MedlinePlus: Water Pollution

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- Services and providers for Water Pollution in the U.S.
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National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Water Pollution is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Water Pollution

We all need clean water. People need it to grow crops and to operate factories, and for drinking and recreation. Fish and wildlife depend on it to survive.

Many different pollutants can harm our rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. The three most common are soil, nutrients and bacteria. Rain washes soil into streams and rivers. The soil can kill tiny animals and fish eggs. It can clog the gills of fish and block light so plants die. Nutrients, often from fertilizers, cause problems in lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Nitrogen and phosphorus make algae grow and can turn water green. Bacteria, often from sewage spills, can pollute fresh or salt water.

Environmental Protection Agency

Start Here

Primer on Water Quality(U.S. Geological Survey)
Where Does All the Dirty Water Go?(Environmental Protection Agency) - Links to PDF

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Prevention/Screening	Specific Conditions Related Issues	Tutorials
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles	Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations	Children

Overviews
- Water Quality(U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Water Quality)
Prevention/Screening
- Do's and Don'ts Around the Home(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water)
- Protecting Water Quality from Agricultural Runoff(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water) - Links to PDF
- Protecting Water Quality from Urban Runoff(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water) - Links to PDF
Specific Conditions
- Acid Rain(Environmental Protection Agency)
  Also available in Spanish
- Beach Pollution(Environmental Protection Agency)
- Biological Hazards in Sewage and Wastewater Treatment Plants(Center to Protect Workers' Rights) - Links to PDF
- Contaminated Sediment in Water(Environmental Protection Agency)
- Facts About Cyanobacteria and Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Marine and Freshwater Toxins(Oceans and Human Health Center)
- Oil and Chemical Spills: Frequently Asked Questions(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
- Pfiesteria: Facts about a Coastal Concern(National Sea Grant Office)
Related Issues
- Coastal Watershed Factsheets(Environmental Protection Agency)
- Wastewater Treatment Systems(NSF International)
- Watersheds(Environmental Protection Agency)
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Tutorials
- Tox Town(National Library of Medicine)
  Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Protozoan Infections(National Institutes of Health)
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Research
- Harmful Algal Blooms(National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Water Science Glossary of Terms(U.S. Geological Survey)
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Directories
- Beach Advisory and Closing On-line Notification(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water)
- Fish Advisories(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water)
- Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program(Environmental Protection Agency)
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Organizations
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Children
- Fish Kids(Environmental Protection Agency)
- What's Up with Our Nation's Waters?(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water) - Large PDF file
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