Inland aquatic ecosystems include running waters (e.g. rivers, streams, thermal springs), standing waters (e.g. lakes, soda and saline lakes, ponds, even minute pools in some plants like bromeliads), and transitional wetlands. Freshwater environments are central to sustainability as inland waters provide drinking water, recreation, irrigation, industrial water, hydropower, fishing, wetland food production, waste discharge and floodplain hazards. Inland water uses are contentious because of dams, channelization, downstream pollution, invasive species, flood-control systems, sediment from hillslope impacts, and water level depletions.
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