Student Resource Pages - Source Pollution
Trash in Water
Source pollution happens when people put things into the water on purpose. Throwing bottles, tires, candy wrappers or dumping paint or used motor oil right into the water all give examples of source pollution.
Source pollution can be traced to one person or place. You can "point" your finger at it!
Examples of Source Pollution:
Motor Oil
Motor Oil in Water
Danger: Motor oil in the water coats fish's gills, causing them to suffocate since fish need their gills to breathe. When people dump used motor oil directly into the water, we call it "source pollution."
Illegal Dumping or Discharges
Danger: "Illegal" means "against the law" so when a person or a business dumps something like chemicals, car batteries, or tires into the water that's breaking the law.
"Discharge" is yucky stuff from factories dumped right into the water.
Discharge into Water
Dumping or discharging some types of chemicals isn’t just illegal, it’s dangerous. It can make fish and people really sick!