Water Pollution

1
Water Pollution

• Chapter 21

2
Chapter 21

• Identify what pollutes water and the source of
  the pollution.
• Identify the major pollution problems affecting
  our waterways including oceans, surface water and
  groundwater
• Determine methods to clean up water
• Describe state and federal water legislation

3
Vocabulary Words

• Water pollution
• point/non-point source
• Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
• Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
• sludge
• Safe Drinking Water Act
• Clean Water Act
• Oil Spill Prevention Liability Act

4
Identifying Pollution

• Which of the beakers on the front table contain
  polluted water?
• Chlorine, specific conductance
• Acid, pH
• Organic constituents, lab analysis
• Sediment, visual identification
• Surfactants, visual identification

5
We All Live Downstream

• Today, everybody is downstream from somebody
  else, William Ruckelshaus
• What does that mean?
• How does that affect your water quality?

6
Frontline Poisoned Waters

• http//video.pbs.org/video/1114515379/

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Water Pollution

• Water pollution is any chemical, biological or
  physical change in water quality that has a
  harmful effect on living organisms or makes water
  unsuitable for desired uses.
• Who decides if water is harmful?
• What does harmful mean?
• Which living organisms matter?

8

• All substances are poisons, there is none which
  is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a
  poison and a remedy.
• Paracelsus (1493-1541)

9
Toxicology

• The study of the interaction between chemical
  agents and biological systems.
• Toxicity is the relative ability of a substance
  to cause adverse effects in living organisms.

10
Definitions of harmful

• Toxic refers to a parameter, constituent to
  pollutant that has an LD50 in other words, it
  has been known to kill organisms (usually humans)
• Hazardous refers to a compound which causes acute
  or chronic health problems, including, but not
  limited to, death.

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The point is . . .

• If the chemicals and biological agents that we
  use and produce as waste products were not
  harmful in some way to some population, there
  would be no point in studying water pollution.

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The source of it all

• Point source pollution that comes from a
  specific location

Sludge from a copper mine.
Industrial discharge
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Other Sources

• Non-point source pollution that occurs from
  multiple sources with no single polluter
  identified.

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Who are the polluters?

• The major source of 41-48 water pollution is
  agriculture according to the EPA.
• Connect the dots from population growth, food
  production, water use and water pollution.
• Industrial Facilities
• Municipal
• Mining

15
What is water polluted with?

• Disease-causing agents
• Oxygen demanding waste
• Plant nutrients (NO3-, PO43-)
• Organic chemicals (solvents, petroleum)
• Inorganic chemicals (Fe, Pb, NH3)
• Sediment
• Heat

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What are they polluting?
17
What else are they polluting?
18
Effects of Pollution

• The two major effects of water pollution are
• exposure to infectious agents from contaminated
  drinking water and,
• not having enough water for effective sanitation.

19
Waterborne Diseases
20
What is clean or safe?

• The definition of clean or safe water is very
  dependent on its use and the laws that affect
  the source and discharge of the water.
• Example pH
• RCRA 2 gt S.U. gt 12.5
• SDWA 6.5 gt S.U. gt 8.5
• HMTA those substances which cause visible
  destruction to skin tissue

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The Water

• Drinking Water Safe Drinking Water Act
• Surface Water Clean Water Act
• Groundwater CWA, RCRA as Solid Waste, CERCLA
  for clean-up

22
Surface Water

• Surface Water is polluted by
• human activity
• industrial activity
• power plants

23
Freshwater Sources
24
Water Quality

• There are two classes of water quality standards
• biological
• chemical

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Chemical Water Quality

• Water Quality Index (WQI) is a set of standard
  test parameters used to compare water quality all
  around the country.
• An numerical WQI is assigned based on the results
  of nine (9) separate parameters

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WQI Parameters

• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
• pH
• Temperature Change (?T)
• Fecal Coliform
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
• Nitrates
• Total Phosphates
• Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
• Turbidity or Total Suspended Solids (TSS)

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Q Value

• Measurements of each parameter are taken and
  recorded and then are converted into a Q value

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Water Quality Factor Weights

