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Effects of Ground Pollution

The environment and its ecosystems exist in a delicate balance. When something comes along to upset the balance of nature, it can take years or even centuries for balance to be restored. For this reason, any type of land pollution is of concern and should be eliminated as much as possible. If pollution has already occurred, the affected area must be cleaned up immediately to make the land once again habitable for indigenous species.

  1. Mining

    • Pollution from large-scale mining operations, especially strip mines that completely clear the land, can have wide-ranging effects. When mines, particularly coal mines, strip away the soil, huge soil piles are abandoned rather than reused to replace the topsoil and repair the habitat for plants and animals. Waste piles create mud flows during rain events. Acids used to leach out materials from ore seep into the soil or remain in large ponds that contaminate the entire area around them. The effect on the environment and especially on local ecosystems can last many, many years if the area is not restored.

    Chemical Pollution

    • Chemicals contaminate the land when agricultural businesses use too much pesticide and the chemicals wash into neighboring fields, killing beneficial insects, invertebrates, and small mammals. Other chemicals that pollute the land include oil, paint, and gasoline. Gasoline from underground tanks can leak into the surrounding soil, requiring expensive remediation, in which all of the soil must be excavated and taken away from the site. Extra paint or oil that has been discarded off the side of the road or dumped into an open field can kill off plants and animals and throw an ecosystem out of balance.

    Litter and Waste

    • Litter and other waste material, such as discarded household items like furniture or even cars, can affect the environment by clogging waterways as they are washed away by rain. Chemicals such as preservatives in wood or oil and grease in car engines can also leach out into the environment. Another source of waste that can harm or even destroy habitat is raw sewage from humans or domesticated animals. Sewage spills or dumping will cause contamination of the soil and water sources, making them uninhabitable by plants, insects, and animals.

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