tannin, turning water murky. Tannin is related to decreasing pH and depleting oxygen levels in the water.  When CDOM fluoresces, it is known as fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM). 

Electrical optical sensors are used to measure CDOM/FDOM. They measure light availability and dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations. 

When eutrophication occurs in water bodies, oxygen levels become depleted and nitrogen and phosphorus levels increase, creating a toxic environment for both plants and animals. Measuring algal growth and water quality contributes to reducing water pollution. 

Chlorophyll fluorescence is measured with algae toximeters which records both the wet-chemical and active chlorophyll percentages. 

Conductivity in the water tells us the water quality and also affects the salinity and TDS (total dissolved solids) of water. Analyzing water quality can be measured with conductivity, salinity, and TDS meters. 

Even though each meter measures different water parameters, the results are collaborated to indicate how much water pollution is present. 

Temperature is an important water quality parameter to measure as it affects other parameters in water systems. 

There is a wide variety of thermometers and temperature probes and sensors to record accurate readings. 

It is important to measure DO in wastewater treatments and water bodies as DO levels less than 6mg/L can be toxic to aquatic ecosystems. 

DO electrochemical sensors are most commonly used, however, an optical DO sensor, colorimetric method, or Winkler titration method can also be used. 

pH fluctuations can be extremely dangerous in aquatic systems; a safe aquatic environment has a pH between 6.0 and 8.0. Many factors can change pH in aquatic systems, quickly creating toxic environments. 

pH can be tested using colorimetric or electrochemical methods. 

Colorimetric methods include pH indicators and litmus test papers. These are easy to use and are cheap, however for accurate pH readings, investing in electrochemical methods such as a pH meter is highly recommended. You must calibrate a pH meter before using it. 

You can find more information on pH sensors and the different applications they are used for here . 

Evaluating Turbidity & Total Suspended Solids (TSS) 

Turbidity is how murky water becomes, and is an essential test for water quality. TSS (total suspended solids) and decaying matter from animals and plants change turbidity levels, often reducing how much light is penetrated through the water. 

Sudden increases in turbidity are an indication of water pollution, usually caused by an influx of heavy metals and other effluents. 

The simplest way to measure turbidity is either a turbidity tube or Secchi disk, but for more accurate measurements a turbidity meter is recommended. 

Summing Up Water Pollution

Water pollution is an issue we are currently facing which is why solutions must be made to conserve aquatic environments, protect human health, and other animals (& plants) that are dependent on water systems. 

Testing different water parameters will determine the water quality so that water pollution can be identified. 

If you would like to know more about what water testing kits we have to offer, feel free to reach out to one of our staff at Atlas Scientific , part of our world-class team. We look forward to answering any questions that you may have.  

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What Causes High BOD In Wastewater?

The cause of high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in wastewater comes from excessive organic matter in the water. The source of the organic matter typically comes from human and animal waste like sewage and industrial processes. Other causes of high BOD include agricultural runoff, untreated wastewater, and food processing industries. In addition to organic matter,

How Is BOD Measured?

Biochemical/biological oxygen demand (BOD) is measured using the following formula: BOD = (DO1 – DO2) * dilution factor/volume of the sample (if used). Dissolved oxygen (DO) is measured at the beginning (DO1) and then after a 5 day period (DO2) at 68°F (20°C). It is the difference between the two DO measurements that is used

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10.4: Sustainable Solutions to the Water Pollution Crisis?

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Resolution of the global water pollution crisis described at the beginning of this section requires multiple approaches to improve the quality of our fresh water and move towards sustainability. The most deadly form of water pollution, pathogenic microorganisms that cause waterborne diseases, kills almost 2 million people in underdeveloped countries every year. The best strategy for addressing this problem is proper sewage (wastewater) treatment. Untreated sewage is not only a major cause of pathogenic diseases, but also a major source of other pollutants, including oxygen-demanding waste, plant nutrients (N and P), and toxic heavy metals. Wastewater treatment is done at a sewage treatment plant in urban areas and through a septic tank system in rural areas.