• The Q value for each parameter is determined
  and multiplied by a weighting factor
• Dissolved oxygen 0.17
• Fecal coliform 0.16
• pH 0.11
• Biochemical oxygen demand 0.11
• Temperature change 0.10
• Total phosphate 0.10
• Nitrates 0.10
• Turbidity 0.08
• Total solids 0.07

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Final calculation

• The weighted Q values are added for all of the
  parameters and compared to a water quality index
  scale

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The Scale

• Water Quality Index Scale
• 91 - 100 Excellent Water Quality
• 71 - 90 Good Water Quality
• 51 - 70 Medium or Average Quality
• 26 - 50 Fair Water Quality
• 0 - 25 Poor Water Quality

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Dissolved Oxygen

• Oxygen gas is not very soluble in water.
• As the temperature of a liquid increases, the
  solubilities of gases in that liquid decrease.
• T?, Solubility?

33
Gas Solubility

• We can use the Second Law of Thermodynamics to
  explain why.
• Heating a solution of a gas enables the particles
  of gas to move more freely between the solution
  and the gas phase.
• The Second Law predicts that they will shift to
  the more disordered, more highly dispersed, and
  therefore, more probably gas state.

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Where does DO come from?

• Most of the DO in surface water comes from
  contact with the atmosphere.
• Splashing and flowing water traps oxygen
• Photosynthetic organisms also produce oxygen

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DO Test

• The test for DO determines the availability of
  oxygen for aquatic life
• A high concentration of DO indicates high water
  quality

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Water Quality
DO (ppm) at 20C
Good
89
Slightly polluted
6.78
Moderately polluted
4.56.7
Heavily polluted
Below 4.5
Gravely polluted
Below 4
Fig. 21-3, p. 496
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Reference
http//www.indiana.edu/bradwood/eagles/waterquali
ty.htm
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Physical Influences on Dissolved Oxygen

• Water temperature and the volume of water moving
  down a river (discharge) affect dissolved oxygen
  levels. Gases, like oxygen, dissolve more easily
  in cooler water than in warmer water. In
  temperate areas, rivers respond to changes in air
  temperature by cooling or warming.

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Climate and DO

• River discharge is related to the climate of an
  area. During dry periods, flow may be severely
  reduced, and air and water temperatures are often
  higher. Both of these factors tend to reduce
  dissolved oxygen levels. Wet weather or melting
  snows increase flow, with a resulting greater
  mixing of atmospheric oxygen.

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Human-Caused Changes in Dissolved Oxygen

• The main factor contributing to changes in
  dissolved oxygen levels is the build- up of
  organic wastes.
• Organic wastes consist of anything that was once
  part of a living plant or animal, including food,
  leaves, feces, etc.
• Organic waste can enter rivers in sewage, urban
  and agricultural runoff, or in the discharge of
  food processing plants, meat packing houses,
  dairies, and other industrial sources.

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Farming and Dissolved Oxygen

• A significant ingredient in urban and
  agricultural runoff are fertilizers that
  stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic
  plants. As plants die, aerobic bacteria consume
  oxygen in the process of decomposition. Many
  kinds of bacteria also consume oxygen while
  decomposing sewage and other organic material in
  the river.

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Changes in Aquatic Life

• Depletions in dissolved oxygen can cause major
  shifts in the kinds of aquatic organisms found in
  water bodies.
• Species that cannot tolerate low levels of
  dissolved oxygen-mayfly nymphs, stonefly nymphs,
  caddisfly larvae, and beetle larvae-will be
  replaced by a few kinds of pollution-tolerant
  organisms, such as worms and fly larvae.
• Nuisance algae and anaerobic organisms (that live
  without oxygen) may also become abundant in
  waters with low levels of dissolved oxygen.

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Calculating Percent Saturation

• The percent saturation of water with dissolved
  oxygen at a given temperature is determined by
  pairing temperature of the water with the
  dissolved oxygen value, after first correcting
  your dissolved oxygen measurement for the effects
  of atmospheric pressure. This is done with the
  use of the correction table and the percent
  saturation chart.

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Using the Conversion Charts

• To calculate percent saturation, first correct
  your dissolved oxygen value (milligrams of oxygen
  per liter) for atmospheric pressure. Look at the
  correction chart. Using either your atmospheric
  pressure (as read from a barometer) or your local
  altitude (if a barometer is not available), read
  across to the right hand column to find the
  correction factor. Multiply your dissolved oxygen
  measurement by this factor to obtain a corrected
  value.

