What gets into my water?
The White River is the main source of water for Muncie, Indiana. The Prairie Creek Reservoir is a backup water supply at times when the White River is low. Muncie also draws drinking water from a well. It is important to understand what pollutes our water so we can work on drinking cleaner water. To see specific parameters measured in the White River watershed CLICK HERE
What is Non-Point Source Pollution?
Non point source pollution (NPS), unlike pollution from industrial and wastewater treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. It is caused by rainfall. snowmelt, or water usage that is moving over through the ground. As run-off moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, and even our underground sources of drinking water.
These Pollutants can be divided into different groups based upon there sources. There are nutrient, sediment, and toxin pollutants.
Nutrient Pollutants-come from decaying organic matter naturally but are also added to the environment through the usage of fertilizers, leaking septic tanks, manure, and surface run-off
- Phosphates
- Nitrates
- Ammonia
Sediment Pollutants-picked up by water through run-off after rainstorms, sediments in water pose as a solid for contaminants to bind to
- Clay
- Silt
- Sand
Toxic Pollutants (Atrazine)-enter water through run-off or from discharge from a plant or factory
- Fertilizers
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
- Cleaning Supplies