Water Pollution: Problems & Solutions To Nonpoint Source Pollution

High School Curriculum

There are two different types of water pollution: point source and nonpoint source pollution. Point source pollution can be easily seen and followed backward to a single identifiable source. For example: waste materials coming from a manufacturing facility, seepage from a landfill or discharge from a sewage treatment plant. The United States has laws in place to protect our water from point source pollution. Companies that violate these laws are subject to fines and are held responsible for cleaning up the polluted water.

Unfortunately, nonpoint source pollution is a more complicated problem. By definition, it doesn't come from one single source, but from a variety of sources. Typically these sources are across a large area compared to point source pollution. In addition, because it comes from more than one source and can be more than one type of pollution, identifying the multiple sources and cleaning them up can be difficult.

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