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The Meaning of Percent Saturation

• Rivers that consistently have a dissolved oxygen
  value of 90 percent or higher are considered
  healthy, unless the waters are supersaturated due
  to cultural eutrophication.
• Rivers below 90 percent saturation may have large
  amounts of oxygen-demanding materials, i.e.
  organic wastes.

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Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

• When organic matter decomposes, it is fed upon by
  aerobic bacteria. In this process, organic matter
  is broken down and oxidized (combined with
  oxygen). Biochemical oxygen demand is a measure
  of the quantity of oxygen used by these
  microorganisms in the aerobic oxidation of
  organic matter.

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Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

• When aquatic plants die, they are fed upon by
  aerobic bacteria. The input of nutrients into a
  river, such as nitrates and phosphates,
  stimulates plant growth. Eventually, more plant
  growth leads to more plant decay. Nutrients,
  then, can be a prime contributor to high
  biochemical oxygen demand in rivers.

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Sources of Organic Matter

• There are natural sources of organic material
  which include organic matter entering lakes and
  rivers from swamps, bogs, and vegetation along
  the water, particularly leaf fall.
• There are also human sources of organic material.
  When these are identifiable points of discharge
  into rivers and lakes, they are called point
  sources.

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Point Sources of Organic Matter

• Point sources of organic pollution include
• pulp and paper mills
• meat-packing plants
• food processing industries
• wastewater treatment plants.

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Non-point Sources of Organic Matter

• Urban runoff of rain and melting snow that
  carries sewage from illegal sanitary sewer
  connections into storm drains pet wastes from
  streets and sidewalks nutrients from lawn
  fertilizers leaves, grass clippings, and paper
  from residential areas
• Agricultural runoff that carries nutrients, like
  nitrogen and phosphates, from fields
• Runoff from animal feedlots that carries fecal
  material into rivers.

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Changes in Aquatic Life

• In rivers with high BOD levels, much of the
  available dissolved oxygen is consumed by aerobic
  bacteria, robbing other aquatic organisms of the
  oxygen they need to live.
• Organisms that are more tolerant of lower
  dissolved oxygen may appear and become numerous,
  such as carp, midge larvae, and sewage worms.
  Organisms that are intolerant of low oxygen
  levels, such as caddisfly larvae, mayfly nymphs,
  and stonefly nymphs, will not survive.

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Cause and Effect

• As organic pollution increases, the ecologically
  stable and complex relationships present in
  waters containing a high diversity of organisms
  is replaced by a low diversity of
  pollution-tolerant organisms.

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Normal clean water organisms (Trout, perch,
bass, mayfly, stonefly)
Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches)
Fish absent, fungi, sludge worms, bacteria (anae
robic)
Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches)
Clean Normal clean water organisms (Trout,
perch, bass, mayfly, stonefly)
Types of organisms
8 ppm
Dissolved oxygen (ppm)
8 ppm
Clean Zone
Biological oxygen demand
Recovery Zone
Septic Zone
Decomposition Zone
Clean Zone
Fig. 21-4, p. 497
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pH

• Water contains both H (hydrogen) ions and OH-
  (hydroxyl) ions. The pH test measures the H ion
  concentration of liquids and substances.

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Changes in pH

• It is important to remember that for every one
  unit change on the pH scale, there is
  approximately a ten-fold change in how acidic or
  basic the sample is.
• The average pH of rainfall over much of the
  northeastern United States is 4.3, or roughly ten
  times more acidic than normal rainfall of
  5.0-5.6.
• Lakes of pH 4 (acidic) are roughly 100 times more
  acidic than lakes of pH 6.

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Human-Caused Changes in pH

• In the U.S., the pH of natural water is usually
  between 6.5 and 8.5, although wide variations can
  occur. Increased amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx)
  and sulfur dioxide (SO-2), primarily from
  automobile and coal-fired power plant emissions,
  are converted to nitric acid and sulfuric acid in
  the atmosphere.

