Water Pollution

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Water Pollution
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Outline

• Types and Effects of Water Pollution
• Point vs. Non-Point Sources
• Water Quality Today
• Groundwater
• Ocean
• Water Pollution Control
• Source Reduction
• Municipal Sewage Treatment
• Water Legislation
• Clean Water Act (1972)

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WATER POLLUTION

• Any physical, biological, or chemical change in
  water quality that adversely affects living
  organisms can be considered pollution.
• Point Sources - Discharge pollution from specific
  locations.
• Factories, Power plants
• Non-Point Sources - Scattered or diffuse, having
  no specific location of discharge.
• Agricultural fields, Feedlots

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Point Source Pollution
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Point Source Pollution

• Pollutants that are coming from a concentrated
  originating point like a pipe from a factory or a
  large registered feedlot with a specific point of
  discharge.
• Point Source Pollution is registered sources of
  potential pollution and is regulated by federal,
  state and local laws.

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Point Source Pollution

• On-site septic systems
• Leaky tanks or pipelines containing petroleum
  products
• Leaks or spills of industrial chemicals at
  manufacturing facilities
• Underground injection wells (industrial waste)
• Municipal landfills
• Livestock wastes
• Leaky sewer lines
• Chemicals used at wood preservation facilities
• Mill tailings in mining areas
• Fly ash from coal-fired power plants
• Sludge disposal areas at petroleum refineries
• Land spreading of sewage or sewage sludge
• Road salt storage areas
• Wells for disposal of liquid wastes
• Runoff of salt and other chemicals from roads and
  highways
• Spills related to highway or railway accidents
• Coal tar at old coal gasification sites
• Asphalt production and equipment cleaning sites

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Non-Point Source Pollution
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Non-Point Source Pollution

• NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt
  moving over and through the ground.
• As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away
  natural and human-made pollutants
• States report that nonpoint source pollution is
  the leading remaining cause of water quality
  problems.
• We know that these pollutants have harmful
  effects on drinking water supplies, recreation,
  fisheries, and wildlife.

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Preventing Non-Point Source Pollution

• Federal Ensuring that federal lands are
  properly managed to reduce soil erosion.
• State Developing legislation to govern mining
  and logging, and to protect groundwater.
• Local Zoning or erosion control ordinances.
• Individual Practicing conservation and by
  changing certain everyday habits.
• Read http//www.epa.gov/owow/nps/dosdont.html

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Non-Point Source Pollutants

• SNAPSATT
• Sediment (Wind and water erosion of soils from
  improperly managed construction sites, crop and
  forest lands, and eroding streambanks)
• Nutrients (Fertilizer, animal wastes, sewage
  treatment plants)
• Animal Wastes (Bacteria like fecal coliform, and
  nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty
  septicsystems)
• Pesticides (Excess fertilizers, herbicides,
  fungicides,and insecticides from agricultural
  lands and residential areas)
• Salt (from irrigation practices, acid drainage
  from abandoned mines, and applied road salt)
• Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are
  also sources of nonpoint source pollution.
• Toxics (Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from
  urban runoff and energy production and other
  manufactured and refined products like paints and
  anti-freeze)
• Thermal (changing water temperatures)

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Sediments

• Human activities have accelerated erosion rates
  in many areas.
• Human-induced erosion and runoff contribute about
  75 billion metric tons of suspended solids to
  world surfaces each year.
• Sediment can either be beneficial (nourish
  floodplains) or harmful (smother aquatic life).

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Atmospheric Deposition

• Contaminants carried by air currents and
  precipitated into watersheds or directly onto
  surface waters.
• Estimated 600,000 kg of the herbicide atrazine in
  the Great Lakes.
• Most thought to have been deposited from the
  atmosphere.
• Contaminants can also evaporate from lakes.

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Infectious Agents

• Main source of waterborne pathogens is improperly
  treated human waste.
• Animal wastes from feedlots and fields is also
  important source of pathogens.
• At least 2.5 billion people in less developed
  countries lack adequate sanitation, and about
  half of these lack access to clean drinking water.

