Water Quality and Water Pollution

Prevention of water quality deterioration is more effective and less costly than trying to restore the damage to land and waterways after the problems occur. Acidic drainage from mines is caused by sulfide minerals which have been exposed to air or water and then seep into groundwater or surface water. The water cycle which goes from the evaporation of water from the land, vegetation, and bodies of water to deposition of the water, is affected by climate change. Development and construction disrupt the natural habitat and may cause a substantial impact on the water quality of surface and groundwater supplies. Oxygen-demanding substances, coming from organic sources which decompose, such as grass clippings, sugar-containing substances, carbon-based chemicals, and animal wastes, remove dissolved oxygen from the water which is needed to sustain life for aquatic organisms. Manure and other animal wastes are sources of ground and surface water pollution, especially from microorganisms and oxygen-demanding waste which can affect life in streams.