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Acid Neutralization

• Acid rain is responsible for thousands of lakes
  in eastern Canada, northeastern United States,
  Sweden, and Finland becoming acidic. If limestone
  is present, the alkaline (basic) limestone
  neutralizes the effect the acids might have on
  lakes and streams.
• The areas hardest hit by acid rain and snow are
  downwind of urban/industrial areas and do not
  have any limestone to reduce the acidity of the
  water.

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Changes in Aquatic Life

• Changes in the pH value of water are important to
  many organisms. Most organisms have adapted to
  life in water of a specific pH and may die if it
  changes even slightly. This has happened to brook
  trout in some streams in the Northeast.

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pH Extremes

• At extremely high or low pH values (e.g., 9.6 or
  4.5) the water becomes unsuitable for most
  organisms. For example, immature stages of
  aquatic insects and young fish are extremely
  sensitive to pH values below 5.
• Very acidic waters can also cause heavy metals,
  such as copper and aluminum, to be released into
  the water.

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Nitrates

• Nitrogen is a much more abundant nutrient than
  phosphorus in nature.
• Blue-green algae, the primary algae of algal
  blooms, are able to use N2 and convert it into
  forms of nitrogen that plants can take up through
  their roots and use for growth ammonia (NH3) and
  nitrate (NO3-).

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Nitrates

• How do aquatic animals obtain the nitrogen they
  need to form proteins?
• they either eat aquatic plants and convert plant
  proteins to specific animal proteins,
• or, they eat other aquatic organisms which feed
  upon plants.

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Nitrates

• As aquatic plants and animals die, bacteria break
  down large protein molecules into ammonia.
• Ammonia is then oxidized (combined with oxygen)
  by specialized bacteria to form nitrites (NO2)
  and nitrates (NO-3). These bacteria get energy
  for metabolism from oxidation.

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Nitrates

• Excretions of aquatic organisms are very rich in
  ammonia, although the amount of nitrogen they add
  to waters is usually small.
• Duck and geese, however, contribute a heavy load
  of nitrogen (from excrement) in areas where they
  are plentiful. algae into ammonia and nitrates.

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Eutrophication

• Eutrophication promotes more plant growth and
  decay, which in turn increases biochemical oxygen
  demand.
• However, unlike phosphorus, nitrogen rarely
  limits plant growth, so plants are not as
  sensitive to increases in ammonia and nitrate
  levels.

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Sources of Nitrates

• Sewage is the main source of nitrates added by
  humans to rivers and lakes.
• Septic systems are common in rural areas.
• In properly functioning septic systems, soil
  particles remove nutrients like nitrates and
  phosphates before they reach groundwater.

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Sources of Nitrates

• When septic system drainfields are placed too
  close to the water table, nutrients and bacteria
  are able to percolate down into the groundwater
  where they may contaminate drinking water
  supplies.
• Septic tanks must also be emptied periodically,
  to function properly.

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Problems with Nitrate Contaminated Water

• Water containing high nitrate levels can cause a
  serious condition called methemoglobinemia
  (met-hemo-glo-bin-emia), if it is used for infant
  milk formula.
• This condition prevents the baby's blood from
  carrying oxygen hence the nickname "blue baby"
  syndrome.

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Water Temperature

• The water temperature of a river is very
  important for water quality.
• Many of the physical, biological, and chemical
  characteristics of a river are directly affected
  by temperature.

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Temperature Influences

• the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in
  water
• the rate of photosynthesis by algae and larger
  aquatic plants
• the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms
• the sensitivity of organisms to toxic wastes,
  parasites, and diseases.
• Remember, cool water can hold more oxygen than
  warm water, because gases are more easily
  dissolved in cool water.

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Human-Caused Changes in Temperature

• Thermal pollution is an increase in water
  temperature caused by adding relatively warm
  water to a body of water.
• Industries, such as nuclear power plants, may
  cause thermal pollution by discharging water used
  to cool machinery.
• Thermal pollution may also come from stormwater
  running off warmed urban surfaces, such as
  streets, sidewalks, and parking lots.

