According to old sayings, humans can go for 3 minutes without breathing, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Air, WATER and food are essential to our survival and must be as available and clean as possible. Water pollution is a common but preventable problem. Most of the things that pollute water can be prevented or restricted. The leftovers can be filtered with water or household appliances. The United States supplies the cleanest water in the world. But that does not mean that the problem of it should be ignored. Find out what is and why it affects all of us.

What is water pollution? 

It is the presence of toxic chemicals or biological agents that go beyond the "natural" presence of Water. Most pollutants are  as a result of human activity, either directly or indirectly. Problems arise when pollution exceeds the capacity of the environment in the short or long term. For example, one napkin blown into a pond from a picnic table breaks quickly. It is not a serious pollutant. However, the cargo of napkin trucks spilled from the road into the pond causes major problems not only for paper, but also for trucks and fuel.

Where does waterpollution come from? 

It comes from two major categories of causes. The point source is localized and originates from a single point. However, some bodies of WATER may have multiple point sources. Like lake and river paper mills, urban sewage treatment plants are an example of a point source. Non-point sources come from many hard-to-find sources. For example, fertilizers that flow from farms and lawns into streams are an undecided source. Point sources are more easily regulated by people and government. It also tends to emit more pollutant's than non-point sources. Contamination from non-point sources can be regulated, but compliance by more people is required. 

Why do you need to care? 

Most Americans getwater from their towns and water utilities. Others have their wells. Any home can provide water filtration to keep the it safe. However, as we have seen, the  systems in and around the United States are intricately interconnected. Surfacewater can be groundwater. Contamination can affect locations far from the contaminated site. The interconnectivity of water supplies indicates that pollution is a matter of universal concern. The solution may vary depending on the cause. There is no reason to abandon the highly technological society, but keeping it clean benefits everyone and should be considered for everyone. Consider testing  to make sure you are protecting yourself and your family from toxic  pollutants.