Point Source Pollution and Non-point Source Pollution
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines point source pollution as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack” (Hill, 1997). Factories and Sewage treatment plants are two major forms of point sources. Plants such as automobile, electronics, chemical, paper mills manufacturers and oil refineries, generally discharge pollutants in their discharged water. On the other hand, nonpoint source pollution typically occurs due to runoff. Nonpoint source pollution results from rainfall or snowmelt which moves through and over the earth. While the runoff flows, it collects and moves human-made and natural contaminants, ultimately dumping them into rivers, seas, ground waters, oceans and wetlands. Examples of nonpoint source pollution includes left-over herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers from residential areas and agricultural fields (Satyendra, 2019) .
Types of Water Pollutant
One type of water pollutant is oils and greases can enter into water through leakage from oil pipes, oil spills, and wastewater from refineries and production. Since oils and greases are lighter than water, they spread over the water surface and separate the water contact with air, which consequently results in decrease of the dissolved oxygen. Oils and grease endanger costal plants and water birds because of oily coating materials and adversely affect their normal activities. Overall, oils and greases negatively affect the aquatic life (Satyendra, 2019) .
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Uses of Water
Water is among the most important natural resources for all life on earth. Uses of water range from commercial uses in commercial facilities; domestic use like drinking, bathing, and washing clothes; industrial use for purposes of cleaning, processing, and cooling in manufacturing facilities; irrigation use in farms; livestock use like fish farms; mining use for extracting minerals; public supply use; and thermoelectric power use for electric power production (Satyendra, 2019) . Examples of domestic water conservation include fixing leakages, reusing water, turning off the tap when washing hands or brushing teeth and flushing with less water.
Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) “serves to maintain chemical, biological and physical integrity of the navigable waters of the United States” ( Environmental Health & Safety, n.d.). Conversely, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is “the federal law that protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation” ( United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2019).
References
Environmental Health & Safety. (n.d.). Clean Water Act / Safe Drinking Water Act | Environmental Health & Safety. Retrieved from https://s1.ehs.gatech.edu/environmental/CWA
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2019, January 28). Safe Drinking Water Act. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sdwa
Hill, M.S. (1997). Understanding Environmental Pollution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 316 pp.
Satyendra. (2019, March 18). Water Pollutants and Water Pollution. Retrieved from http://ispatguru.com/water-pollutants-and-water-pollution/
