Which benefit of wastewater treatment helps maintain ecosystem balance?

Improvement of water quality is a crucial benefit of wastewater treatment that significantly helps maintain ecosystem balance. When wastewater is treated effectively, harmful pollutants, pathogens, and nutrients are removed from the water, leading to a cleaner, healthier environment. This enhancement of water quality is essential for supporting aquatic life, as cleaner water provides the necessary habitat for various organisms, promotes biodiversity, and helps maintain the overall health of aquatic ecosystems.

Moreover, better water quality contributes to the stability of food chains and reduces the likelihood of harmful algal blooms, which can deplete oxygen and harm fish and other aquatic species. By ensuring that the effluent released back into natural bodies of water meets safety and quality standards, wastewater treatment facilities help protect not only the flora and fauna but also human populations that depend on these ecosystems for recreation, drinking water, and other uses.

In contrast, other options such as harvesting of aquatic life, reduction of effluent flow, and increases in urban development may not directly support ecosystem health and balance in the same fundamental way that improvement of water quality does. While they can have their own benefits, they do not specifically address the direct impact on maintaining the integrity and functionality of ecosystems as effectively as improved water quality.