How does groundwater become polluted?

Ground water resides in aquifers (you can call them underground wells). These aquifers are interconnected as well as comnected to nearest water sources such as rivers. Periodically these aquifers are recharged either by vertical movement of rainwater or lateral underground movement from aquifer to aquifer or from water sources to aquifer.
Thus the contamination of groundwater has its reason in above two sources by:
1) Leaching of contaminants along with rainwater/irrigation water/industrial affluents
2) lateral flow of contaminated water from contaminated sources. e.g. in coastal areas, excess pumping of water leads to intrusion of sea water in the aquifers thus making water from these aquifers unfit for human use.
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Water is polluted when its composition has been altered in such a way that it is unfit for a particular purpose. The deterioration of groundwater quality can be caused directly or indirectly by human activities or natural processes, the combined action of both factors being more frequent. The groundwater pollution caused by human activity can be grouped into four groups: Urban and Domestic Pollution, Agricultural Pollution, Industrial Pollution, and Pumping-induced Contamination.

Urban and domestic pollution: Caused by the discharge of untreated domestic effluents into the hydrographic network, septic tanks, and dumps. Domestic effluents contain mineral salts, organic matter, non-biodegradable compost, viruses, and microorganisms. This type of pollution reaching the aquifer causes increased mineralization, increased temperature, the appearance of color, unpleasant taste and odor.

F - Mammals are endothermic in that we produce our own heat internally from the food we eat and the oxygen we breathe.