River pollution

1.

2. The King River

The King river in Tasmania is
thought to be the most polluted
river in Australia.
For about 70 years, it was used to
dump the mining waste from a
nearby copper mine. It’s now so
acidic that nothing can live in it.
Photo courtesy of Riverhugger - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

3. Murray-Darling Basin

The major water source for food
production in Australia is the
Murray-Darling basin. This river
system has become unhealthy due
to the overuse of the water and
pollution flowing into it from
different sources.
The challenge for Australia is to
make sure the water in the basin is
managed sustainably.

4. River Rubbish

River pollution can have serious effects.
Fresh water can become so polluted that
plants and animals can die.
Rubbish can be dumped in rivers
rather than placed into bins.
Pesticides and
fertilisers put on
crops can be
washed into rivers.
Waste materials
from factories
can be piped
into rivers.

5. Interesting Fact!

The Rhine is one of the longest
and dirtiest rivers in Europe. In
1986, after a fire at a factory in
Switzerland, more than 30,000kg
of chemicals spilled into the river.
For about 200km downstream, all
living things died.
Photos courtesy of sfmission.com, Kecko, onnola (@flickr.com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

6. Interesting Fact!

Our drinking water comes from
the water in the water cycle.
It is filtered and purified before it reaches our
taps. Not all countries are fortunate enough
to have this. Some have very basic water
filters to make their water clean to drink.

7. Making a Water Filter

You can make your own water filter using a plastic bottle, sand, water,
soil, a paper coffee filter and a jug.
What you will need:

8. Making a Water Filter

Carefully cut the top
from your plastic bottle
about 10cm down from
the lid. Place the top
upside down inside the
bottle and tap it firmly
into place.
Position the filter
paper inside the bottle
top. Spoon a layer of
sand into the filter.
Pour enough water on
to the sand to make it
wet.
Mix soil and water
into the jug. Slowly
pour the muddy
mixture on to the wet
sand inside the filter.
Watch the water pass
through the sand and
collect in the bottom
of the bottle.

9. Making a Water Filter

Now, study the water in the bottom of the bottle.
It will look cleaner; however, it is definitely not fit to drink! Our
drinking water is filtered many times before it’s ready to drink.
Compare your filtered
water with tap water and
see if there is a difference.

10. Filtration

Water filters can use two different techniques to
remove dirt. Physical filtration means straining water
to remove larger impurities.
Another method of filtering, chemical
filtration, involves passing water through
a chemical that removes impurities.