The main purpose of a sewage treatment plant is to remove organic matter (oxygen-demanding waste) and kill bacteria; special methods also can be used to remove plant nutrients and other pollutants. The numerous processing steps at a conventional sewage treatment plant (see Figure below) include pretreatment (screening and removal of sand and gravel), primary treatment (settling or floatation to remove organic solids, fat, and grease), secondary treatment (aerobic bacterial decomposition of organic solids), tertiary treatment (bacterial decomposition of nutrients and filtration), disinfection (treatment with chlorine, ozone, ultraviolet light, or bleach), and either discharge to surface waters (usually a local river) or reuse for some other purpose, such as irrigation, habitat preservation, and artificial groundwater recharge. The concentrated organic solid produced during primary and secondarytreatment is called sludge , which is treated in a variety of ways including landfill disposal, incineration, use as fertilizer, and anaerobic bacterial decomposition, which is done in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic decomposition of sludge produces methane gas, which can be used as an energy source. To reduce water pollution problems, separate sewer systems (where street runoff goes to rivers and only wastewater goes to a wastewater treatment plant) are much better than combined sewer systems, which can overflow and release untreated sewage into surface waters during heavy rain. Some cities such as Chicago, Illinois have constructed large underground caverns and also use abandoned rock quarries to hold storm sewer overflow. After the rain stops, the stored water goes to the sewage treatment plant for processing.

A septic tank system is an individual sewage treatment system for homes in rural and even some urban settings. The basic components of a septic tank system (see Figure below) include a sewer line from the house, a septic tank (a large container where sludge settles to the bottom and microorganisms decompose the organic solids anaerobically), and the drain field (network of perforated pipes where the clarified water seeps into the soil and is further purified by bacteria). Water pollution problems occur if the septic tank malfunctions, which usually occurs when a system is established in the wrong type of soil or maintained poorly.

For many developing countries, financial aid is necessary to build adequate sewage treatment facilities; however, the World Health Organization estimates an estimated cost savings of between $3 and $34 for every $1 invested in clean water delivery and sanitation. The cost savings are from health care savings, gains in work and school productivity, and deaths prevented. Simple and inexpensive techniques for treating water at home include chlorination, filters, and solar disinfection. Another alternative is to use constructed wetlands technology (marshes built to treat contaminated water), which is simpler and cheaper than a conventional sewage treatment plant.

Bottled water is not a sustainable solution to the water crisis, despite exponential growth in popularity in the U.S. and the world. Bottled water is not necessarily any safer than the U.S. public water supply, it costs on average about 700 times more than U.S. tap water, and every year it uses approximately 200 billion plastic and glass bottles that have a relatively low rate of recycling. Compared to tap water, it uses much more energy, mainly in bottle manufacturing and long-distance transportation. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, then please use a water filter instead of bottled water!

Additional sustainable solutions to the water pollution crisis include legislation to eliminate or greatly reduce point sources of water pollution. In the U.S., the Clean Water Act of 1972 and later amendments led to major improvements in water quality (see below). Nonpoint sources of water pollution, e.g., agricultural runoff and urban runoff are much harder to regulate because of their widespread, diffuse nature. There are many construction and agricultural practices that reduce polluted runoff including no-till farming and sediment traps. Artificial aeration or mechanical mixing can remediate lakes with oxygen depletion. Specific things that we can do to reduce urban runoff include the following: keep soil, leaves, and grass clippings off driveways, sidewalks, and streets; don't pour used motor oil, antifreeze, paints, pesticides, or any household hazardous chemical down the storm sewer or drain; recycle used motor oil; use hazardous waste disposal programs offered by the community; compost your organic waste; don't use fertilizers and herbicides on your lawn; and flush pet waste down the toilet.

Sometimes slow flow through a soil can naturally purify groundwater because some pollutants, such as P, pesticides, and heavy metals, chemically bind with surfaces of soil clays and iron oxides. Other pollutants are not retained by soil particles: These include N, road salt, gasoline fuel, the herbicide atrazine, tetrachloroethylene (a carcinogenic cleaning solvent used in dry cleaning), and vinyl chloride. In other cases, slow groundwater flow can allow bacteria to decompose dead organic matter and certain pesticides. There are many other ways to remediate polluted groundwater. Sometimes the best solution is to stop the pollution source and allow natural cleanup. Specific treatment methods depend on the geology, hydrology, and pollutant because some light contaminants flow on top of groundwater, others dissolve and flow with groundwater, and dense contaminants can sink below groundwater. A common cleanup method called pump and treat involves pumping out the contaminated groundwater and treating it by oxidation, filtration, or biological methods. Sometimes soil must be excavated and sent to a landfill. In-situ treatment methods include adding chemicals to immobilize heavy metals, creating a permeable reaction zone with metallic iron that can destroy organic solvents, or using bioremediation by adding oxygen or nutrients to stimulate growth of microorganisms.

CLEAN WATER ACT

During the early 1900s rapid industrialization in the U.S. resulted in widespread water pollution due to free discharge of waste into surface waters. The Cuyahoga River in northeast Ohio caught fire numerous times, including a famous fire in 1969 that caught the nation’s attention. In 1972 Congress passed one of the most important environmental laws in U.S. history, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which is more commonly called the Clean Water Act. The purpose of the Clean Water Act and later amendments is to maintain and restore water quality, or in simpler terms to make our water swimmable and fishable. It became illegal to dump pollution into surface water unless there was formal permission and U.S. water quality improved significantly as a result. More progress is needed because currently the EPA considers over 40,000 U.S. water bodies as impaired, most commonly due to pathogens, metals, plant nutrients, and oxygen depletion. Another concern is protecting groundwater quality, which is not yet addressed sufficiently by federal law.

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Engineering Sustainable Solutions to the Water Crisis

The world’s clean water supply is dwindling. In cities across the globe, the demand for potable water is outpacing what aquifers and other water reserves can provide. The implications this has for human life and the environment are huge. Having access to safe water is essential to community development and a key determinant of quality of life. The United Nations links water to all 16 of its Sustainable Development Goals , meaning safe water access plays an important role in eradicating a number of major social problems -- including poverty, gender inequality, and violence. 

Unsafe water is also responsible for causing illness and death, especially in the global South. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council , unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio are often spread by contaminated water . Having access to clean water is linked to greater life expectancy and increased well-being in nearly all areas of life. 

The Water Quality and Quantity Crisis 

Pollutants are a major cause behind the global decrease in clean water supply. Water, known as the “ universal solvent ,” is capable of dissolving almost anything, making it very vulnerable to becoming polluted. In many parts of the world, agriculture is the leading cause of water pollution. Stormwater runoff often picks up toxic chemicals used in agriculture and carries them to rivers and streams, polluting them with fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics. Stormwater runoff can also pick up other toxins like gas and oil from city streets and carry them into waterways. The industrialization of agriculture and the expansion of cities has increased the amount of pollution in global waterways. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency , half of all rivers and streams and one-third of all lakes in the United States are unfit for swimming, fishing, and drinking. 

Water scarcity is also a concern in many parts of the world. Water is a finite resource, and currently water distribution capacity does not match the population’s demand. Overall population growth, urbanization, and climate change have all contributed to reducing the world’s water supply. From a climate perspective, global warming has caused extreme drought in many parts of the world. California, for example, is in the midst of an unprecedented drought , and its aquifers and ground-water reserves are drying up at an alarming rate. Nevada’s Lake Mead -- a crucial source of clean water for millions in the West -- is 165 feet below “full pool” and continuing to drop. Consequently, in California and in many other places, the population’s demand for water is outpacing water resources, leading to increased water restrictions and other mitigation tactics. 

“The droughts that are happening in places like California have created a number of ecological problems,” said Ernest (Chip) Blatchley, the Lee A. Rieth Professor in Environmental Engineering at Purdue University’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering. “When surface and groundwater disappears, it can lead to soil collapse and changes in elevation. The massive wildfires that have become commonplace in the western U.S are also worsened by drought. These ecological changes make living in this region more precarious.” 

