How much water is polluted per day? Wastewater pollution

Water pollution is a serious problem for the Earth's ecology. And it should be solved both on a large scale - at the level of states and enterprises, and on a small scale - at the level of every human being. After all, don’t forget, responsibility for the Pacific Garbage Patch lies on the conscience of everyone who does not throw their trash in the trash.

Household wastewater often contains synthetic detergents that end up in rivers and seas. Accumulations of inorganic substances affect aquatic life and reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, which leads to the formation of so-called “dead zones,” of which there are already about 400 in the world.

Often, industrial wastewater containing inorganic and organic waste is discharged into rivers and seas. Every year, thousands of chemicals enter water sources, the effect of which on the environment is not known in advance. Many of them are new compounds. Although industrial wastewater is often pre-treated, it still contains toxic substances that are difficult to detect.

Acid rain

Acid rain occurs as a result of exhaust gases released by metallurgical plants, thermal power plants, oil refineries, as well as other industrial enterprises and road transport entering the atmosphere. These gases contain oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, which combine with moisture and oxygen in the air to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids then fall to the ground - sometimes many hundreds of kilometers away from the source of air pollution. In countries such as Canada, the USA, and Germany, thousands of rivers and lakes were left without vegetation and fish.

Solid waste

If there is a large amount of suspended solids in the water, they make it opaque to sunlight and thereby interfere with the process of photosynthesis in water bodies. This in turn causes disturbances in the food chain in such pools. In addition, solid waste causes siltation in rivers and shipping channels, necessitating frequent dredging.

Oil leak

In the United States alone, approximately 13,000 oil spills occur annually. Up to 12 million tons of oil enter seawater annually. In the UK, over 1 million tons of used engine oil are poured down the drain every year.

Oil spilled into sea water has many adverse effects on sea life. First of all, birds die: they drown, overheat in the sun or are deprived of food. Oil blinds animals living in the water - seals and seals. It reduces the penetration of light into enclosed bodies of water and can increase water temperature.

Unidentified sources

It is often difficult to determine the source of water pollution - it could be an unauthorized release of harmful substances from an enterprise, or pollution caused by agricultural or industrial work. This leads to water pollution with nitrates, phosphates, toxic heavy metal ions and pesticides.

Thermal water pollution

Thermal water pollution is caused by thermal or nuclear power plants. Thermal pollution is introduced into surrounding water bodies by waste cooling water. As a result, an increase in the water temperature in these reservoirs leads to the acceleration of some biochemical processes in them, as well as to a decrease in the oxygen content dissolved in the water. The finely balanced reproduction cycles of various organisms are disrupted. In conditions of thermal pollution, as a rule, there is a strong growth of algae, but the extinction of other organisms living in the water.

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Pollution of water bodies– discharge or otherwise entering water bodies (surface and underground), as well as the formation in them of harmful substances that worsen the quality of water, limit their use or negatively affect the condition of the bottom and banks of water bodies; anthropogenic introduction of various pollutants into the aquatic ecosystem, the impact of which on living organisms exceeds the natural level, causing their oppression, degradation and death.

There are several types of water pollution:

Chemical water pollution seems to be the most dangerous at present due to the global scale of this process and the growing number of pollutants, including many xenobiotics, i.e. substances alien to aquatic and near-water ecosystems.

Pollutants enter the environment in liquid, solid, gaseous and aerosol form. The routes of their entry into the aquatic environment are varied: directly into water bodies, through the atmosphere with precipitation and during dry deposition, through the drainage area with surface, intrasoil and underground water flow.

Sources of pollutants can be divided into concentrated, distributed, or diffuse, and linear.

Concentrated runoff comes from enterprises and utilities and, as a rule, is controlled in volume and composition by the relevant services and can be managed, in particular through the construction of treatment facilities. Diffuse runoff comes irregularly from built-up areas, unequipped landfills and landfills, agricultural fields and livestock farms, as well as from precipitation. This runoff is generally unmonitored and unregulated.

Sources of diffuse runoff are also zones of anomalous technogenic soil pollution, which systematically “feed” water bodies with hazardous substances. Such zones were formed, for example, after the Chernobyl accident. These are also lenses of liquid waste, for example, petroleum products, solid waste burial sites, the waterproofing of which is broken.

It is almost impossible to control the flow of pollutants from such sources; the only way is to prevent their formation.

Global pollution is a sign of today. Natural and man-made flows of chemicals are comparable in scale; For some substances (primarily metals), the intensity of anthropogenic turnover is many times greater than the intensity of the natural cycle.

