How do we know when water is polluted?

Answer 1

If your water is treated by your local Water Authority, then they will certify if it is fit for drinking (potable) or not. If there is some local contamination, then they should notify you of what to do. It is common in cases of flood and earthquake where water has become polluted that people are warned to boil water before drinking.

If you get your water from a well or other source like a stream or river, then it is difficult to know how clean it is. If the water is from a small stream high in the mountains and you know there are no factories or dead animals further up the mountain, then you can drink the water safely. Few people are in that fortunate situation.

If there is any doubt, then boil the water with a rapid bubbling for at least two minutes before using. (There are various other ways of doing this. One is using sunlight for several hours on water in plastic bottles.) This will kill any live organisms that can cause diarrhoea and other nasty tummy bugs. But it will not remove heavy metals and other pollutants.

You may also be able to send a sample away for analysis.

Answer 2

Polluted water is actually really easy to identify. The water will be a different color than the regular drinkable water. Except if you see contaminated water, than it's actually invisible. Never bring a water bottle filled with filtered water, and fill it up with tap water. That's what makes contaminated water which if you drink, you can get really sick.

Answer 3

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