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Human Temperature

• People also affect water temperature by cutting
  down trees that help shade the river, exposing
  the water to direct sunlight.
• Soil erosion can also contribute to warmer water
  temperatures. Soil erosion raises water
  temperatures because it increases the amount of
  suspended solids carried by the river, making the
  water cloudy (turbid). Cloudy water absorbs the
  sun's rays, causing water temperature to rise.

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Changes in Aquatic Life

• As water temperature rises, the rate of
  photosynthesis and plant growth also increases.
• More plants grow and die.
• As plants die, they are decomposed by bacteria
  that consume oxygen.
• Therefore, when the rate of photosynthesis is
  increased, the need for oxygen in the water (BOD)
  is also increased.

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Hot Animals

• The metabolic rate of organisms also rises with
  increasing water temperatures, resulting in even
  greater oxygen demand.
• The life cycles of aquatic insects tend to speed
  up in warm water.
• Animals that feed on these insects can be
  negatively affected, particularly birds that
  depend on insects emerging at key periods during
  their migratory flights.

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Temperature Adaptations

• Most aquatic organisms have adapted to survive
  within a range of water temperatures. Some
  organisms prefer cooler water, such as trout,
  stonefly nymphs, while others thrive under warmer
  conditions, such as carp and dragonfly nymphs.
• As the temperature of a river increases, cool
  water species will be replaced by warm water
  organisms.

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Temperature and Toxicity

• Temperature also affects aquatic life's
  sensitivity to toxic wastes, parasites, and
  disease.
• Thermal pollution may cause fish to become more
  vulnerable to disease, either due to the stress
  of rising water temperatures or the resulting
  decrease in dissolved oxygen.

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Turbidity

• Turbidity is a measure of the relative clarity of
  water the greater the turbidity, the murkier the
  water.
• Turbidity increases as a result of suspended
  solids in the water that reduce the transmission
  of light.
• Suspended solids are varied, ranging from clay,
  silt, and plankton, to industrial wastes and
  sewage.

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Sources of Turbidity

• High turbidity may be caused by soil erosion,
  waste discharge, urban runoff, abundant bottom
  feeders (such as carp) that stir up bottom
  sediments, or algal growth.
• The presence of suspended solids may cause color
  changes in water, from nearly white to red-brown,
  or to green from algal blooms.

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Changes in Aquatic Life

• At higher levels of turbidity, water loses its
  ability to support a diversity of aquatic
  organisms.
• Waters become warmer as suspended particles
  absorb heat from sunlight, causing oxygen levels
  to fall (warm water, less O2).
• Photosynthesis decreases because less light
  penetrates the water, causing further drops in
  oxygen levels.
• The combination of warmer water, less light, and
  oxygen depletion makes it impossible for some
  forms of aquatic life to survive.

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Suspended Solids

• Suspended solids can clog fish gills, reduce
  growth rates, decrease resistance to disease, and
  prevent egg and larval development.
• Particles of silt, clay, and organic materials
  can smother the eggs of fish and aquatic insects,
  as well as suffocate newly-hatched insect larvae.
  
• Material that settles into the spaces between
  rocks makes these microhabitats unsuitable for
  mayfly nymphs, stonefly nymphs, caddisfly larvae,
  and other aquatic insects living there.

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Fecal Coliform Bacteria

• Fecal coliform bacteria are found in the feces of
  humans and other warm-blooded animals.
• These bacteria can enter rivers directly or from
  agricultural and storm runoff carrying wastes
  from birds and mammals, and from human sewage
  discharged into the water.

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Pathogenic Organisms

• Fecal coliform by themselves are not dangerous
  (pathogenic) .
• Fecal coliform bacteria naturally occur in the
  human digestive tract, and aid in the digestion
  of food.
• In infected individuals, pathogenic organisms are
  found along with fecal coliform bacteria.

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Presence of Both

• If fecal coliform counts are high (over 200
  colonies/100 ml of water sample) in the river,
  there is a greater chance that pathogenic
  organisms are also present.
• Diseases and illness such as typhoid fever,
  hepatitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery, and ear
  infections can be contracted in waters with high
  fecal coliform counts.

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What to monitor?

• Pathogens are relatively scarce in water, making
  them difficult and time-consuming to monitor
  directly. Instead, fecal coliform levels are
  monitored, because of the correlation between
  fecal coliform counts and the probability of
  contracting a disease from the water.

