ABSTRACT
I. WATER POLLUTANTS Pollutants can originate from either a point source or a dispersed source. A point source is a channel, pipe, or any other confined source such as a pipe discharging wastewater treatment plant effluent or untreated wastewater into a stream. A dispersed source is an unconfined area from which pollutants enter a body of water. For example, surface runoff from agricultural and urban areas carrying such pollutants as silt, fertilizers, animal wastes, pesticides, and oil drips do not enter at one particular point. These materials can enter a body of water as it flows through the area. Also, acidic runoff from mining areas is a dispersed pollutant.