Clean water scarcity is an issue that affects more than the American West. Cities all over the world are struggling to provide their populations with clean and accessible drinking water (take, for example, the case of Flint, Michigan ). Water shortages have also strained commercial industries like farming and manufacturing, which are among the largest consumers of water. All the while, the population continues to grow and the global climate crisis continues to worsen. There has never been a more crucial time to develop creative, effective, and sustainable solutions to optimizing and expanding our water supply. Smart engineering focused on reusing and recycling waste water may be the key behind creating a more water-abundant future. 

Engineering Sustainable Water Solutions 

Scientists and engineers are employing new and old technologies to make potable water from new sources, recycle and reuse waste water, and reduce the amount of pollutants flowing into rivers and streams. Because there is a clean water shortage in many parts of the world, developing methods for purifying wastewater has become necessary. The technology that exists to purify wastewater is generally very safe and effective, but there’s still room to improve -- especially when it comes to public attitudes towards drinking recycled water. 

In Singapore, scientists and engineers have developed effective and efficient membrane-based technology that can purify wastewater for reuse. This treatment approach, called NEWater, meets 30% of Singapore's potable water needs. Additionally, Singapore has launched a robust PR campaign aimed at showing citizens that recycled water is safe to drink. Singaporean officials have been shown drinking NEWater to publicize their support for the new technology. 

“Water is a finite resource,” said Blatchley. “We cannot produce more of it, and so it’s incredibly important that we care for the water supply that we have. Creating technologies that enable us to safely and efficiently recycle wastewater is essential, especially as urban areas continue to grow. Water recycling allows us to turn water sources that were once thought of as unsafe into clean drinking water that can support the needs of cities all over the world.” 

Water reuse and recycling can also be supported by green technologies that naturally collect and purify rainwater and storm runoff. Stormwater runoff is a major cause behind pollution in rivers, lakes, and streams. When stormwater falls on city streets and other hard surfaces, it fails to be absorbed into the ground and can travel to waterways, picking up any pollutants in its path. Green spaces -- such as meadows, forests, and parks -- naturally absorb stormwater, which is then purified by plants and soil . Establishing more green spaces in urban areas can help reduce stormwater runoff and improve the quality of freshwater sources. Building “green roofs” and rain gardens are two common ways people living in cities support stormwater absorption. 

Stormwater can also be collected and reused for a variety of purposes. Rain barrels are a relatively simple way to collect rain and can be added to almost any home. The water that rain barrels collect is not purified, meaning it can’t be used for drinking or cooking. However, recycled stormwater can be used for things like flushing toilets and watering lawns. Stormwater can also be purified after it’s collected using wastewater recycling technologies. Currently, the densely populated city of Los Angeles is capturing stormwater , purifying it, and using it to refill drinking water aquifers. In a part of the country where clean water is scarce, recycling programs like these are lifesaving to millions. 

Recycling wastewater can also recover other valuable resources , like nitrogen, sulfur, and heat. “When hot water is recycled, we can harvest and reuse the heat for other purposes,” said Blatchley. “Wastewater contains many chemical elements that are useful to humans, and so creating recycling processes that can both clean wastewater and extract any chemical resources it contains is important.” 

“There are a lot of exciting improvements that can be made in the future,” Blatchley said. “Improving these technologies and making them more accessible stands to benefit everyone.”  

The Future of Sustainable Water Engineering 

Though the trajectory of water reuse and recycling is promising, there are still many problems that need to be solved when it comes to current methods and technologies. “Wastewater treatment facilities and potable water production facilities are among the largest consumers of electric power,” Blatchley said. “People are now much more concerned about conserving energy than they were when some of these facilities were built.” According to Blatchley, figuring out ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the water infrastructure, as well as finding new water sources that can be transformed and repurposed are also central goals for water sustainability engineers. 

“It’s a great time to join the field,” Blatchley said. “There is a lot of innovative work that can be done here, and the real-world impact is huge. Everything starts with water.” 