Acid precipitation, formed as a result of nitrogen and sulfur oxides entering the atmosphere, significantly changes the behavior of microelements in water bodies and their catchment areas. The process of removal of microelements from soils is activated, water acidification occurs in reservoirs, which negatively affects all aquatic ecosystems.

An important consequence of water pollution is the accumulation of pollutants in the bottom sediments of water bodies. Under certain conditions, they are released into the water mass, causing an increase in pollution in the apparent absence of pollution from wastewater.

Dangerous water pollutants include oil and petroleum products. Their sources are all stages of oil production, transportation and refining, as well as consumption of petroleum products. In Russia, tens of thousands of medium and large emergency spills of oil and petroleum products occur annually. A lot of oil gets into the water due to leaks in oil and product pipelines, on railways, and on the territory of oil storage facilities. Natural oil is a mixture of dozens of individual hydrocarbons, some of which are toxic. It also contains heavy metals (for example, molybdenum and vanadium), radionuclides (uranium and thorium).

The main process of transformation of hydrocarbons in the natural environment is biodegradation. However, its speed is low and depends on the hydrometeorological situation. In the northern regions, where the main Russian oil reserves are concentrated, the rate of oil biodegradation is very low. Some of the oil and insufficiently oxidized hydrocarbons fall to the bottom of water bodies, where the rate of their oxidation is practically zero. Substances such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum, including 3,4-benzo(a)pyrene, exhibit increased stability in water. An increase in its concentration poses a real danger to the organisms of the aquatic ecosystem.

Another dangerous component of water pollution is pesticides. Migrating in the form of suspensions, they settle to the bottom of water bodies. Bottom sediments are the main reservoir for the accumulation of pesticides and other persistent organic pollutants, which ensures their long-term circulation in aquatic ecosystems. In food chains their concentration increases many times over. Thus, compared to the content in bottom silt, the concentration of DDT in algae increases 10 times, in zooplankton (crustaceans) - 100 times, in fish - 1000 times, in predatory fish - 10,000 times.

A number of pesticides have structures unknown to nature and therefore resistant to biotransformation. These pesticides include organochlorine pesticides, which are extremely toxic and persistent in the aquatic environment and in soils. Representatives such as DDT are banned, but traces of this substance are still found in nature.

Persistent substances include dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls. Some of them have exceptional toxicity that surpasses the most powerful poisons. For example, the maximum permissible concentration of dioxins in surface and ground waters in the USA is 0.013 ng/l, in Germany - 0.01 ng/l. They actively accumulate in food chains, especially in the final links of these chains - in animals. The highest concentrations are observed in fish.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) enter the environment with energy and transport waste. Among them, benzo(a)pyrene accounts for 70–80% of the emission mass. PAHs are classified as strong carcinogens.

Surfactants (surfactants) are usually not toxic, but they form a film on the surface of the water that disrupts gas exchange between water and the atmosphere. Phosphates included in surfactants cause eutrophication of water bodies.

The use of mineral and organic fertilizers leads to contamination of soils, surface and ground waters with nitrogen compounds, phosphorus, and microelements. Pollution with phosphorus compounds is the main cause of eutrophication of water bodies; the greatest threat to the biota of water bodies is posed by blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, which multiply in huge quantities during the warm season in water bodies prone to eutrophication. When these organisms die and decompose, acutely toxic substances – cyanotoxins – are released. About 20% of all phosphorus pollution in water bodies comes from agricultural landscapes, 45% comes from livestock farming and municipal wastewater, and more than a third comes from losses during transportation and storage of fertilizers.

Mineral fertilizers contain a large “bouquet” of microelements. Among them are heavy metals: chromium, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, cadmium, nickel. They can negatively affect animals and humans.

The huge number of existing anthropogenic sources of pollution and the numerous ways in which pollutants enter water bodies make it practically impossible to completely eliminate pollution of water bodies. Therefore, it was necessary to determine water quality indicators that ensure the safety of water use by the population and the stability of aquatic ecosystems. The establishment of such indicators is called water quality standardization. In sanitary and hygienic standards, the focus is on the impact of dangerous concentrations of chemicals in water on human health, while in environmental standards, the priority is to ensure the protection of living organisms in the aquatic environment from them.

The indicator of maximum permissible concentrations (MAC) is based on the concept of the threshold of action of a pollutant. Below this threshold, the concentration of the substance is considered safe for organisms.

