Pollution and Water Quality
According to the United Nations, declining water quality has become a global issue of concern as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and climate change threatens to cause major alterations to the hydrological cycle. Resources available in this sub-theme include manuals describing water quality testing and treatment, reports and assessments of water quality from around the world, methods of maintaining water quality and managing pollution, and other resources that support enabling environments for effective water quality control.
Browse by resource type
Pollution and Water Quality Resources
Dealing With The Soup of Chemicals That Can Get Into Your Drinking Water
Published:
July 9, 2021All the things that go down the drain and end up at the wastewater treatment plant are not removed there. Some of the industrial byproducts that end up in sewers, the agricultural chemicals that runoff farmland, and pharmaceuticals that pass through our bodies all can end up in our streams and...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesAdverse Physical and Mental Health Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Among Gulf Coast Children: An Environmental Justice Perspective
Published:
July 9, 2021This study examines whether racial/ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status affected children's health after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It explores whether these risk factors affected children's health due to direct physical exposure to crude oil or dispersant household economic...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesEnvironmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?
Published:
July 13, 2021Low-income and minority communities often face disproportionately high pollutant exposures. The lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, has sparked concern about broader socioeconomic disparities in exposures to drinking water contaminants. Nitrate is commonly found in drinking water, especially in...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesMaking the Invisible Visible: Results of a Community-Led Health Survey Following PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water in Merrimack, New Hampshire
Published:
July 13, 2021In March 2016, citizens of Merrimack, New Hampshire, learned that their public water supply was contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). A subsequent state-led investigation revealed widespread contamination of both public and private well water with PFOA and several related chemicals,...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesApplying a Cumulative Risk Framework to Drinking Water Assessment: A Commentary
Published:
July 13, 2021The health risks of drinking water contaminants and the economic benefits of drinking water standards are typically assessed one chemical at a time, an approach that misses the health impacts of co-occurring contaminants in drinking water. In contrast, a cumulative risk framework has become common...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesPesticides and Water Quality
Published:
July 21, 2021Pesticides are used in agriculture, in homes and businesses, on lawns and gardens, along roads, in recreational areas, and on pets and livestock. There are hundreds of different pesticide chemicals in use in the United States. In 2007, about 390 million kilograms (430,000 tons) of pesticides,...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesRecreational Water Quality
Published:
July 21, 2021This web page provides an overview of USGS's research about recreational water quality. It includes related research, publications, news, and a collection of data and tools. The water quality of a nearby lake, a watershed, or along the coast can be enhanced only by collecting good information...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesGroundwater/Surface-Water Interaction
Published:
July 21, 2021USGS Integrated Watershed Studies seek to better understand and quantify the exchanges at the surface water/groundwater interface. This understanding is used to forecast how the chemical quality of water will change in response to changes in climate, land use, or management practices. Integrated...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesWater Quality After Wildfire
Published:
July 21, 2021Relatively new research has been aimed at the impacts of wildfires on the quality of drinking water and on water-dependent natural resources. Wildfires are devastating and can lead to long-term changes to the landscape. With a significant amount of our Nation's drinking water sources...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesGroundwater Quality
Published:
July 21, 2021Even though the ground is an excellent mechanism for filtering out particulate matter, such as leaves, soil, and bugs, dissolved chemicals and gases can still occur in large enough concentrations in groundwater to cause problems. Underground water can get contaminated by industrial, domestic, and...Read more
Regional focus:
United StatesDon't see what you're looking for? You can search USWP member sites, request a resource, or contact the USWP.