Clean freshwater is one of our most essential resources. Nowhere is there life without water. American and Chilean scientists research and test water sources all over the world, in search of uncontaminated water. The instruments they used in their high-resolution laboratory could detect chemical compounds in the water up to two parts per million.
The team of scientists determined that the cleanest water in the world was in the Patagonia region of Chile, Puerto Williams. Water samples were collected from the Ukika River, Bronzes River, Bass River, and Laguna Los Guanacos, among other sources of freshwater. “Our results confirm that these waters are clean, the cleanest on this planet,” said University of North Texas scientist, Guido Verbeck.
Water can be polluted by a wide variety of substances, including pathogenic microorganisms, putrescible organic waste, fertilizers and plant nutrients, toxic chemicals, sediments, heat, petroleum (oil), and radioactive substances. Several types of water pollutants are considered below. (For a discussion of the handling of sewage and other forms of waste produced by human activities, Water pollutants come from either point sources or dispersed sources. A point source is a pipe or channel, such as those used for discharge from an industrial facility or a city sewerage system.
A dispersed (or nonpoint) source is a very broad unconfined area from which a variety of pollutants enter the water body, such as the runoff from an agricultural area. Point sources of water pollution are easier to control than dispersed sources because the contaminated water has been collected and conveyed to one single point where it can be treated. Pollution from dispersed sources is difficult to control, and, despite much progress in the building of modern sewage treatment plants, dispersed sources continue to cause a large fraction of water pollution problems. To make our future perfect we must protect water sources as we can.