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Municipal Monitoring

• Sanitary wastes (from toilets, washers, and
  sinks) flow through sanitary sewers and are
  treated at the wastewater treatment plant.
• Storm sewers carry rain and snow melt from
  streets, and discharge untreated water directly
  into rivers.
• Heavy rains and melting snow wash animal wastes
  from sidewalks and streets and may wash fecal
  coliform into the storm sewers.

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Standards
86
Phosphorus

• Phosphorus is usually present in natural waters
  as phosphate .
• Organic phosphate is a part of living plants and
  animals, their by-products, and their remains.
• Inorganic phosphates are ions and are bonded to
  soil particles there are some phosphates present
  in laundry detergents.

87
Phosphorus is essential

• Phosphorus is a plant nutrient needed for growth,
  and a fundamental element in the metabolic
  reactions of plants and animals.
• Plant growth is limited by the amount of
  phosphorus available.
• In most waters, phosphorus functions as a
  "growth-limiting" factor because it is usually
  present in very low concentrations.

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Phosphorus is scarce

• The natural scarcity of phosphorus can be
  explained by its attraction to organic matter and
  soil particles.
• Any unattached or free" phosphorus, in the form
  of inorganic phosphates, is rapidly taken up by
  algae and larger aquatic plants.
• Because algae only require small amounts of
  phosphorus to live, excess phosphorus causes
  extensive algal growth called "blooms."

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Eutrophication

• Most of the eutrophication occurring today is
  human-caused (cultural eutrophication).
• Phosphorus from natural sources generally becomes
  trapped in bottom sediments or is rapidly taken
  up by aquatic plants. Forest fires and fallout
  from volcanic eruptions are natural events that
  cause eutrophication.

90
Sources of Phosphorus

• Phosphorus comes from several sources human
  wastes, animal wastes, industrial wastes, and
  human disturbance of the land and its vegetation.
• Sewage effluent (out flow) should not contain
  more than 1 mg/ L phosphorus according to the
  U.S. EPA.

91
Sources of P

• Storm sewers sometimes contain illegal
  connections to sanitary sewers. Sewage from these
  connections can be carried into waterways by
  rainfall and melting snow.
• Phosphorus-containing animal wastes sometimes
  find their way into rivers and lakes in the
  runoff from feedlots and barnyards.

92
Erosion is a source

• Soil erosion contributes phosphorus to rivers.
• The removal of natural vegetation for farming or
  construction exposes soil to the eroding action
  of rain and melting snow.
• Draining swamps and marshes for farmland or
  construction projects releases phosphorus that
  has remained dormant in years of accumulated
  organic deposits.
• Drained wetlands no longer function as filters of
  silt and phosphorus, allowing more runoff -and
  phosphorus- to enter waterways.

93
Impacts of Cultural Eutrophication

• The first symptom of cultural eutrophication is
  an algal bloom that colors the water a pea-soup
  green.
• The advanced stages of cultural eutrophication
  can produce anaerobic conditions in which oxygen
  in the water is completely depleted.
• These conditions usually occur near the bottom of
  a lake or impounded river stretch, and produce
  gases like hydrogen sulfide, unmistakable for its
  "rotten egg" smell.

94
Changes in Aquatic Life

• Cultural eutrophication causes a shift in aquatic
  life to a fewer number of pollution tolerant
  species.
• The species that can tolerate low dissolved
  oxygen levels include-carp, midge larvae, sewage
  worms (Tubifex), and others.

95
Reversing the Effects of Cultural Eutrophication

• Aquatic ecosystems have the capacity to recover
  if the opportunity is provided by
• Reducing our use of lawn fertilizers
• Encouraging better farming practices
• Preserving natural vegetation whenever possible,
  particularly near shorelines preserving wetlands
  to absorb nutrients and maintain water levels
  enacting strict ordinances to prevent soil
  erosion
• Supporting measures (including taxes) to improve
  phosphorus removal by wastewater treatment plants
  and septic systems treating storm sewer wastes
  if necessary encouraging homeowners along lakes
  and streams to invest in community sewer systems
  

