GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A point-source pollutant is one that reaches water from a single pipeline or channel, such as a sewage discharge or outfall pipe. Dispersed sources are broad, unconfined areas from which pollutants enter a body of water.

Detailed explanation-2: -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines point source pollution as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.” Factories and sewage treatment plants are two common types of point sources.

Detailed explanation-3: -A point source is a single, identifiable source of pollution, such as a pipe or a drain. Industrial wastes are commonly discharged to rivers and the sea in this way.

Detailed explanation-4: -Unlike water pollutants that come from a single-point source (such as factories or wastewater treatment plants) nonpoint source pollutants originate from a variety of locations and are carried into storm drainage systems and creeks by storm water and other runoff.

Detailed explanation-5: -Examples include smokestacks, discharge pipes, and drainage ditches. Factories and power plants can be a source of point-source pollution, affecting both air and water. Smokestacks may spew carbon monoxide, heavy metal, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, or “particulate matter” (small particles) into the air.