Point vs. Non-Point Pollution
A specific, identifiable source of pollution, like a pipe from a factory
What is Point Source Pollution?
An area of land that drains all water into a common outlet like a river or lake.
What is a Watershed?
An extremely rapid growth of algae caused by too many nutrients (like fertilizer) in the water.
What is an Algae Bloom?
How is Surface Water created?
What is precipitation or water runoff?
Pollution that comes from many places, such as runoff carrying fertilizer or oil from streets.
What is Non-Point Source Pollution?
This underground layer of rock or sediment stores large amounts of water.
What is an Aquifer?
This substance, when leaked from tankers, can damage marine life and wash up on beaches.
What is oil?
What is "Surface Water?"
What is water collected above ground or on the surface.
This type of pollution is harder to identify and represents the majority of pollution in the United States
What is Non-Point Source Pollution?
This is created by surface water seeping through rock and soil into the ground.
What is Groundwater?
This human-made hole is used to pump groundwater up to the surface for drinking or farming.
What is a Well?
Any body of water found on top of the Earth’s surface, such as rivers, lakes, and streams.
What is Surface Water?
A leaking underground storage tank is an example of this kind of pollution.
What is Point Source Pollution?
If a city paves over its entire recharge zone with concrete, this happens to the aquifer.
What is the aquifer cannot refill/dries up?
Taking water out of a well faster than it can refill can cause the ground to do this.
What is sink (subsidence)?
This term describes water from rain or snow that flows over the land surface rather than soaking into the ground.
What is Runoff?
This activity, often done on farms, can lead to widespread non-point source pollution due to rain.
What is farming/fertilizer runoff?
How is ground water created?
By surface water seeping through rocks in the ground.
The specific land area where water can soak into the ground to refill an aquifer.
What is the Recharge Zone?
Humans build these facilities to remove harmful pollutants from "dirty" water before sending it back to rivers.
What is a Water Treatment Plant?