The classification of water bodies according to the nature and level of pollution allows for a classification that establishes four degrees of pollution of a water body: permissible (1-fold excess of the MPC), moderate (3-fold excess of the MPC), high (10-fold excess of the MPC) and extremely high (100 - multiple excess of MPC).

Environmental regulation is designed to ensure the preservation of the sustainability and integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Using the principle of the “weak link” of an ecosystem allows us to estimate the concentration of pollutants that are acceptable for the most vulnerable component of the system. This concentration is accepted as acceptable for the entire ecosystem as a whole.

The degree of pollution of land waters is controlled by the State Monitoring of Water Bodies system. In 2007, sampling for physical and chemical indicators with the simultaneous determination of hydrological indicators was carried out at 1716 points (2390 sections).

In the Russian Federation, the problem of providing the population with good-quality drinking water remains unresolved. The main reason for this is the unsatisfactory condition of water supply sources. Rivers like

Pollution of aquatic ecosystems leads to a decrease in biodiversity and depletion of the gene pool. This is not the only, but important reason for the decline in biodiversity and numbers of aquatic species.

Protecting natural resources and ensuring the quality of natural waters is a task of national importance.

By Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 27, 2009 No. 1235-r, the Water Strategy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2020 was approved. It states that in order to improve the quality of water in water bodies, restore aquatic ecosystems and the recreational potential of water bodies, the following tasks must be solved:

To solve this problem, legislative, organizational, economic, technological measures are required, and most importantly, political will aimed at solving the formulated problems.

Water pollution is a decrease in its quality as a result of various physical, chemical or biological substances entering rivers, streams, lakes, seas and oceans. Water pollution has many causes.

Wastewater

Industrial wastewater containing inorganic and organic waste often discharges into rivers and seas. Every year, thousands of chemicals enter water sources, the effect of which on the environment is not known in advance. Hundreds of these substances are new compounds. Although industrial wastewater is often pre-treated, it still contains toxic substances that are difficult to detect.

Domestic wastewater containing, for example, synthetic detergents eventually ends up in rivers and seas. Fertilizers washed off the soil surface end up in drains leading to lakes and seas. All these reasons lead to severe water pollution, especially in closed lakes and ponds.

Solid waste.

Eutrophication.

Industrial and agricultural wastewater that enters water sources contains high levels of nitrates and phosphates. This leads to an oversaturation of closed reservoirs with fertilizing substances and causes increased growth of protozoan algae microorganisms in them. Blue-green algae grows especially strongly. But, unfortunately, it is inedible for most fish species. The growth of algae causes more oxygen to be absorbed from the water than can be naturally produced in the water. As a result, the BOD of such water increases. The release of biological wastes, such as wood pulp or untreated sewage water, into water also increases the BOD. Other plants and living things cannot survive in such an environment. However, microorganisms that are capable of decomposing dead plant and animal tissues multiply rapidly in it. These microorganisms absorb even more oxygen and form even more nitrates and phosphates. Gradually, the number of plant and animal species in such a reservoir decreases significantly. The most important victims of the ongoing process are fish. Ultimately, the decrease in oxygen concentration due to the growth of algae and microorganisms that decompose dead tissue leads to the aging of lakes and their waterlogging. This process is called eutrophication.

A classic example of eutrophication is Lake Erie in the USA. Over 25 years, the nitrogen content in this lake has increased by 50%, and the phosphorus content by 500%. The cause was mainly the entry into the lake of household wastewater containing synthetic detergents. Synthetic detergents contain a lot of phosphates.

Wastewater treatment is ineffective because it removes only solids and only a small proportion of dissolved nutrients from the water.

Toxicity of inorganic waste.

The discharge of industrial wastewater into rivers and seas leads to an increase in the concentration of toxic heavy metal ions, such as cadmium, mercury and lead. A significant part of them is absorbed or adsorbed by certain substances, and this is sometimes called the process of self-purification. However, in closed pools, heavy metals can reach dangerously high levels.

The most famous case of this kind occurred in Minamata Bay in Japan. Industrial wastewater containing methyl mercury acetate was discharged into this bay. As a result, mercury began to enter the food chain. It was absorbed by algae, which were eaten by shellfish; Fish ate shellfish, and fish was eaten by the local population. The mercury content in fish turned out to be so high that it led to the appearance of children with congenital deformities and deaths. This disease is called Minamata disease.

Increased nitrate levels observed in drinking water are also of great concern. It has been suggested that high levels of nitrates in water can lead to stomach cancer and cause increased child mortality.

Microbiological contamination of water.