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Infectious Agents

• In developed countries, sewage treatment plants
  and pollution-control devices have greatly
  reduced pathogens.
• Coliform bacteria - Intestinal bacteria.
• Drinking water generally disinfected via
  chlorination.

Note Fecal coliform is found in Wheeler Creek
which our little stream behind the school feeds
into! This is why W.C. is classified as
impacted.
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Oxygen-Demanding Wastes

• Water with an oxygen content gt 6 ppm will support
  desirable aquatic life.
• Water with lt 2 ppm oxygen will support mainly
  detritivores and decomposers.
• Oxygen is added to water by diffusion from wind
  and waves, and by photosynthesis from green
  plants, algae, and cyanobacteria.
• Oxygen is removed from water by respiration and
  oxygen-consuming processes.

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Oxygen-Demanding Wastes

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand - Amount of dissolved
  oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms.
• Dissolved Oxygen Content - Measure of dissolved
  oxygen in the water.
• Effects of oxygen-demanding wastes on rivers
  depend on volume, flow, and temperature of river
  water.
• Oxygen Sag - Oxygen levels decline downstream
  from a pollution source as decomposers metabolize
  waste materials.

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Oxygen Sag
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Plant Nutrients and Cultural Eutrophication

• Oligotrophic - Bodies of water that have clear
  water and low biological productivity.
• Eutrophic - Bodies of water that are rich in
  organisms and organic material.
• Eutrophication - Process of increasing nutrient
  levels and biological productivity.
• Cultural Eutrophication - Increase in biological
  productivity and ecosystem succession caused by
  human activities.

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Toxic Tides

• Red tides - dinoflagellate blooms - have become
  increasingly common in slow-moving and shallow
  waters.
• Pfiesteria piscicida is a poisonous
  dinoflagellate recently recognized as a killer of
  fish and shellfish in polluted waters.
• Under proper conditions, a population explosion
  can produce a dense bloom reproducing either
  asexually or sexually.

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What is a Red Tide?
During the reproductive riot of the bloom, warm,
shallow seawater tends to become discoloured by
the sheer concentration of algae seeking the
sunlight. This discolouration is a result of the
various pigments the plants use to trap sunlight
depending on the species of algae present, the
water may reflect pink, violet, orange, yellow,
blue, green, brown, or red. Since red is the
most common pigment, the phenomenon has come to
be called Red Tide.
Video
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Inorganic Pollutants

• Metals
• Many metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and
  nickel are highly toxic.
• Highly persistent and tend to bioaccumulate in
  food chains.
• Lead pipes are a serious source of drinking water
  pollution.
• Mine drainage and leaching are serious sources of
  environmental contamination.

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Inorganic Pollutants

• Nonmetallic Salts
• Many salts that are non-toxic at low
  concentrations can be mobilized by irrigation and
  concentrated by evaporation, reaching levels
  toxic to plants and animals.
• Leaching of road salts has had detrimental effect
  on many ecosystems.
• Acids and Bases
• Often released as by-products of industrial
  processes.

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Organic Chemicals

• Thousands of natural and synthetic organic
  chemicals are used to make pesticides, plastics,
  pharmaceuticals, pigments, etc..
• Two most important sources of toxic organic
  chemicals in water are
• Improper disposal of industrial and household
  wastes.
• Runoff of pesticides from high-use areas.
• Fields, roadsides, golf courses

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Pesticide Runoff
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Thermal Pollution

• Raising or lowering water temperatures from
  normal levels can adversely affect water quality
  and aquatic life.
• Oxygen solubility in water decreases as
  temperatures increase.
• Species requiring high oxygen levels are
  adversely affected by warming water.

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Thermal Pollution

• Industrial cooling processes often use
  heat-exchangers to extract excess heat, and then
  discharge heated water back into original source.
• Thermal Plume
• Produce artificial environments which attract
  many forms of wildlife.
• Can lead to large die-offs if plume disappears
  for extended period of time.

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WATER QUALITY TODAY

• Areas of Progress
• Clean Water Act (1972) established a National
  Pollution Discharge System which requires a
  permit for any entity dumping wastes in surface
  waters.
• In 1999, EPA reported 91.4 of all monitored
  river miles and 87.5 of all accessed lake acres
  are suitable for their designated uses.
• Most progress due to municipal sewage treatment
  facilities.

