Water Pollution
Among the many environmental problems that offend and concern us, perhaps none is as powerful and dramatic as water pollution. Ugly, scummy water full of debris, sludge, and dark foam is surely one of the strongest and most easily recognized symbols of our misuse of the environment. Water pollution can have dire consequences for vegetation, animal life, and human health.
What is pollution? The verb "pollute" is derived from the Latin polluere: to foul or corrupt. Our most common meaning is to make something unfit or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter or sewage. A broader definition might include any physical, biological, or chemical change…>> (read more)
Water Pollution in the News
BASIL SEGGOS leans against the rail of the 36-foot harbor patrol boat as it chugs along Newtown Creek into an industrial wasteland of sewer pipes and flotsam, past a…>> (read more)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
FEW stories about rivers and their native creatures have stopped the world in its tracks like this one.
On December 13, 2006, a…>> (read more)
In cooperation with our partners, the Fish and Wildlife Service's Environmental Contaminants Program provides the science needed to improve water quality for restoring freshwater mussels--our Nation's largest group of…>> (read more)
Water Pollution Statistics