However, the problem of water pollution and unsanitary conditions is not limited to developing countries. A quarter of the entire Mediterranean coastline is considered dangerously polluted. According to a report on pollution in the Mediterranean Sea published in 1983 by the United Nations Environment Programme, eating shellfish and lobsters caught there is unsafe for health. Typhoid, paratyphoid, dysentery, polio, viral hepatitis and food poisoning are common in this region, and cholera outbreaks occur periodically. Most of these diseases are caused by the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea. An estimated 85% of waste from 120 coastal towns is dumped into the Mediterranean Sea, where holidaymakers and locals swim and fish. Between Barcelona and Genoa, every mile of coastline produces approximately 200 tons of waste per year.

Oil leak

Oil spilled into sea water has many adverse effects on sea life. First of all, birds die - they drown, overheat in the sun or are deprived of food. Oil blinds animals living in the water - seals and seals. It reduces the penetration of light into enclosed bodies of water and can increase water temperature. This is especially destructive for organisms that can exist only in a limited temperature range. Oil contains toxic components, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, that are harmful to some forms of aquatic life even in concentrations as low as a few parts per million.

Other forms of water pollution

These include radioactive and thermal pollution. The main source of radioactive pollution of the sea is low-level waste removed from nuclear power plants. One of the most important problems arising from this contamination is that marine organisms such as algae accumulate, or concentrate, radioactive isotopes.

Thermal water pollution is caused by thermal or nuclear power plants. Thermal pollution is introduced into surrounding water bodies by waste cooling water. As a result, an increase in the water temperature in these reservoirs leads to the acceleration of some biochemical processes in them, as well as to a decrease in the oxygen content dissolved in the water. This causes rapid and often very significant changes in the biological environment in the vicinity of power plants. The finely balanced reproduction cycles of various organisms are disrupted. In conditions of thermal pollution, as a rule, there is a strong growth of algae, but the extinction of other organisms living in the water.

The presence of fresh, clean water is a necessary condition for the existence of all living organisms on the planet.

The share of fresh water suitable for consumption accounts for only 3% of its total quantity.

Despite this, people mercilessly pollute it in the process of their activities.

Thus, a very large volume of fresh water has now become completely unusable. A sharp deterioration in the quality of fresh water has occurred as a result of its contamination with chemical and radioactive substances, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and sewage, and this is already.

Types of pollution

It is clear that all types of pollution that exist are also present in the aquatic environment.

This is a fairly extensive list.

In many ways, the solution to the pollution problem will be .

Heavy metals

During the operation of large factories, industrial wastewater is discharged into fresh water, the composition of which is replete with various types of heavy metals. Many of them, when entering the human body, have a detrimental effect on it, leading to severe poisoning and death. Such substances are called xenobiotics, that is, elements that are alien to a living organism. The class of xenobiotics includes elements such as cadmium, nickel, lead, mercury and many others.

There are known sources of water pollution with these substances. These are primarily metallurgical enterprises and automobile factories.

Natural processes on the planet can also contribute to pollution. For example, harmful compounds are found in large quantities in products of volcanic activity, which from time to time fall into lakes, polluting them.

But, of course, the anthropogenic factor is decisive here.

Radioactive substances

The development of the nuclear industry has caused significant harm to all life on the planet, including fresh water reservoirs. During the activities of nuclear enterprises, radioactive isotopes are formed, as a result of the decay of which particles with different penetrating abilities are released (alpha, beta and gamma particles). All of them are capable of causing irreparable harm to living beings, since when these elements enter the body, they damage its cells and contribute to the development of cancer.

Sources of pollution can be:

atmospheric precipitation falling in areas where nuclear tests are carried out;
wastewater discharged into a reservoir by nuclear industry enterprises.
ships operating using nuclear reactors (in case of an accident).

Inorganic contaminants

The main inorganic elements that deteriorate the quality of water in reservoirs are considered to be compounds of toxic chemical elements. These include toxic metal compounds, alkalis, and salts. As a result of these substances entering water, its composition changes for consumption by living organisms.

The main source of pollution is wastewater from large enterprises, factories, and mines. Some inorganic pollutants increase their negative properties when they are in an acidic environment. Thus, acidic wastewater coming from a coal mine contains aluminum, copper, and zinc in concentrations that are very dangerous for living organisms.

Every day, huge amounts of water from sewage flow into reservoirs.

This water contains a lot of pollutants. These include particles of detergents, small remains of food and household waste, and feces. These substances in the process of their decomposition give life to numerous pathogenic microorganisms.

If they enter the human body, they can provoke a number of serious diseases, such as dysentery and typhoid fever.

From large cities, such wastewater flows into rivers and the ocean.

Synthetic fertilizers

Synthetic fertilizers used by humans contain many harmful substances such as nitrates and phosphates. When they enter a body of water, they provoke excessive growth of a specific blue-green algae. Growing to enormous sizes, it interferes with the development of other plants in the reservoir, while the algae itself cannot serve as food for living organisms living in the water. All this leads to the disappearance of life in the reservoir and its waterlogging.

How to solve the problem of water pollution

Of course, there are ways to solve this problem.

It is known that most of the pollutants enter water bodies along with wastewater from large enterprises. Water purification is one of the ways to solve the problem of water pollution. Business owners should be concerned about installing high-quality wastewater treatment facilities. The presence of such devices, of course, is not capable of completely stopping the release of toxic substances, but they are quite capable of significantly reducing their concentration.

Household filters will also help combat contaminants in drinking water and purify it in the house.

People themselves must take care of the purity of fresh water. Following a few simple rules will help significantly reduce the level of water pollution:

Tap water should be used sparingly.
Avoid disposing of household waste into the sewer system.
If possible, clear debris from nearby bodies of water and beaches.
Do not use synthetic fertilizers. The best fertilizers are organic household waste, grass clippings, fallen leaves or compost.
Dispose of discarded trash.

Despite the fact that the problem of water pollution is currently reaching alarming proportions, it is quite possible to solve it. To do this, each person must make some efforts and treat nature more carefully.

Classmates

2 Comments

Everyone knows that the percentage of water in the human body is large and our metabolism and overall health will depend on its quality. I see ways to solve this environmental problem in relation to our country: cutting water consumption standards to the minimum, and what is more - at inflated tariffs; The funds received will be used for the development of water treatment facilities (activated sludge treatment, ozonation).

Water is the source of all life. Neither people nor animals can live without it. I didn't think the problems with fresh water were that big. But it’s impossible to live a full life without mines, sewers, factories, etc. In the future, of course, humanity will have a solution to this problem, but what to do now? I believe that people should actively address the issue of water and take action.

Water is of great importance for all life on our planet. People, animals, and plants need it to live, grow and develop. Moreover, living organisms need clean water, not spoiled by foreign contaminants. Before the start of the industrial era, water in natural conditions was clean. But, as civilization developed, people began to pollute water sources with waste from their activities.

Natural sources of water used by people are rivers, lakes, and seas. Clean water is also obtained from underground sources using wells and boreholes. What are the sources of water pollution?

Industry
We live in an era of intense industrial activity. Water in industry is used in huge quantities, and after use it is discharged into industrial sewers. Industrial wastewater is treated, but it cannot be completely purified. Numerous plants, factories and industries are sources of water pollution.

Oil production and oil transportation
Industry and transport require fuel, the production of which uses oil. Oil is produced both on land and at sea. The extracted oil is transported by huge sea tankers. In the event of accidents at oil production sites or transport accidents, spills of oil products occur on the water surface. A few grams of oil is enough to form a film of tens of square meters on the sea surface.

Energy
Thermal stations contribute to the deterioration of the quality of natural water. They use large quantities of water for cooling processes and discharge the heated water into open water bodies. The water temperature in such reservoirs rises, they begin to become overgrown with harmful algae, and the amount of oxygen in such water decreases. All this negatively affects living organisms living in such reservoirs. The ecological balance is disrupted and water quality deteriorates.

Household sphere
People need water, first of all, in everyday life. In every house, in every apartment, water is used for cooking, washing dishes, cleaning rooms, and also in bathrooms. Used water is removed from residential premises through sewage systems. Such water is subsequently purified in special purification devices, but it is very difficult to achieve complete purification. Therefore, one of the sources of water pollution in nature is municipal wastewater. These waters contain harmful chemicals, various microorganisms and small household waste.

Agriculture
Another source of natural water pollution is agriculture. This type of human activity requires huge amounts of water. Numerous fields of crops need to be watered. Water is also needed for raising farm animals. Many artificial fertilizers are used in crop production. Water used to irrigate fertilized fields becomes contaminated by these fertilizers. And wastewater discharged from livestock complexes carries animal waste. With insufficient wastewater treatment in agriculture, natural water sources are polluted.

In our world, there are many sources of natural water pollution caused by human activities. It is impossible to refuse the benefits of civilization, therefore the only way to preserve the purity of natural waters is to continuously improve methods for purifying contaminated water.