Pollution in our Water

Biological Contamination

When surface-runoff water mixes with manure or feces from farms in flat pastures the manure can pollute water from water sources like subterranean aquifers (that people that drink from wells use) with harmful bacteria's. Drinking water that accommodates parasites with in it may cause you to fall ill. Parasites are a form of living organism that get their sustenance from contact within or attached to a host. The most common way for parasites to enter our drinking water is through feces from animals that have been infected with who knows what. As I said before the manure/feces are carried by surface-runoff water into other water sources which are likely to be used by us humans as drinking water or bathing or etc. Giardiasis is a well-known parasite infection in Ontario. The name of the parasite is Giardia and it affects mammals (like humans) . It is contracted through drinking untreated water. This parasite can give you cramps, diarrhea or nausea. This is a form of biological contamination.

Pollution in our Water:

* When water pollution has one source it is referred to as point-source pollution. When water pollution has more than one source it is known as nonpoint-source pollution.

* There are three ways to classify contaminants , Biological, Chemical and Physical. Biological contaminates are or from living organisms, for example manure or feces. Chemical contaminants are man-made contaminants, for example E.Coli. Physical contaminants are contaminants that do not dissolve in water, for example styrofoam.

* E.coli is short for Escherichia coli, to find more go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli

Chemical Contamination

Herbicides and Pesticides are a form of pollutant that is sometimes the cause of the contamination of water. They are used to kill nonessential plants, majority of people that use this chemical are farmers. You can get rashes or even die if you come in close contact with this chemical in any way, from drinking water that has herbicides/pesticides to eating food that has come in contact with herbicides/pesticide before the chemical has been removed. This chemical can be conveyed via surface runoff and taint ground water and other local surface water sources. When birds drink water that has been polluted by herbicides/pesticides the eggs they lay are soft-shelled and the chicks die because they die from premature birth. This specific type of chemical/pesticides that makes bird eggs soft-shelled is called DDT. This type of contamination is called chemical contamination.

Artificial Fertilizers are another form of pollutant that is used by everyone in Markham that has a lawn to call their own. The basic use of a fertilizer is to increase the growth speed of plants. Fun Fact: Canada is sixth in the world for top users of nitrogen based fertilizers. Fertilizers contain three vital plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. White Phosphorus (the most harmful type of phosphorous) known to man is extremely harmful to humans if they get into our water source other types of phosphorus are less harmful but are still potentially dangerous to humans. When fertilizers reach a water source (by getting washed off plants and into runoff water during a heavy rain) the fertilizers will feed the algae causing it to grow. The end result when algae die off they suck the oxygen in the water causing fish and other animals that breathe the oxygen in the water to die from being deprived of oxygen. Then the biodiversity in the area is decreased because an increase or decrease in the population of any one type of animal will affect the biodiversity. This is also a form of chemical contamination.

In the winter, we put salt on the roads so that the roads are not slippery and you might think this is no big deal but, when we dump massive amounts of salt on the roads, it will dissolve when the snow melts and go to nearby freshwater rivers and lakes. When the freshwater organisms like freshwater fish come in contact with salt water the salt soaks too much moisture from the body of the fish causing the fish to die from not enough moisture. The level of salt in their body's will also get higher.

Physical Contamination

Sometimes people throw garbage like styrofoam on the ground and surface water might pick up the garbage and the garbage gets carried by the flow of the water and eventually reach a river or lake and then an ocean. Other times humans throw garbage into the lakes because the can’t find a garbage can or are too lazy to and just throw it in the closest possible place. Physical contamination in water is like, color contamination and unwanted odors. Color contamination can be caused by metals and spilled dyes. Unwanted odors and the change of the taste of water can be be caused by metals and organisms that release rusty and musty aromas. Some taps have a heavy taste of iron that is sometimes the cause of rusty iron pipes and other metal objects. The most common way for physical contamination to happen is humans dumping garbage anywhere they want. This is an example of physical contamination.