Big Business Water Contamination
Water contamination that requires more and more money to be spent on water filtering can come from many sources. One of these sources is big businesses, where manufacturers have been contaminating water for years in the name of industry. There are several ways manufacturers can contaminate water, and while many are working to become environmentally friendly, there are still many problems caused by businesses that contaminate natural water.
Heated Water
Businesses and manufacturers that use water may use it in cooling down processes. Manufacturers that do this can include nuclear power plants and food production plants, and they end up contaminating water and harming delicate aquatic ecosystems by pumping the heated water out into nearby habitats. This not only kills the animals whose habitat is now far too hot for them to survive, but also chokes the water with the decay process so there is very little oxygen left for life to continue and regenerate.
While this can create dead zones in water environments, there are easy solutions to the problem. One solution some businesses are using is to cool the water by using it for other purposes. Another that many manufacturers choose to use is a system in which they pump the heated water into a man-made marsh. Then when it is cool, it slowly drains into the natural nearby water.
Chemical Contaminants
Either from runoff, accidents, or intentional contamination, many manufacturers contaminate fresh water sources with chemicals. Some of these businesses include industrial metal working businesses and manufacturers of almost any product on the market. These chemicals can include anything from arsenic to cyanide and are either purposefully dumped or are disposed of improperly, and the runoff makes it into fresh water sources.
Manufacturers looking to clean up such chemicals before they make it to clean water sources and contaminate them can either do so by filtering wastewater and disposing of the chemicals properly, or by pumping to wastewater treatment facilities. By doing this, businesses avoid large fines from the EPA which regulates manufacturing pollution to water sources.
Natural Wastes
From milk left over from a dairy farm to the stems off peppers, there are all kinds of natural waste from big business and industry. Natural waste not only contaminates water that it leaks into with organic materials, but frequently there are also chemicals in those organic pieces. The natural waste rots within the water, the decay process sucking up a large amount of oxygen and leaving it nearly impossible for fish and plants to live. It also chokes the water so that sunlight has a hard time getting through.
Big businesses and manufacturers that want to make sure this doesn�t become a problem can dispose of natural waste easily. Most natural waste is treated like sewage and can be pumped away for wastewater treatment or disposed of in another appropriate manor. Natural waste is very damaging because of the live bacteria that can be thriving in it when it is decomposing.
Greywater
Many manufacturers and big businesses rely heavily on water to make their products and services available. Businesses like carwashes are especially notable for this because they produce a lot of greywater that strains natural resources. The soap and chemicals in the wastewater are hard to treat in the water and cause a great deal of damage if the greywater is pumped directly into streams.
The massive amounts of greywater can easily be reused though, taking the strain off local water sources and wastewater treatment facilities. Many businesses like carwashes are utilizing greywater recycling by filtering their greywater to use again in their businesses. Other businesses are conserving water by only using it when it is absolutely needed in the processes.
While most big businesses are working on being more environmentally friendly, there are still many out there that are contaminating water with a variety of contaminants. The EPA has staunch guidelines of what can and cannot be dumped into water habitats, but by the time the damage is noticed, it is usually too late to save the ecosystem. This means even more money in the long run for big business and manufacturers.
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