A leading cause of thermal pollution is electric power plants. Electric power plants produce heat when they are burning natural gases or coal. The high temperatures can turn water into steam and in return produces electricity. In order for the plant to condense the steam, they circulate cool water next to the hot steam. Then, they dump the water back into the bodies of water.

Factories contribute to thermal pollution by dumping hot water into the bodies of water also. However, the water is used in factories to cool off their hot machinery.

The biggest and leading cause of thermal pollution is the removal of vegetation that normally provides shade to waters. Trees are cut down by man; animals may graze and eat away tall plants providing shade from the sun etc. As the water warms, so does the soil beneath the water creating mud, thus creating muddy water. The heat from the sun is absorbed faster in muddy water.

Runoff water also can cause thermal pollution. Concrete absorbs heat and can get very hot. Water running off concrete into waters also causes major problems with raising the temperatures of the water.

Fish normally are adapted to water in a certain temperature range. When that temperature range rises to extreme levels, the fish will either die if they cannot swim to a cooler temperature. All plant life adapts the same. However, plant life cannot move from its location and usually dies because of the extreme temperatures.

Thermal pollution is a problem with the water temperatures rising to temperatures unbearable to the creatures living in the waters. The major cause of thermal pollution is man-made, and there is something that can be done about it. We need to be more careful and pay attention to the things that are being dumped into the waters we rely on so much. Dumping water into water may not seem harmful, but we need to think about the temperatures and the shock we are putting the life that exists below into.