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Biological Monitoring

• You can determine the toxicity of an effluent or
  water sample to determine the LD50
• Ceriodaphnia dubia
• Daphnia pulex
• Pimephales promelas
• Stream monitoring collect samples of organisms
  and collect data regarding identification and
  numbers

97
Save Our Streams

• http//www.vasos.org/pages/gettingstarted.html
• http//www.vasos.org/pages/documents/vasosstandard
  operatingprocedures.pdf

98
Using Insects to Study Stream Health

• A sample of stream insects, or
  macroinvertebrates is collected, identified and
  counted.
• http//www.vasos.org/ModifiedBugIDCardoct2004.pdf

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101
Sensitive Insects Types x 3

• caddisfly larva
• hellgrammite
• mayfly nymph
• gilled snails
• riffle beetle adult
• stonefly nymph
• water penny larva

102
Somewhat Sensitive Insects Types x 2

• beetle larva
• clams
• crane fly larva
• crayfish
• damselfly nymph
• dragonfly nymph
• scuds
• sowbugs

• fishfly larva
• alderfly larva
• blackfly larva
• atherix

103
Very Tolerant Organisms Types x 1

• aquatic worms
• pouch ( other) snails
• leeches
• midge larva

104
The Quality Rating Scale

• WATER QUALITY RATING
• Excellent (gt22)Good (17-22)Fair (11-16) Poor
  (lt11)

105
What about groundwater?

• Groundwater pollution caused by human activities
  usually falls into one of two categories
  point-source pollution and nonpoint-source
  pollution.
• Point-source contamination originates from a
  single tank, disposal site, or facility.
  Industrial waste disposal sites, accidental
  spills, leaking gasoline storage tanks, and dumps
  or landfills are examples of point sources.

106
Non-point Source Groundwater Contamination

• Chemicals used in agriculture, such as
  fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are
  examples of nonpoint-source pollution because
  they are spread out across wide areas.
• Runoff from urban areas is a nonpoint source of
  pollution.
• Because nonpoint-source substances are used over
  large areas, they collectively can have a larger
  impact on the general quality of water in an
  aquifer than do point sources,

107

Leaking tank
Aquifer
Bedrock
Water table
Groundwater flow
Free gasoline dissolves in groundwater (dissolved
phase)
Gasoline leakage plume (liquid phase)
Migrating vapor phase
Water well
Contaminant plume moves with the groundwater
Fig. 21-8, p. 502
108
Contamination can move!

• Groundwater tends to move very slowly and with
  little turbulence, dilution, or mixing.
• Therefore, once contaminants reach groundwater,
  they tend to form a concentrated plume that flows
  along with groundwater.
• Despite the slow movement of contamination
  through an aquifer, groundwater pollution often
  goes undetected for years, and as a result can
  spread over a large area. One chlorinated solvent
  plume in Arizona, for instance, is 0.8 kilometers
  (0.5 miles) wide and several km long!

109
Groundwater Migration

• Groundwater migration models use hydrology,
  geology and soil science to predict the flow of
  the aquifer and the subsequent contamination.
• Methods are very complex.
• Computer based models are used to predict the
  potential reach of the contaminated plume.

110
Groundwater Laws

• The two major federal laws that focus on
  remediating groundwater contamination include the
  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and
  the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
  Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also
  known as Superfund.

111
Groundwater Laws RCRA and CERCLA

• RCRA regulates storage, transportation,
  treatment, and disposal of solid and hazardous
  wastes, and emphasizes prevention of releases
  through management standards in addition to other
  waste management activities.
• CERCLA regulates the cleanup of abandoned waste
  sites or operating facilities that have
  contaminated soil or groundwater. CERCLA was
  amended in 1986 to include provisions authorizing
  citizens to sue violators of the law.

112
Groundwater Clean-up

• The EPA decides who is responsible for the
  clean-up process and monitors progress.
• Containment
• Removal
• Bioremediation
• Treatment

113
Ocean Pollution

• 80 percent of pollution to the marine environment
  comes from land-based sources, such as runoff
  pollution. Runoff pollution includes many small
  sources, like septic tanks, cars, trucks and
  boats, plus larger sources, such as farms,
  ranches and forest areas.

