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The Importance of Water Quality
For a long time, the availability of quality water has dictated the way of life of all men and animals. Water is the main element in all-living things; thus the availability of the substance has led to the development of major civilizations near freshwater sources.
Pollution of the water was born when man discovered fire. ... When the atmosphere releases moisture, small amounts of the pollutant remain in the water. ...
The quality of water and the ways to change that quality have evolved tremendously over the past thousands years. The earliest forms of water purification came from the Chinese and Egyptians. They used crude forms of “chemical coagulation to purify their water” (Zajici 1).
As society progressed, so did the ways of water purification. ... The most common way to clean water is through chlorinating. ... Most of this usage was to treat disease-infected water (White 1).
There are numerous factors that affect the quality of water. ... This, in turn makes it harder for erosion waters to carry potentially polluted water into a receiving body of water, lowering the quality of that body of water (USDA 15).
Precipitation is the cause of water runoff. ... When the size of the drop increases, so does the amount of potentially polluted water being washed into receiving waters (USDA 15).
Topography determines the speed of the water. When precipitation falls up on a steep slope, the water runs down the slope with greater velocity than it would have if it had fallen down a long, gradual slope. When the water picks up speed, it gains water that falls on steep slopes; huge amounts of pollutants can enter the water (USDA 15). ... Usually, well-drained land makes water drain quickly. This increases the chances of pollution because the water has less time to filtrate and deposit before entering the receiving waters (USDA 15). ... When the soil infiltration rate is high, the amount of polluted runoff increases as it enters the receiving body of water. ... This allows the soil to resist erosion, thus limiting the amount of pollutants entering into the receiving bodies of water. ... All of these practices inhibit the amount of pollutants that can end up in our water supply (USDA 16).
Irrigation greatly affects water quality. ... This increases erosion, and the potential for the dwindling of water quality (USDA 16).
Water plays an important role in every way of life. ... All aspects of agriculture depend heavily on the availability of quality water. Farmers need quality water to grow their crops, and ranchers need that same quality water to give their animals. ... Irrigation has been around for many years, but it was not until this century that the quality of the irrigation water has been recognized. In arid climates the quality of water is extremely important. ... When irrigating the land, a farmer does not think much about the quality of the water, although he should because irrigation water can contain up to 3000 grams of salt per cubic meter.
Approximate Word count = 2459
Approximate Pages = 9.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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