Groundwater Aquifers | Can aquifers become polluted?
Can aquifers become polluted?
Contamination is another problem. Leaking underground storage tanks may seep petroleum products into groundwater. Inadequate septic systems, sewage treatment plants, fertilizer runoff from farms, salt runoff from highways, and chemicals discharged from factories are other sources of pollution that can make groundwater unsuitable for humans to drink or use.
Pollution can come from specific, identified locations, called point sourcesAn identified source of pollution., or from scattered areas, called nonpoint sourcesAn unidentified source of pollution, which may actually be a number of sources.. Most groundwater pollution comes from nonpoint sources. Once an aquifer is polluted, it may remain that way for years.
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