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Articles related to water pollution in the United States, the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater.
Topsoil runoff from farm, central Iowa (2011). Water pollution in the United States is a growing problem that became critical in the 19th century with the development of mechanized agriculture, mining, and manufacturing industries—although laws and regulations introduced in the late 20th century have improved water quality in many water bodies. [1]
A Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) is a United States regulatory term for a periodic water pollution report prepared by industries, municipalities and other facilities discharging to surface waters. [ 1 ] : 8–14 The facilities collect wastewater samples, conduct chemical and/or biological tests of the samples, and submit reports to a state ...
That's because the water that flows into our homes in the L.A. area can be surprisingly different, ZIP Code to ZIP Code. The level of arsenic found in Compton's tap water may differ wildly from ...
The city's wastewater is collected through an extensive grid of sewer pipes of various sizes and stretching over 7,400 miles (11,900 km). The Bureau of Wastewater Treatment (BWT) operates 14 water pollution control plants treating an average of 1.3 billion US gallons (4,900,000 m 3) of wastewater a day; 96 wastewater pump stations: 8 dewatering facilities; and 490 sewer regulators.
A practical definition of water pollution is: "Water pollution is the addition of substances or energy forms that directly or indirectly alter the nature of the water body in such a manner that negatively affects its legitimate uses." [1]: 6 Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants.
The difference with water pollution, however, is that the problems that cause local water quality issues differ from those that create regional air pollution problems. Discharges into water are difficult to measure and effects are dependent on a variety of other factors and vary with weather and location.
The term is used extensively in U.S. water pollution law (i.e. the Clean Water Act), regulations and programs. [1] [2] Many POTWs were established or expanded with grants or low-interest loans from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). [3] There are over 16,000 POTWs in the U.S., serving 75 percent of the total population. [4]