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On the other hand, water conservation is the term for the action of conserving water. In short, water effeciency relates to the development and innovations which help use water more effeciently and water conservation is the act of saving or preserving water. [1] Climate change and other factors have increased pressure on natural water resources.
Beginning in the 20th century, designers of industrial and municipal sewage pollution controls typically utilized engineered systems (e.g. filters, clarifiers, biological reactors) to provide the central components of pollution control systems, and used the term "BMPs" to describe the supporting functions for these systems, such as operator training and equipment maintenance.
Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources. [4] Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain, a wastewater treatment plant, or an oil spill. Non-point sources are more diffuse.
Installing energy efficient lighting and appliances are a relatively cheap way to reduce pollution on a smaller scale. According to EPA, there are some everyday steps that can be taken to prevent pollution: Use paper in limited quantities, and print double-sided. Also, look for paper that has been made with recycled materials.
Water resource policy varies by region and is dependent on water availability or scarcity, the condition of aquatic systems, and regional needs for water. [5] Since water basins do not align with national borders, water resource policy is also determined by international agreements, also known as hydropolitics. [6]
In 2005, economic losses (mainly from air pollution) were calculated at 7.7% of China's GDP. This grew to 10.3% by 2002 and the economic loss from water pollution (6.1%) began to exceed that caused by air pollution. [18] China has been one of the top performing countries in terms of GDP growth (9.64% in the past ten years). [18]
Usually, permitted point sources of water pollution, such as wastewater treatment plants, have high discharge treatment costs, whereas nonpoint sources of water pollution, such as agriculture, have low costs of pollution reduction. Therefore, it is generally assumed that most trades would take place between point sources and nonpoint sources. [54]
Operators must use the BAT to control pollution from their industrial activities to prevent, and where that is not practicable, to reduce to acceptable levels, pollution to air, land and water from industrial activities. The Best Available Techniques also aim to balance the cost to the operator against benefits to the environment.