Purdue University's award-winning College of Engineering offers a track in Sustainable Water within its online Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering degree. The program includes fully online courses in both water quality and water quantity improvement, all taught by Purdue’s distinguished engineering faculty. Learn more at the program’s website .

Discharge from a Chinese fertilizer factory winds its way toward the Yellow River. Like many of the world's rivers, pollution remains an ongoing problem.

Water pollution is a rising global crisis. Here’s what you need to know.

The world's freshwater sources receive contaminants from a wide range of sectors, threatening human and wildlife health.

From big pieces of garbage to invisible chemicals, a wide range of pollutants ends up in our planet's lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, and eventually the oceans. Water pollution—along with drought, inefficiency, and an exploding population—has contributed to a freshwater crisis , threatening the sources we rely on for drinking water and other critical needs.

Research has revealed that one pollutant in particular is more common in our tap water than anyone had previously thought: PFAS, short for poly and perfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS is used to make everyday items resistant to moisture, heat, and stains; some of these chemicals have such long half-lives that they are known as "the forever chemical."

Safeguarding water supplies is important because even though nearly 70 percent of the world is covered by water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. And just one percent of freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in remote glaciers and snowfields.

Water pollution causes

Water pollution can come from a variety of sources. Pollution can enter water directly, through both legal and illegal discharges from factories, for example, or imperfect water treatment plants. Spills and leaks from oil pipelines or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations can degrade water supplies. Wind, storms, and littering—especially of plastic waste —can also send debris into waterways.

Thanks largely to decades of regulation and legal action against big polluters, the main cause of U.S. water quality problems is now " nonpoint source pollution ," when pollutants are carried across or through the ground by rain or melted snow. Such runoff can contain fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides from farms and homes; oil and toxic chemicals from roads and industry; sediment; bacteria from livestock; pet waste; and other pollutants .

Finally, drinking water pollution can happen via the pipes themselves if the water is not properly treated, as happened in the case of lead contamination in Flint, Michigan , and other towns. Another drinking water contaminant, arsenic , can come from naturally occurring deposits but also from industrial waste.

Freshwater pollution effects

Water pollution can result in human health problems, poisoned wildlife, and long-term ecosystem damage. When agricultural and industrial runoff floods waterways with excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, these nutrients often fuel algae blooms that then create dead zones , or low-oxygen areas where fish and other aquatic life can no longer thrive.

Algae blooms can create health and economic effects for humans, causing rashes and other ailments, while eroding tourism revenue for popular lake destinations thanks to their unpleasant looks and odors. High levels of nitrates in water from nutrient pollution can also be particularly harmful to infants , interfering with their ability to deliver oxygen to tissues and potentially causing " blue baby syndrome ." The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 38 percent of the European Union's water bodies are under pressure from agricultural pollution.

Globally, unsanitary water supplies also exact a health toll in the form of disease. At least 2 billion people drink water from sources contaminated by feces, according to the World Health Organization , and that water may transmit dangerous diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Freshwater pollution solutions

In many countries, regulations have restricted industry and agricultural operations from pouring pollutants into lakes, streams, and rivers, while treatment plants make our drinking water safe to consume. Researchers are working on a variety of other ways to prevent and clean up pollution. National Geographic grantee Africa Flores , for example, has created an artificial intelligence algorithm to better predict when algae blooms will happen. A number of scientists are looking at ways to reduce and cleanup plastic pollution .

There have been setbacks, however. Regulation of pollutants is subject to changing political winds, as has been the case in the United States with the loosening of environmental protections that prevented landowners from polluting the country’s waterways.

Anyone can help protect watersheds by disposing of motor oil, paints, and other toxic products properly , keeping them off pavement and out of the drain. Be careful about what you flush or pour down the sink, as it may find its way into the water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends using phosphate-free detergents and washing your car at a commercial car wash, which is required to properly dispose of wastewater. Green roofs and rain gardens can be another way for people in built environments to help restore some of the natural filtering that forests and plants usually provide.

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13 ways to save the Earth from pollution

You might use plastic water bottles, yogurt cups, and straws for just a day, but they can remain in the environment for years. And that pollution can harm habitats and the animals that live there. Cut down Earth’s trash with these tips. 

Bust the balloons

Balloons eventually fall back down to Earth … and can end up in the ocean, entangling animals or being mistaken for food. Skip the balloons at your next party, and ask friends to do the same. Make pom-pom decorations instead!

Bin for the win

Always throw trash in the can. Garbage left outside might harm wildlife and end up in the ocean. Trash that’s properly brought to a landfill is kept out of the sea.

Fish responsibly

If you go fishing, don’t leave nets or lines in the water. Animals can become entangled in the trash.

Scientists estimate that about half the world’s sea turtles accidentally eat plastic and other trash. Keep the ocean clean by never leaving toys or trash at the beach.

Dump plastic

According to one study, over eight million tons of plastic pollution end up in the ocean each year. Drink from a refillable water bottle, place your sandwich in cloth or a reusable container, and use bar soap instead of bottled.

Garbage club

Form a club in your classroom to reduce your waste at school . Monitor what’s thrown away each week, and think about ways to cut down on those items.

Trash trooper

Participate in a community cleanup . The groups that host the events sometimes weigh the collected trash, which helps leaders make decisions about laws that encourage people to waste less.

Recycle right

People in the United States recycle only about 35 percent of their waste, so recycle what you can. Ask for help to create a paper and plastic recycling program in your classroom.

Business talk

Does your favorite ice-cream shop use plastic spoons? Ask an adult to help you talk to the owner about switching to a non-plastic option. Some kinds of spoons are even edible!

Do-good goodie bag

Don’t fill your birthday goodie bags with plastic yo-yos and other trinkets for your friends. Instead, give them homemade treats or coupons to a local bakery.

Straw sense

Experts estimate that Americans use about 500 million plastic straws a day, and they’re one of the top 10 trash items found during ocean cleanups. If you must use a straw, find a reusable metal straw or a paper version or make your own.

Pest Friends

Ask your parents to buy food and clothes that are made without pesticides—chemicals sprayed on crops to kill bad bugs. The problem? Pesticides also can kill critters like bees that are eco-friendly.

Stuffed with stuff

Items shipped to your home often come wrapped in plastic packaging; toys bought at the store are covered in it. Think about what can be bought secondhand, what can be shared, and what doesn’t need to be purchased at all.

explore more

Learn about plastic and how to reduce your use., save the earth, save the earth tips, endangered species act.

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10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution

Help keep our marine life from eating and swimming in garbage.

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While soaking up the relaxing cadence of crashing waves on the beach, no one wants to think about how the ocean has basically become garbage soup . But here’s the buzz-killing reality: There are millions of tons of debris floating around in that water—and most of it is plastic.

This constant barrage (the equivalent of 136 billion milk jugs each year, estimates a study published in the journal Science) poses a serious danger to marine life. Animals can get tangled up in this trash or ingest it—either because they mistake it as prey or because the plastic has been broken down into tiny particles by seawater.

Plastic, of course, is uniquely problematic because it’s nonbiodegradable and therefore sticks around for a lot longer (like up to 1,000 years longer) than other forms of trash. And we're not just talking about people dumping their garbage overboard. Around 80 percent of marine litter actually originates on land—either swept in from the coastline or carried to rivers from the streets during heavy rain via storm drains and sewer overflows.

So the best thing we can do to protect our waterways is try to keep as much plastic as possible out of the waste stream in the first place. The good news? There are many small ways you can have a big impact.

1. Wean yourself off disposable plastics.

Ninety percent of the plastic items in our daily lives are used once and then chucked: grocery bags, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, straws, coffee-cup lids. Take note of how often you rely on these products and replace them with reusable versions. It only takes a few times of bringing your own bags to the store, silverware to the office, or travel mug to Starbucks before it becomes habit.

2. Stop buying water.

Each year, close to 20 billion plastic bottles are tossed in the trash. Carry a reusable bottle in your bag, and you’ll never be caught having to resort to a Poland Spring or Evian again. If you’re nervous about the quality of your local tap water, look for a model with a built-in filter.

