Land and water use in the USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land and water use in the USA - Research Paper Example he manmade pollution of the water bodies by dumping of chemicals and intentional applications of pesticides and over the surface, certainly affects the water quality, underground or above the surface. Hence, it is necessary that use of land should suit the water available in the area, while care must be taken to avoid the contamination of water, at all levels. In addition, it is equally essential that water is not wasted, while it is used for irrigation and other purposes. This is particularly important, as the population grows and the per capita demand of water increases. However, with the limited resources of water, excess use of same for land irrigation and other purposes may leave us without sufficient drinking water. In most of the cases, the land is not used properly but misused intentionally, to maximize profits from the agricultural and industrial produce. This human activity certainly contaminates the area surrounding the particular region, along with the ground water of the area. However, the criteria for determining the magnitude of contamination of water in certain area would involve considering the process of contamination, while referring to different underground water sources. For example, the water in a well can be contaminated while the water charge for the same passes through the comminuted area before reaching the well. Accordingly, every well has a â€Å"contributing area†, which is responsible for the water quality in the well. Similarly the water bodies like streams, lakes and rivers can have contaminated water, which depends on the land use of their contributing area. The following guide map shows an indicative pattern of pollutants that occur either freely or are genera ted by manmade activities. The rainfall in the area accelerates the movement of these contaminants. The naturally moving contaminants are shown as white arrows, while the hatched arrows indicate the flow of other pollutants, resulting due to human activities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦(