Water Contamination In The United States

According to UNICEF about 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to clean water. In the U.S. 40% of rivers and 46% of lakes are so polluted/contaminated that they are considered unhealthy for swimming and too contaminated for fishing. The water is so contaminated that there are usually no aquatic life living in it. Even though some people believe that water contamination is inevitable and will be impossible to stop, water contamination is still a serious problem worldwide because chemical waste contaminates the water which poison fish that end up being pass down the food chain to us humans and water contamination spreads deadly diseases which causes about 2 million deaths per year.
Now that we have a better understanding of the problems caused by water contamination. Where is contaminated water located? Contaminated water is found everywhere on our planet. Water contamination mostly happens in third world/developing countries, but still can happen in the U.S. and other first world countries (Kalchev).
Why is the water contaminated? There are 2 types of water-pollution sources. They are called point and nonpoint sources. (The Truth about Environmental Hazards). Point sources include factories, sewage treatment plants, boats, and ships that directly polluted/contaminate the water. Nonpoint sources include runoff from farms, mines, paved roads that eventually spread pollutants to waterways. Chemicals, pesticides, and sewage contaminate the water which creates a health hazard for us humans. Everyday sewage and trash is being dumped into rivers, lakes, and oceans. These pollutants can make water unsafe and are very harmful/dangerous to animals, plants, and especially us humans. Humans create almost all of the pollution that finds its way in water. Us humans is why so many 3rd world/developing countries don’t have clean water because we continue to pollute the water