3. Boycott microbeads.

Those little plastic scrubbers found in so many beauty products—facial scrubs, toothpaste, body washes—might look harmless, but their tiny size allows them to slip through water-treatment plants. Unfortunately, they also look just like food to some marine animals. Opt for products with natural exfoliants, like oatmeal or salt, instead.

4. Cook more.

Not only is it healthier, but making your own meals doesn’t involve takeout containers or doggy bags. For those times when you do order in or eat out, tell the establishment you don’t need any plastic cutlery or, for some serious extra credit, bring your own food-storage containers to restaurants for leftovers.

5. Purchase items secondhand.

New toys and electronic gadgets, especially, come with all kinds of plastic packaging—from those frustrating hard-to-crack shells to twisty ties. Search the shelves of thrift stores, neighborhood garage sales, or online postings for items that are just as good when previously used. You’ll save yourself a few bucks, too.

6. Recycle (duh).

It seems obvious, but we’re not doing a great job of it. For example, less than 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled. Confused about what can and can’t go in the bin? Check out the number on the bottom of the container. Most beverage and liquid cleaner bottles will be #1 (PET), which is commonly accepted by most curbside recycling companies. Containers marked #2 (HDPE; typically slightly heavier-duty bottles for milk, juice, and laundry detergent) and #5 (PP; plastic cutlery, yogurt and margarine tubs, ketchup bottles) are also recyclable in some areas. For the specifics on your area, check out Earth911.org’s recycling directory .

7. Support a bag tax or ban.

Urge your elected officials to follow the lead of those in San Francisco, Chicago, and close to 150 other cities and counties by introducing or supporting legislation that would make plastic-bag use less desirable .

8. Buy in bulk.

Single-serving yogurts, travel-size toiletries, tiny packages of nuts—consider the product-to-packaging ratio of items you tend to buy often and select the bigger container instead of buying several smaller ones over time.

9. Bring your own garment bag to the dry cleaner.

Invest in a zippered fabric bag and request that your cleaned items be returned in it instead of sheathed in plastic. (And while you’re at it, make sure you’re frequenting a dry cleaner that skips the perc, a toxic chemical found in some cleaning solvents.)

10. Put pressure on manufacturers.

Though we can make a difference through our own habits, corporations obviously have a much bigger footprint. If you believe a company could be smarter about its packaging, make your voice heard. Write a letter, send a tweet, or hit them where it really hurts: Give your money to a more sustainable competitor.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

Plastic pollution has been linked to everything from cancer in humans to death in wildlife.

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Brainstorming Ways to Solve Environmental Problems? 5 Simple Ways You Can Help

June 1, 2019

Home  /  News  /  Brainstorming Ways to Solve Environmental Problems? 5 Simple Ways You Can Help

We are currently facing the most critical environmental issues in human history. Our climate, planet, lives, and future as a civilization are all at risk. While the magnitude of that thought can be extremely overwhelming, don’t allow yourself to feel helpless, not knowing where to begin. Making small steps and adjustments in your daily routine will give you a sense of success and a yearning to attempt more.

Here are 5 simple ways you can help the environment and spark others to become more environmentally aware.

1. Replace disposable items with reusable

Anything you use and throw away can potentially spend centuries in a landfill. See below for simple adjustments you can make to decrease the amount of disposable items in your daily life.

• Carry your own reusable cup or water bottle
• Use airtight, reusable food containers instead of sandwich bags and plastic wrap
• Pack a waste-free lunch: carry your utensils, cloth napkin, and containers in a reusable lunch bag
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store
• Consider buying bulk containers of your preferred beverages and refilling a reusable bottle, instead of buying individually packaged drinks
• Use rechargeable batteries

2. Pass on paper

We are living in the Digital Era, but think about all the paper products you use in your daily life. These actions still align with reusing and repurposing, though may take a little more time for transition.

