Water pollution, water degradation

Water

Water is critical to all life. Too much or too little clean water can have enormous negative impacts. Water quality and conservation are acute issues that must be addressed.

Water quality
Water pollution is the loss of water use caused by a change in it’s composition due to human activity. The three major sources of water pollution are municipal, industrial and agricultural.

More people on the planet lead to more:

Sewerage
Fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides used for crops, lawns and parks
Fossil fuels extracted and burned
Oil leaked and spilled
Land deforested and developed
Various byproducts of manufacturing and shipping

The hydrological cycle is the cycle where water evaporates from the sea and is precipitated on land – rain, hail and snow – and is stored in the ground as groundwater (which is ultimately discharged into waterways) or if it cannot be absorbed it returns to the sea through run-off.

Much of the pollution discharged – deliberately or accidentally – onto the land or directly into waterways will ultimately finds it’s way to the sea where it will affect marine ecosystems.

All discharges if they can't be stopped must be treated or otherwise managed properly.

Water conservation
With global warming water shortages will be more and more common even in previously ‘wet’ countries like New Zealand. There are other reasons to conserve water too. Every drop of water we use has been treated before we use it and all the water we put down plug holes and toilets is treated again after it has been used. All this ‘treatment’ uses energy and therefore contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

Typical household water use:

Toilet                                  33%
Personal hygiene              25%
Drinking and cooking        18%
Laundry                            12%
Washing up                        9%
Car and garden                  3%

For tips on conserving water click here>>