What the difference between wastewater and polluted water?

Wastewater refers to any water that has been used and contains contaminants, including sewage from households, industrial discharges, or stormwater runoff. Polluted water, on the other hand, is water that has been degraded by harmful substances, making it unsafe for human use or harmful to aquatic ecosystems. While all wastewater is technically polluted to some degree, not all polluted water is classified as wastewater, as it can include water from natural sources contaminated by pollutants. Essentially, wastewater is a specific subset of polluted water with identifiable sources.