water pollution

Cultural  

1. The addition of harmful chemicals to natural water. Sources of water pollution in the United States include industrial waste, run-off from fields treated with chemical fertilizers, and run-off from areas that have been mined.

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Example Sentences

Water pollution and habitat fragmentation have pummeled many of these freshwater mussels to the edge of extinction—they’re the most endangered group of animals in the U.S.

From National Geographic • Dec. 12, 2023

Water pollution: The Chevron El Segundo facility on Santa Monica Bay was ranked the large water polluter of nitrogen and selenium in 2021, a new study finds.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2023

Water pollution accounted for 1.4 million deaths, while lead poisoning took close to a million lives.

From Washington Post • May 17, 2022

Water pollution from agricultural, urban and other sources has triggered algae blooms that have decimated seagrass beds on which manatees depend.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 16, 2022

Water pollution experts throughout the United States are concerned by the fact that detergents are now a troublesome and practically universal contaminant of public water supplies.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson