Effects of pollutants on the aquatic environment is a free course. It begins with an introduction to water and goes on to briefly outline the major sources of water pollution (these being sewage works, manufacturing and industrial plants, the farming and animal husbandry sectors, landfill sites and urban surface water run-off). It considers the major water pollutants and describes the effects they have on water.

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• list the major sources of water pollutants;
• describe the effects on water due to organic materials, plant nutrients and toxic, physical and biological pollutants;
• list the main diseases caused by microorganisms that can be carried by water.