WATER POLLUTION

URBAN VS. RURAL

• Water pollution occurs in rural and urban areas
• Both areas are effected by water pollution
• Each area is important to keeping the Earth clean
• Here are some types of pollution and their effects

ACID RAIN

• In urban areas, factories and cars produce smog
• Smog clouds the air and falls back to the ground as acid rain
• Acid rain pollutes the water plants and animals rely on, harming ecosystems
• Acid rain also accelerates decay of buildings and sculptures

PESTICIDES

• In rural areas, farms use pesticides and herbicides on their crops
• These pesticides and herbicides run off into streams when it rains
• They pollute the water and harm the ecosystems that rely on the streams
• These pollutants change the water chemistry and degrade the quality of the water

STREET RUNOFF

• In urban areas, street runoff pollutes local lakes and streams
• Street runoff carries oil, rubber, heavy metals, and other contaminents
• These pollutants harm aquatic life by interfering with natural processes
• Pollutants degrade the quality of water and change water chemistry

FERTILIZERS

• In rural areas, farms use fertilizers to grow crops
• These fertilizers make their way into oceans, lakes, and rivers
• The nitrogen and oxygen molecules bloom of algea
• The algea deplete oxygen amd leave "dead zones"
• No fish or sea life can live in these "dead zones"

UNTREATED SEWAGE

• In urban areas, untreated sewage pollutes local lakes and rivers
• Untreated sewage can be high in pollutants and a major risk to humans
• Pollutants include fecal coliform bacteria, nitrates, and other chemicals
• Untreated sewage contains waterborne pathogens that can cause serious human illness

ANIMAL WASTE

• In rural areas, animals are used to produce needed resources on farms
• Improperly stored or used waste can pollute rivers and groundwater
• Gases emitted from waste can cause harm humans and the ozone
• Air pollutants from waste can cause respiratory infections, asthma, & lung inflammation

GARBAGE DUMPS

• In urban areas, garbage dumps are used to store waste from cities
• These garbage dumps can create air pollution & ground water pollution
• There are over ten toxic gases released from dumps, including methane
• People that live closer to landfills can suffer from heart diseases and reduced height

MINING DUST

• In rural areas, mining is used to collect needed resources
• Mines can contaminate ground water & surrounding rivers
• The result can be unusually high concentrations of chemicals
• Chemicals include arsenic, sulfuric acid, amd mercury

TOLEDO EMERGENCY

• In Toledo, Ohio a toxin was found in the water treatment plant
• Citizens blamed contamination from algea in Lake Erie, main water supply
• Algea was brought on by farm runoff and sewage sludge
• Plant operators said problem had been building for over a decade

SEVANAGALA SUGAR FACTORY

• Sugar factory has been dumping waste into the Walawe River
• Waste has caused fish to die and greatly effected people on the banks
• The Ambalantota Purification Center distributes water from Walawe River
• Pollution has caused disrubtion in the purification and distrubition processes