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Areas of Progress

• In 1998, EPA switched regulatory approaches.
  Rather than issue standards on a site by site
  approach, the focus is now on watershed-level
  monitoring and protection.
• States are required to identify waters not
  meeting water quality goals and develop total
  maximum daily loads for each pollutant and each
  listed water body.

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Remaining Problems

• Greatest impediments to achieving national goals
  in water quality are sediment, nutrients, and
  pathogens, especially from non-point discharges.
• About three-quarters of water pollution in the
  U.S. comes from soil erosion, air pollution
  fallout, and agricultural and urban runoff.
• Single cow produces 30 kg manure/day.
• Some feedlots have 100,000 animals.

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Surface Waters in Other Countries

• Sewage treatment in wealthier countries of Europe
  generally equal or surpass the U.S..
• In Russia, only about half of the tap water
  supply is safe to drink.
• In urban areas of South America, Africa, and
  Asia, 95 of all sewage is discharged untreated
  into rivers.
• Two-thirds of Indias surface waters are
  contaminated sufficiently to be considered
  dangerous to human health.

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Groundwater and Drinking Water

• About half the U.S. population, and 95 of rural
  residents, depend on underground aquifers for
  drinking water.
• For decades, groundwater was assumed impervious
  to pollution and was considered the gold standard
  for water quality.

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Groundwater and Drinking Water

• EPA estimates 4.5 trillion liters of contaminated
  water seep into the ground in the U.S. every day.
• MTBE - Gasoline additive, and suspected
  carcinogen, is present in many urban aquifers.
• In agricultural areas, fertilizers and pesticides
  commonly contaminate aquifers and wells.

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Groundwater Pollution
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Groundwater and Drinking Water

• Estimated 1.5 million Americans fall ill from
  fecal contamination annually.
• Fecal contamination can arise from sources such
  as combined sewer overflows, leaking septic
  tanks, sewer malfunction, contaminated storm
  drains, animal feedlots, and other sources.
• What can be done to reduce fecal contamination?
• Properly maintain your septic system, pump it out
  regularly, and replace it when necessary.
• If possible, convert from a septic system to a
  municipal sewer system.
• Pick up pet waste and flush it down the toilet.
  Municipal sewer systems treat sewage.
• Use fencing to control the access of farm animals
  to rivers and streams.
• Properly store and manage manure.

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Types of Fecal Contamination

• Cryptosporidium outbreaks
• caused by microscopic parasites that live in the
  
• intestine and passes in the stool
• The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is
  watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include
• Dehydration
• Weight loss
• Stomach cramps or pain
• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• The parasite may be found in drinking water and
  recreational water in every region of the United
  States and throughout the world.

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Types of Fecal Contamination

• Fecal coliforms are bacteria that live in the
  digestive tract of warm-blooded animals and are
  excreted in the feces
• Fecal coliforms generally do not pose a danger to
  people or animals but they indicate the presence
  of other disease-causing bacteria
• Filter-feeding nature of organisms such as
  oysters, clams, and mussels can result in the
  bioaccumulation of bacteria, protozoa, and
  viruses
• The bacteria concentrated in the shellfish by
  this method of feeding are not harmful to the
  shellfish, but can be harmful to people that
  consume the shellfish, especially when eaten raw
• The persistent presence of fecal coliforms can
  lead to Boil Water Advisories from local
  utilities, beach closures, and/or shellfish bans

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Ocean Pollution

• Estimated 6 million metric tons of plastic
  bottles, packaging material, and other litter
  tossed from ships into the ocean annually.
• Few coastlines in the world remain uncontaminated
  by oil or oil products.
• Estimated somewhere 3 and 6 million metric tons
  of oil are discharged into the worlds oceans.
• Transport creates opportunities for major spills.

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Oil Pollution in the Ocean
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WATER POLLUTION CONTROL

• Source Reduction
• Cheapest and most effective way to reduce
  pollution is avoid producing it or releasing it
  into the environment.
• Studies show as much as 90 less road salt can be
  used without significantly affecting winter road
  safety.
• Soil conservation
• Banning phosphate detergents

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Human Waste Disposal

• More than 500 pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and
  parasites can travel from human or animal
  excrement through water.
• Natural Processes
• In many areas, outdoor urination and defecation
  is the norm.
• When population densities are low, natural
  processes can quickly eliminate waste.

