Question

A farmer applies chicken feces to his land and the feces contains trace amounts of antibiotics. During a heavy rain, some of the antibiotics wash into the Anacostia River and into the Chesapeake Bay. This kind of pollution is best described as a:

Select one:

a. non-point source

b. NPDES discharge

c. point source

d. RCRA hazardous waste

Answer 1

This is an example of non-point source pollution (as it is caused by natural rainfall washing up pollutants and carrying it away to a water body. This pollution can come under agricultural runoff which is a non-point source pollution).

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge deals with point source pollution, which is visible pollution from a factory or a pipe discharge or ships. This is incorrect option.

Point source pollution is the kind of discharge from a specific identifiable source along the water body like a factory, or sewage pipe or oil spill from ship. This is incorrect option.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) deals with hazardous wastes (harmful chemicals from refineries, photo processing or automobile sectors that dissolve in water and cause pollution). Antibiotic is not a hazardous waste. This is incorrect option.