What’s the main cause of water pollution in the US

ABSTRACT

With the development of society,water pollution has been one of the most severe environmrntal problems.So it is important to work out what the main cause of water pollution is.This paper examines the impact of different harmful sources to water and considers which one is the main reason for water pollution in the US.Through comparison,the paper finds out industrial waste is the main cause of water pollution in the US.

THESIS 

Industrial waste is the main reason for water pollution in the US.Agricultural waste and biological waste may also be factors resulting in water pollution.

INTRO

To find out the main cause of water pollution in the US, it's important to identify its different sources,as Figure 1 shows. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances enter our rivers, lakes, and oceans, making the water dirty and unsafe. The primary sources of water pollution include industrial waste, which can release dangerous chemicals into water bodies, and agricultural runoff, where fertilizers and pesticides wash into waterways. Additionally, improper disposal of trash and plastic waste also contributes significantly to water pollution. Understanding these key factors is crucial for working out the main factor of water pollution and finally developing effective solutions. 

Figure 1.The different sources of water pollution

LITERATURE REVIEW

a.Agricultural waste 

Agricultural waste refers to waste produced as a result of various agricultural operations. It includes manure and other wastes from farms, poultry houses and slaughterhouses; harvest waste; fertilizer run- off from fields; pesticides that enter into water, air or soils; and salt and silt drained from fields. (R. Nagendran et al.,2011)

b.Industrial waste

The constantly growing population leads to increased production from food, agriculture and paper pulp industry. These invariable growing industries generate a large amount of waste which is dumped or processed and thus ends up in the environment. This waste contains hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants which directly or indirectly enters the environment thus affects the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. (Vivek Kumar Gaur et al.,2020)

c.Biological waste

Pathogens(infectious microorganisms or viruses) enter water primarily from human and animal fecal waste due to inadequate sewage treatment. In many less developed countries, sewage is either discharged into local water bodies without treatment or with only preliminary treatment. In developed countries,untreated sewage discharges can result from overflows from combined sewer systems, poor management of livestock factory farms, and leaky or damaged sewage collection systems.( Melissa Ha et al.,2016)

d.Comparison

EPA illustrates the number of damaged water and its corresponding causes of that in the US.This paper has selected the top ten to find out the main reason for water pollution,as Table 1 shows.

Table 1.The causes for damaged water in the US,coming from EPA

To get the answer of the research question,the paper transforms Table 1 into a more brief one,and illustrates it in a bar chart,as Figure 2 shows.

Figure 2.The general causes for damaged water in the US

ANALYSIS

Through Table 1,we can find that all of PCB,mercury,metals come from industrial waste.All of pathogen,nutriment,organic enrichment and insecticide come from agricultural waste.Both pathogeon and impaired biota come from biological waste.Both turbidity and salinity come from natural waste.Through Figure 2,we can clearly find that industrial waste contributes the most to water pollution.Also,the reviews have shown the severity of industrial waste to water pollution.So the main cause of water pollution in the US is industrial waste.

CONCLUSION

Although waste like agricultural waste,natural waste,biological waste and so on plays an important role in water pollution,industrial waste is the main cause of water pollution.

WORKS CITED

[1]Vivek Kumar Gaur, Poonam Sharma, Ranjna Sirohi, Mukesh Kumar Awasthi, Claude-Gilles Dussap, Ashok Pandey,Assessing the impact of industrial waste on environment and mitigation strategies: A comprehensive review,Journal of Hazardous Materials,Volume 398,2020,123019,ISSN 0304-3894.

[2]R. Nagendran,Chapter 24 - Agricultural Waste and Pollution,Editor(s): Trevor M. Letcher, Daniel A. Vallero,Waste,Academic Press,2011,Pages 341-355,ISBN 9780123814753.

[3]Melissa Ha,Rachel Schleiger, Water pollutants and their sources,ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative,2016.