Natural and Man-Made Water Contamination

Information is the greatest tool against water contamination. In order to come up with a solution to water contamination, one must first identify the root of the problem. There is no water filters that can fix all problems. Water treatment systems for both home and large scale applications are designed to address issues that are specific to the available water.

The problem of water contamination can be identified as either natural or man-made. When talking about man-made, this not only refers to synthetic  contaminants or those made by humans. Any contamination that is instigated by human activities are considered man-made. An good example is mining for minerals, fossil fuels and natural gases. The digging and drilling loosens the soil or rocks and freeing some of the naturally occurring minerals and substances. Any water that passes through the loosened soil or rocks can carry the minerals and substances and takes them to underground water deposits or to surfaces waters such as lakes and rivers and thereby contaminating these bodies of water. The contaminants themselves are natural but it is through human activities that caused the contamination.

There are some deposits of minerals and other substances that can contaminate water due to natural processes. An of a natural cause of water contamination is erosion. Wind and water can  slowly erode soil and rocks. The minerals and other substances from these are exposed by the wind and dissolved in water. The water can seep through the ground or flow to streams to cause contamination.

Being aware of human activities and natural processes that can lead to water contamination is important in determining the risk of contamination for a certain area.

Leave a Reply