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Municipal Sewage Treatment
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Municipal Sewage Treatment

• Primary Treatment - Physical separation of large
  solids from the waste stream.
• Secondary Treatment - Biological degradation of
  dissolved organic compounds.
• Effluent from primary treatment transferred into
  trickling bed, or aeration tank.
• Effluent from secondary treatment is usually
  disinfected (chlorinated) before release into
  nearby waterway.

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Municipal Sewage Treatment

• Tertiary Treatment - Removal of plant nutrients
  (nitrates and phosphates) from secondary
  effluent.
• Chemicals, or natural wetlands.
• In many U.S. cities, sanitary sewers are
  connected to storm sewers.
• Heavy storms can overload the system, causing
  by-pass dumping of raw sewage and toxic runoff
  directly into watercourses.

http//people.howstuffworks.com/sewer3.htm
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Low-Cost Waste Treatment

• Effluent Sewerage
• Hybrid between traditional septic tank and full
  sewer system.
• Pump tank contents to central treatment plant.
• Wetlands
• Effluent flows through wetlands where it is
  filtered and cleaned by aquatic plants and
  microscopic organisms.

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Water Remediation

• Containment methods confine liquid wastes in
  place, or cap surface with impermeable layer to
  divert water away from the site.
• Extraction techniques are used to pump out
  polluted water for treatment.
• Oxidation, reduction, neutralization, or
  precipitation.
• Living organisms can also be used effectively to
  break down polluted waters.

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WATER LEGISLATION

• Clean Water Act (1972)
• Goal was to return all U.S. surface waters to
  fishable and swimmable conditions.
• For Point Sources, Discharge Permits and Best
  Practicable Control Technology (BPT) are
  required.
• Set best available, economically achievable
  technology (BAT) for zero discharge for 126
  priority toxic pollutants.

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WATER LEGISLATION

• Clean Water Act (1972)
• Section 319 Non-point Source Management Program
• State, Territories, and Indian Tribes receive
  grant money which support a wide variety of
  activities including technical assistance,
  financial assistance, education, training,
  technology transfer, demonstration projects, and
  monitoring to assess the success of specific
  non-point source implementation projects.

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Clean Water Act (1972)

• Areas of Contention
• Draining or filling of wetlands.
• Many consider this taking of private land.
• Un-funded Mandates
• State or local governments must spend monies not
  repaid by Congress.

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Other Important Water Legislation

• Safe Drinking Water Act
• Originally passed by Congress in 1974 to protect
  public health by regulating the nation's public
  drinking water supply. The law was amended in
  1986 and 1996 and requires many actions to
  protect drinking water and its sources rivers,
  lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water
  wells.
• CERCLA (1980)
• The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
  Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA),
  commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by
  Congress on December 11, 1980. This law created a
  tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and
  provided broad Federal authority to respond
  directly to releases or threatened releases of
  hazardous substances that may endanger public
  health or the environment.

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Other Important Water Legislation

• Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
  (SARA) 1984
• Amended CERCLA in 1986
• stressed the importance of permanent remedies and
  innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up
  hazardous waste sites
• required Superfund actions to consider the
  standards and requirements found in other State
  and Federal environmental laws and
  regulations\provided new enforcement authorities
  and settlement tools
• increased State involvement in every phase of the
  Superfund program
• increased the focus on human health problems
  posed by hazardous waste sites
• encouraged greater citizen participation in
  making decisions on how sites should be cleaned
  up and

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Other Important Water Legislation

• Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1972)
• Committed Canada and the United States to control
  pollution in the Great Lakes and cleaning up
  waste waters from industries and communities.
• London Dumping Convention (1990)
• Treaty that limits the discharge of wastes that
  are generated on land and disposed of at sea

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Other Important Water Legislation

• Laws are only as good as
• To the degree they are not weakened.
• To the degree they are funded.

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Water Conservation

• Read http//www.epa.gov/owow/nps/chap3.html