What is a potential consequence of not adhering to water quality standards?

Not adhering to water quality standards can lead to significant negative effects on both human health and ecosystems. Water quality standards are established to protect public health and environmental integrity by ensuring that water bodies are free from harmful pollutants and pathogens. When these standards are ignored, contaminated water can lead to a variety of health issues, such as waterborne diseases that affect large populations. In addition, ecosystems rely on clean water for the survival of aquatic life and other organisms. Pollution can disrupt food chains, reduce biodiversity, and cause habitat degradation, ultimately leading to a decline in ecosystem services that support both wildlife and human communities.

Considering the other options, increased recreational water use may occur in cleaner waters, while non-compliance with standards would likely deter such activities. Decreased levels of municipal water treatment would not result since treatment protocols are designed to meet existing standards and protect public health. Lastly, the expansion of natural resource extraction is often counterproductive to water quality, with increased extraction activities typically leading to more pollution. Therefore, the most critical consequence of not adhering to water quality standards is indeed the detrimental impact on health and ecosystems.