Eutrophication Water pollution in rivers and lakes

Eutrophication is a type of chemical contamination of waters. It occurs when there is an excessive supply of nutrients to an aquatic ecosystem.

It is a process natural or caused by the man who is causes by the increase of the quantity of nutrients increasing this way the quantity of phytoplankton, which causes the loss of transparency of the water and increases this way the decomposition of the organic matter.

Causes

1.      High amount of rainfall that carry pesticides or fertilizers applied on soil.

2.      The proliferation of the algae in surface diminishes the transparency of the water and as only the vegetables placed in the surface they can realize the photosynthesis, there die the placed ones in the deepest zones.

3.      On having increased the vegetables, they consume oxygen, provoking the disappearance of the fish

4.      The integration to the lakes of oil, petrol, solvents and detergents from the domestic and industrial unloads

5.      Finally there takes place the death of all the animals. The lake dies.

Measures to avoid the eutrophication

The most effective thing to fight against this type of pollution is to diminish the quantity of phosphates and nitrates in the spillages, in specific:

• To store adequately the manure that is used in agriculture.
• To use the fertilizers more efficiently.
• To use less pollutant crops 

Sandra Martinez Ruiz y Fuensanta Hernández Salmerón