Water pollution

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/water-pollution

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the classification of pollutants?Chemical (heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals), physical (sediment, thermal), and biological (bacteria, viruses)
2. What is the sources of pollution?Industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, municipal sewage, urban storm water, and atmospheric deposition
3. Why is clean water important for animals and people?Clean water keeps ecosystems healthy, supports food chains, helps plants grow, and keeps people healthy and safe.
4. How does pollution get into rivers and oceans?Factories, sewage, farms, and rain can all carry dirt, chemicals, and germs into water, making it dirty.

Eutrophication: Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, causing a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life.
Bioaccumulation: The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism.
Non-point Source Pollution: Pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, rather than a single identifiable point.