exposure TO Water pollution
People have a right to protection from chronic exposure to contaminants in surrounding water sources. Below you can find data sources to help determine your level of exposure.
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, rendering it toxic to humans or the environment. According to the National Resources Defense Council, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people every year. Underinvested and overburdened communities are at a higher risk of exposure to water pollution due to their proximity to factories and industry.
POLLUTION TYPE
Point source pollution occurs when contamination originates from a single source, through either legal or illegal wastewater discharge, leaking septic system contamination, chemical and oil spills, and dumping. The EPA regulates point source pollution by establishing limits on what can be discharged by a facility directly into a body of water.
Nonpoint source pollution is the leading cause of water pollution in the U.S., caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up and carrying natural and human-made pollutants and depositing them into water bodies and groundwater.
See EPA—Water Topics.
WATER TYPE
Groundwater provides drinking water to 40% of homes in the U.S. It is polluted when contaminants make their way into an aquifer, rendering it unsafe. Ridding groundwater of contaminants is costly and difficult- an aquifer may be unusable for decades. Groundwater can spread contamination far from the original polluting source.
Surface water fills our oceans, lakes, streams, ponds, and rivers. Surface water from freshwater sources (sources other than the ocean) provides water to more than 60% of homes in the U.S. Recent surveys performed by the EPA determined that nearly 1/2 of our rivers and streams and more than 1/3 of our lakes are polluted.
See EPA—Water Topics.
CONTAMINANTs
Nutrient pollution is the leading type of freshwater contamination in the U.S., occurring when an excess of nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) are added to surface waters. Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are found naturally in surface waters. When nutrients are added to water bodies, they cause excessive growth of algae, or algae blooms. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) remove oxygen from water, suffocating life in bodies of water and causing large die offs. Negative impacts from HABs on water quality, human and animal health and the economy can be significant. Some HABs can produce toxins that are harmful to humans and animals. These toxins can pose challenges to drinking water supplies.
See EPA—HABs, NOAA—Nutrient Pollution.
Pesticides including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides contaminate water through direct application, runoff, and atmospheric deposition. They can poison fish and wildlife, contaminate food sources, and destroy animal habitat.
Urbanization increases the variety and amount of pollutants carried into streams, rivers, and lakes. The most common contaminants from urban environments are sediment, vehicle chemicals, pesticides, nutrients, viruses/bacteria from pet waste and failing septic systems, road salts, and heavy metals.
data sources
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI): database that tracks the industrial management of harmful toxic chemicals, reported by certain industrial and federal facilities. Multiple online tools are available within this. The TRI Explorer provides specific information on the following:
Number of toxic chemical industrial and federal facilities in your area
Toxic chemical “releases” per square mile compared nationally to your area
Specific chemical or industry data
TRI Explorer Instructions: Open Tool > You will be on the Fact Sheets page > Select current year > Enter zip code, city & state, county & state, or state and click Submit > A map will be displayed with data on the number of facilities near you, as well as a comparison of your state releases per square mile.
Note: You do not need to select the Topic of Interest unless you are looking at a specific industry or chemical.
EPA- How’s My Waterway?: This platform compiles data on state-specific and local water quality, classifying conditions of water bodies/watersheds. This mapping tool also provides specific information on the following:
Number of water bodies
Water monitoring locations
Permitted dischargers
How’s My Waterway? Instructions: Open Tool > Under the Let’s get started! search box, enter address or zip code > Your watershed will be displayed on a map > At the right side of the page, an overview discussing conditions will be displayed. Conditions are classified as good (green), impaired (red), or condition unknown (purple). Explore categories such as Swimming, Eating Fish, Aquatic Life, Drinking Water, Water Monitoring, Restore, and Protect for more information on each of these topics in your area.
additional resources
EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS): EPA, state, and tribal surveys assessing the quality of U.S. waters. These surveys provide critical, groundbreaking, and nationally-consistent data that can be viewed by all.
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS): Federal reporting system tracking populations served by particular water systems, recording violations and site visits. The following data can be found:
System name and ID number
City/county and number of people served
System type (residential, transient, non-transient) and characteristics of system’s water source(s)
Whether the system operates year-round or seasonally
Information on violations of systems, including whether the system has failed to follow established monitoring and reporting schedules or comply with mandated treatment techniques
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) violations
Records of any failure to communicate required information to customers
Enforcement records, including actions states or EPA have taken to ensure system complies with regulations
Water Quality Data Portal (WQP): National Water Quality Monitoring Council portal combining 2 water quality databases, the National Water Information System (NWIS-USGS) and the Water Quality Exchange (WQX-EPA) to provide accessible, downloadable data.