Question

Obtain a water quality report from your local municipality (Los Angeles) within the last two years and discuss what you found in the report? Identify a water quality issue happening in your community and where the pollution comes from? This includes point sources (for example, water discharge from a factory; contamination from a Superfund site), Non-point sources (for example, agricultural runoff), and Natural sources. Describe how the pollution source is impacting the environment and human health in your community, and provide two examples of each.

Answer 1

Water pollution in Los Angeles is caused by point and nonpoint sources. Urban runoff and untreated sewage discharge are two examples of pollution that impact the environment and human health in the community.

Step-by-step explanation:

Water pollution can be caused by both point sources and nonpoint sources. Point sources are identifiable and small locations, such as animal factory farms and pipes from factories or sewage treatment plants.

Nonpoint sources, on the other hand, are large and diffuse areas, like agricultural fields or cities. In Los Angeles, one water quality issue is urban runoff, which is a nonpoint source of pollution.

When it rains, storm water picks up pollutants like oil, antifreeze, and road salt from urban areas and carries them into surface water bodies.

This pollution impacts the environment by harming aquatic wildlife and degrading water quality, which can have negative effects on human health.

For example, exposure to contaminated water can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses and other health problems. Another example of point source pollution in Los Angeles is the discharge of untreated sewage from combined sewer systems during heavy rain, which can contaminate surface waters and pose health risks to the public.