More and more in this day and age we are informed about conditions where the quality of our water is not satisfactory enough for typical utilizations. Bacteria and microorganisms have gotten into drinking-water sources, occasionally causing acute illness in a town; chemical pollutants have been discovered in streams, jeopardizing plant and animal life; sewage spills have occurred, forcing people to boil their drinking water; pesticides and other chemicals have leaked into the ground and have harmed the water in aquifers; and, runoff containing pollutants from roads and parking lots have changed the water quality of urban streams.
Water quality has developed into a very big issue today, partly because of the remarkable growth of the nation’s population and urban expansion and development. Rural areas can also add to water-quality problems. Medium- to large-scale agricultural operations can produce in animal feed, purchased fertilizer, and manure, additional nitrogen and phosphorus than can be used by crops or animals.
These excess nutrients have the potential to degrade water quality if incorporated into runoff from farms into streams and lakes All this growth puts great stress on the natural water resources, and, if we are not diligent, the quality of our waters will suffer. I believe running water is cleaner than still water. Why is this so? Running water works like a natural filtration system. Debris is removed or filtered and ensures constantly moving water. In the process, not only is debris removed from the water, but a biological filtration happens, keeping the water clean via bacteria living in the gravel and in the filter media.
The system guarantees the water is continuously moving and never still. The power of running water can set particles in action. On the other hand still or stagnant water is a leading source of mosquito production and can lead to a major mosquito problem. Stagnant water can collect in many places around the home, such as birdbaths, empty ceramic pots, discarded tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters, and plastic wading pools to name just a few. Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing. Stagnant water can be a major environmental hazard experts say.
Between periods of use, water in the tub’s plumbing lines can become stagnant and grow bacteria or fungus. Stagnant water may be classified into the following basic, although overlapping, types: • Water body stagnation: stagnation in lakes, lagoons, rivers, etc. • Surface and ground water stagnation • Trapped water stagnation. The water may be trapped in human artifacts (discarded cans, plant pots, tires, dug-outs, roofs, etc. ), as well as in natural containers, such as hollow tree trunks, leaf sheaths, etc.
To keep away from ground and surface water stagnation, drainage of surface and subsoil is advised. Parts with a shallow water table are more vulnerable to ground water stagnation due to the lower availability of natural soil drainage. Additionally, excessive watering may cause ground or surface water stagnation. Pools of standing or slow-flowing water afford a breeding ground for many insects, including mosquitoes that can spread diseases. Most troubles with mosquitoes are because of still or stagnant water, not running water. Water has to stand for 5-7 successive days for mosquitoes to breed.
Moreover, streams, creeks and some ditches often contain fish and other wildlife that eat mosquitoes. If the pump is not flowing to circulate the water and there are no chemicals in the pool water, mosquitoes could breed in the pool water.
Reference: Natural protection of spring and well drinking water against surface microbial contamination. I. Hydrogeological parameters. Robertson,-J. B. ; Edberg,-S. C. Crit-rev-microbiol. Boca Raton, Fla. : CRC Press,. 1997. v. 23 (2) p. 143-178. NAL Call Number: QR1. C7 Descriptors: microbial-contamination. groundwater-. water-quality. water-pollution.