Annotated Bibliography

1) http://www1.american.edu/ted/projects/tedcross/xseap17.htm
This essay presents the dangers of water pollution and the adverse effects that water pollution has
on the environment. It notes that fact that water is the most essential element on Earth, and must
be protected. Not only do humans drink water, but a large amount of the food we intake comes
from the water. Polluted water leads to polluted food sources like fish, which many coastal
populations depend on. This is a reliable research essay. The author provided their own resources
as well to back up their statements. The purpose of this essay was to inform on the dangers of
water pollution.
2) My field journal is my source for this annotation.
This work experience shed light on how harmfully humans affect the water table around the
Charlotte area. During the cleanup we found heavy pollutants like old vehicle tires and even
shopping carts that had somehow found their way into the creek. Many other small pollutants
were picked up in the creek. The small pollutants can be mistaken as food to many animals that
live around creeks and if ingested, can potentially kill the victim. This source is reliable because
it is my own personal observations from cleaning up Briar Creek.
3) Water Quality, Exposure and Health A Scientific Journal, Andrew A. Meharg
Water Quality, Exposure and Health is a professional scientific journal that investigates the
health effects of poor water quality. It highlights the bioaccumulation of toxins along the food
chain as one organism consumes a toxin, and then that organism is consumed by a primary
predator and then the primary predator is consumed by the secondary predator. Toxin levels are
highest at the tertiary level of the food chain because virtually everything that they eat contains a
high level of toxins. This source is reliable as it is written by professionals that actually observe
and record their findings. The purpose of this journal is to inform the reader of the dangers of
toxins from water pollution.
4) http://www.unwater.org/statistics/en/?page=5&ipp=10&tx_dynalist_pi1%5Bpar
%5D=YToxOntzOjE6IkwiO3M6MToiMCI7fQ==
This site is provided by the UN and gives statistics on water quality around the globe. The stats
provided unveil some frightening facts about the declination of water quality around the globe.
One of the largest sources of water pollution is the Ganges River in India where trash and sewage
is openly dumped into the river. Areas around these highly polluted rivers also have much higher
rates of contracting water-borne illnesses such as cholera. The purpose of this site is to provide
realistic stats about the quality of water on the globe. The site is reliable because it comes
directly from the UN.
5) http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2007/07/deborah_swackhamer_intervi
ew.asp
This site contains an interview with an environmental chemist that is a professor in Minnesota.
She explains that many water pollutants around the Great Lakes come from agriculture sources.

Excess fertilizers and pesticides are a major issue when they enter water sources. Pesticides are
toxins intended to kill insects, which is a large quantity can also kill larger organisms. Fertilizers
can cause overgrowths of algae in water systems which can deplete the water of vital nutrients
needed for other organisms to survive. The purpose of this interview was to learn more about
water pollutants. This interview is assumed to be reliable because it was conducted with an
educative purpose.
6) http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act
The link above is the Clean Water Act, which was enacted to put limits on the amount and type
of pollutants that companies can dump into water sources. The law was enacted due to an
increase in awareness in the 1970s about the importance of clean water sources for the endurance
of life. The passing of the law effectively lowered to average percentage of pollutants in water
systems in the United States. The purpose of the law was to protect public interest in the quality
of water in America. The source is reliable because it comes directly from the EPA.
7) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140218114311.htm
The article on Science Daily is about the runoff of nitrogen based fertilizers into groundwater.
The study used a special type of monitoring technology and discovered that heavy use of
nitrogen based fertilizers led to significant levels of nitrate in groundwater, which can lead to
algal blooms in lakes and rivers and cause a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels in water. The
purpose of the study was to learn how fertilizers can affect the quality of water. The source is
reliable because the experiment was conducted for educational purpose.
8) http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/health.html
The link above is a water pollution guide. The guide educates readers on the dangers of water
pollution and also presents ideas on preventing and cleaning up water pollution. The guide also
speaks on the health defects that water pollutants can have on any organism that lives around the
areas that the pollution has occurred. The purpose of the source is to educate readers about water
pollution and the source is reliable because it is an organization dedicated to water pollution.
9) http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/effects-of-water-pollution.html
Eschooltoday provides an educational site that teaches readers about the sources of water
pollution and ways to help prevent pollution. The site gives off more of an adolescent vibe that
leads me to believe that it is intended for teaching children about water safety at an early age.
This approach to water pollution prevention is ideal because the teenagers of today will be the
decision makers of the future. It is important to teach young people about sustainability purposes.
This source is reliable because it is intended to educate people on various topics.
10) http://www.environmentalpollutioncenters.org/water/
The above link is another source that provides information about the dangers and consequences
that occur when water is polluted with toxins. Toxins in water systems pose serious health
concerns for all of the organisms of that ecosystem that depend on the water source. Heavy metal
pollutants in water can lead to birth defects and death in humans with just trace amounts.

Significantly less amounts of toxins are required to kill smaller organisms that live in ecosystems
around the point of the pollution. The purpose of this article is to educate on the dangers of water
pollution. The source is valid because it is created by an organization that studies various types
of environmental pollution.

Annotated Bibliography Reflection:

Water pollution is a topic that deserved to be studied because the lives of nearly every
organism on the planet has a dependence on clean water sources. Water is the most important
molecule on the planet. It is the primary ingredient in every living organism and that is why it
should be protected. The idea of water pollution probably appealed to me because of my
background and natural curiosity as a science major. Scientific things tend to catch my attention
and keep me interested.
Water pollution is a power topic because water is so important to everything on the
planet, as I previously stated. I believe that every person should have some sort of awareness to
the quality of the water that they use in their daily routines. For such a widely used resource, I
believe that many people take the quality of their water for granted and that is why I chose to
research on this topic.
I conducted my research primarily by googling different things that involved water
pollution. I intended to find a positive article about people favoring water pollution but an article
like that obviously did not exist. There is no positive approach to look at the issue. After finding
an article I would scan it to get the main idea, checked to see if the author was an organization or
an educated professional, and then I summarized the source and gave my reasoning for it being a
valid source.

I dont feel like I really learned much more about water pollution through conducting this
research. There is really only one thing to know about water pollution: it is BAD. I took AP
environmental science in high school, where water pollution was a topic that was highly focused
on by my instructor. I believe taking that class is the primary reason that I felt like this project
was more of a review over water pollution than a brand new learning experience.
My perspective on water pollution has not changed in any way. I still feel that every
person should make an effort to minimalize their waste. Companies that dump industrial wastes
into water systems should have to find new ways to get rid of their trash. People who litter are
scum to society, especially those who dump grocery carts into local creeks. I believe that my day
journal from my volunteer time with the Catawba River Keeper was my best source of
information for this research project. Being able to see my topic first hand was very enlightening
and I now feel much more responsible for continuing to maintain water systems around the area
where I live. I plan to continue volunteering with the Catawba River Keeper in the future.
One thing that I have learned throughout the process of this research project is not to
procrastinate on school work. Procrastination leads to sleepless nights during exam week where
you should be resting and studying for finals. Instead of doing nice things like sleeping, I get to
stay awake until 3 a.m. writing reflections and putting together my final portfolio for the end of
the semester. I really have enjoyed being able to research a topic of my choice and being able to
talk about something that I feel is very important to human sustainability.