• Join a library instead of buying books or buy a Kindle
• Print as little as possible; and if you must, print on both sides
• Wrap gifts in fabric and tie with ribbon; both are reusable and prettier than paper and sticky-tape
• Stop using paper towels and incorporate washable cloths
• Look at labels to make sure you only use FSC-certified wood and paper products
• Cut out products made by palm oil companies that contribute to deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia

3. Conserve water & electricity

The tips you see below will seem like no-brainers; however, it may take to become more aware of your unconscious habits.

• Turn the sink water off when brushing your teeth
• Water the lawn in the morning or evening; cooler air causes less evaporation
• Switch off anything that uses electricity when not in use (lights, televisions, computers, printers, etc.)
• Unplug devices when possible; even when an appliance is turned off, it may still use power
• Remove chemicals inside of the house; research companies that use plant-derived ingredients for their household cleaning products
• Remove chemicals outside of the house; use eco-friendly pesticides and herbicides that won’t contaminate groundwater
• Consider signing up for a renewable energy producer that uses 100% renewable energy to power homes

4. Support local & environmentally friendly

Here are a few reasons to start buying local:

• Reduces plastic and paper waste
• Boosts cost-efficiency
• Enables bulk purchasing
• Helps support your neighbors
• Retains farmland within the community
• Builds up the local economy
• Uses fewer chemicals for both for growing and transporting

5. Recycle (& then recycle properly)

Implementing recycling habits into your daily life is one of the most effective ways to help lessen landfill waste, conserve natural resources, save habitats, reduce pollution, cut down on energy consumption, and slow down global warming.

• Confirm you are using the proper separation containers for your household per the local recycling services
• Remember to make sure your trash bags are recycled or biodegradable, and always cut up the plastic rings from packs of beer or soda to prevent wildlife from getting caught
• Educate yourself about what can and cannot be recycled, as not all plastic and cardboard is acceptable (like pizza boxes for example, due to the grease) ( click here for a simple 101 )
• Learn how to identify and dispose of hazardous waste properly ( click here to learn more )

Taking the time to simply read this article for ways to solve environmental problems is a step forward to becoming more aware of the needs of your environment. You are now taking action, and every change–big or small–will create an impact.

If you’re already taking action on the suggestions above, see below for additional tips and ideas:

• Add these simple lists to your digital checklist and pick one at a time to tackle. After a week or so, check it off the list and move on to the next. Remember to pat yourself on the back! You just created a change in your lifestyle!
• Find a comfortable compromise for your life. Purchase a pack of affordable, reusable rags and give them a specific purpose. For example, perhaps you always clean your countertops with paper towels; try wiping them down with cloth towels instead.
• Remember to highlight your successes and share them with others! #savetheplanet
• Calculate your environmental footprint to see how much impact just one person has on the world’s resources and adjust accordingly.
• Consider an environmentally-focused career like one of the top four environmental jobs of the future.

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What You Can Do About Pollution Prevention

P2 resources for concerned citizens, technical assistance where you live.

Find EPA regional contact information, and state and local P2 technical assistance resources.

Pollution prevention is not just the responsibility of businesses and government agencies. Citizens can help solve environmental problems by reducing pollution at the source, before it is created. 

We can all apply pollution prevention in our daily lives. Whether in the home and garden, at the supermarket or on the road, we can make pollution prevention choices every day in order to protect the environment, save money and conserve natural resources. 

The resources below can help you be more aware of the many ways to prevent pollution:

• Easy steps you can take for water conservation .
• Play your part in conserving water resources .
• How to save energy in your home .
• Learn about Greener Living : our actions impact the environment. Each thing we do can help or hurt our planet in many ways. EPA has tools to help you learn and understand the issues and reduce your environmental footprint.
• Learn more about P2 at home and at work from the P2 Week web site.

Classroom and Workplace

• Internship Programs in P2 – Learn on the job and help businesses learn how to apply pollution prevention approaches and practices .
• A full list of Regional Contacts is available on the Contact Us page .
• Pollution Prevention Home
• Learn About P2
• What You Can Do
• P2 Hub Resources Center
• Measuring P2
• Pollution Prevention Law