Even Though It's the 21st Century, We Still Have Many Causes of Water Pollution

Historically, people didn't worry about what they put into water. They used the lakes, rivers, and streams to drink from, bathe in, wash clothing in, water their livestock, and as a repository for human waste. Industries weren't careful about the bi-products they pumped into the water, either. Everyone was complacent that there would always be more water available and that nothing they did would have any lasting effects. After all, the wastes they dumped into the water always flowed downstream and didn't bother them any more. Now we know how devastating these actions can be in polluting the water resources we all depend on, yet pollution still ends up in the water. Why is it still happening, and what can we do about it?

It seems like since the world is 70% covered with water, there ought to be plenty to take care of all of our needs. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple. Even though most people are working to keep our water supplies clean, and the majority of the population isn't adding waste matter to rivers and lakes, there is still a lot of run-off that contaminates existing water resources. For example, one huge culprit is the fertilizers and pesticides used on farm fields. Sad as it may seem, it is reality that aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico is suffering because of the farm products being used up the Mississippi River in Iowa.

Of course, agriculture isn't the only guilty party when it comes to polluting our water. Silt and other materials wash off from other industries, too, including logging and construction sites. Septic tanks, untreated sewage, and storm drains can cause bacteria to enter waterways, and these are the pollutants that can cause the human population to become ill. In fact, tiny as these bacteria are, they've been known to devastate entire populations.

Other sources of pollution include radioactive materials, petroleum products, and heat. Petroleum often comes from tanker spills, such as the catastrophic one incurred by the Exxon Valdez. It has been estimated that for every million tons of oil which is transported, approximately 1 ton is spilled into our water resources. Radioactive wastes are discharged from nuclear power plants. The medical, scientific, and industrial communities also make use of materials which are radioactive and pollute our streams, such as waste from uranium mining and refining. When heated water is discharged from power plants and factories, the raised temperatures can cause the death of many aquatic creatures.

Although our society has made progress towards protecting our water sources, we still have a long way to go. It is the responsibility of each one of us to continue to encourage better methods of operation for industry and agriculture that won't dump so many contaminants into water, and water pollution will become a thing of the past.