The Issue of Water Pollution in The Drinking Water in Brisbane

Everybody knows humans need pure drinking water to sustain life. But are Brisbane residents drinking clean water? The water pollution problem in Brisbane is beginning to get out of hand. If something is not done soon, it will be too late to do anything. When people picture water pollution, they normally think of muddy water, but Brisbanes problem goes much deeper than that. Physical and chemical pollutants have contributed to the problem, and things are continually getting worse.

Physical pollutants have been the most common causes of pollution in Brisbane. This is because they can be seen by the naked eye. Brisbanes lakes and streams have been infested with things like garden waste, litter, soils, animal remains, shopping trolleys and even dumped car bodies. These pollutants do not sound serious, but they actually stop oxygen from being produced in the water. With less oxygen, marine life die, and algae thrive in the oxygen-depleted water. Brisbane also has many chemical infested waters. Illegal dumping of waste and urban run off have all been major contributors to the problem.

Chemicals found in Brisbanes lakes include Pesticides, PCBs, and PCPs. They are all very toxic chemicals, and can have a devastating effect if consumed by humans or marine life. They also reduce the amount of oxygen produced in the water, once again encouraging the growth and reproduction of algae. It is much harder to clean chemical pollutants out of the water than physical pollutants. The process of cleaning chemicals from water is expensive and takes a long time. It is also a fact that once water has been infected with chemicals, it can not be made entirely pure again.

Although it is much easier to clean out physical pollution, it is never easy to clean out the resulting algae. This is also a long and expensive process. The water is also never entirely purified from this pollutant. Proof can be deducted by letting a glass of tap water sit still for an hour. You will see a deposit of dirt on the bottom of the cup. What can be done about this problem? The State Government has come up with an easy plan. Dont dump your rubbish in waterways! They have also made it illegal for industry businesses to dump their unwanted toxic waste into our waterways.

With the government looking after the waterways pollutant problem, there is not much left for the individual to do. However, if everybody stops dumping rubbish, Brisbane City will have much cleaner waterways, and as a result, cleaner drinking water.