Pollution and Water Quality

According to the United Nations, declining water quality has become a global issue of concern as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and climate change threatens to cause major alterations to the hydrological cycle. Resources available in this sub-theme include manuals describing water quality testing and treatment, reports and assessments of water quality from around the world, methods of maintaining water quality and managing pollution, and other resources that support enabling environments for effective water quality control.

Pollution and Water Quality Resources

Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Rivers and Streams

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This manual provides methods to assess water body nutrient impairment and develop ecoregion-specific nutrient criteria. The document provides background information on classifying rivers and streams, selecting criteria variables, designing monitoring programs, building a database analyzing...Read more

Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Lakes and Reservoirs

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This manual details the U.S. EPA's scientific recommendations regarding ambient concentrations of nutrients that protect resource quality and aquatic life. The guidance manual is intended to help the user develop criteria useful for abating cultural eutrophication.Read more
Regional/Country focus:
North America
United States

University of Michigan Water Center-Supported Large Research Grants

Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan
The Water Center has awarded over $4.6 million in large grants to bolster freshwater research and restoration and protection efforts throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond. This site includes factsheets for all Water Center large grants.Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States

University of Michigan Water Center-Supported Leveraging Resource Grants

Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan
The Water Center has awarded over $1 million in grants to support projects that leverage ongoing freshwater research and restoration and protection efforts in order to take them a step further. This site includes factsheets for all Water Center leveraging grants.Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States

Interactive Map of Eutrophication and Hypoxia

World Resources Institute
This interactive map represents 762 coastal areas impacted by eutrophication and/or hypoxia. There are 479 sites identified as experiencing hypoxia, 55 sites that once experienced hypoxia but are now improving, and 228 sites that experience other symptoms of eutrophication, including algal blooms,...Read more

World Water Day: How Cities Cause "Dead Zones"

World Resources Institute
World Water Day this year focuses on "Water for Cities," but what about water from cities? Urban runoff is one of the biggest threats to water quality around the world, with serious impacts on economies and people. However, it's a problem that most cities are only starting to address.Read more

Protecting Waterways from a Deadly Problem

World Resources Institute
This article examines why nutrient pollution emerges as one of the greatest threats to water quality. Using examples such as in the Chesapeake Bay, where large schools of jellyfish scare away swimmers. In the Gulf of Mexico, a 3,000 square mile "dead zone"" threatens a multi-billion...Read more

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