114
NOAAs Role

• The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and
  Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) works with the
  Environmental Protection Agency, Department of
  Agriculture and other federal and state agencies
  to develop ways to control runoff pollution.
• NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Program is helping
  to create special non-point source pollution
  control plans for each participating coastal
  state. When runoff pollution does cause problems,
  NOAA scientists help track down the exact causes
  and find solutions.

115

Urban sprawl Bacteria and viruses from sewers and
septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds
Cities Toxic metals and oil from streets and
parking lots pollute waters
Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos
and smokestacks, toxic chemicals, and heavy
metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.
Construction sites Sediments are washed
into waterways, choking fish and plants, clouding
waters, and blocking sunlight.
Farms Runoff of pesticides, manure, and
fertilizers adds toxins and excess nitrogen and
phosphorus.
Red tides Excess nitrogen causes explosive growth
of toxicmicroscopic algae, poisoning fish
and marine mammals.
Closed shellfish beds
Closed beach
Oxygen-depleted zone
Toxic sediments Chemicals and toxic metals
contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish,
and accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.
Healthy zone Clear, oxygen-rich waters promote
growth of plankton and sea grasses, and support
fish.
Oxygen-depleted zone Sedimentation and
algae overgrowth reduce sunlight, kill beneficial
sea grasses, use up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Fig. 21-10, p. 505
116
The Law

• The Ocean Dumping Act has two basic aims to
  regulate intentional ocean disposal of materials,
  and to authorize related research.
• Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and
  Sanctuaries Act of 1972, contains permit and
  enforcement provisions for ocean dumping.
• Research provisions are contained in Title II,
  concerning general and ocean disposal research
• Title IV, which established a regional marine
  research program and
• Title V, which addresses coastal water quality
  monitoring.
• The third title of the MPRSA, authorizes the
  establishment of marine sanctuaries.

117
Solutions

• Dilution is NOT the solution to pollution!
• Even though it rhymes!

118

Solutions
Water Pollution
Prevent groundwater contamination
Reduce nonpoint runoff
Reuse treated wastewater for irrigation
Find substitutes for toxic pollutants
Work with nature to treat sewage
Practice four R's of resource use (refuse,
reduce, recycle, reuse)
Reduce air pollution
Reduce poverty
Reduce birth rates
Fig. 21-18, p. 517
119

Solutions
Groundwater Pollution
Cleanup
Prevention
Pump to surface, clean, and return to aquifer
(very expensive)
Find substitutes for toxic chemicals
Keep toxic chemicals out of the environment
Inject microorganisms to clean up contamination
(less expensive but still costly)
Install monitoring wells near landfills and
underground tanks
Require leak detectors on underground tanks
Pump nanoparticles of inorganic compounds to
remove pollutants (may be the cheapest, easiest,
and most effective method but is still being
developed)
Ban hazardous waste disposal in landfills and
injection wells
Store harmful liquids in aboveground tanks with
leak detection and collection systems
Fig. 21-9, p. 504
120

Solutions
Coastal Water Pollution
Prevention
Cleanup
Reduce input of toxic pollutants
Improve oil-spill cleanup capabilities
Separate sewage and storm lines
Ban dumping of wastes and sewage by maritime and
cruise ships in coastal waters
Sprinkle nanoparticles over an oil or sewage
spill to dissolve the oil or sewage without
creating harmful by-products (still under
development)
Ban ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged
material
Protect sensitive areas from development, oil
drilling, and oil shipping
Require at least secondary treatment of coastal
sewage
Regulate coastal development
Use wetlands, solar-aquatic, or other methods to
treat sewage
Recycle used oil
Require double hulls for oil tankers
Fig. 21-14, p. 509
121

What Can You Do?
Water Pollution
Fertilize garden and yard plants with manure
or compost instead of commercial inorganic
fertilizer.
Minimize your use of pesticides.
Do not apply fertilizer or pesticides near a
body of water.
Grow or buy organic foods.
Do not drink bottled water unless tests show
that your tap water is contaminated. Merely
refill and reuse plastic bottles with tap water.
Compost your food wastes.
Do not use water fresheners in toilets.
Do not flush unwanted medicines down the
toilet.
Do not pour pesticides, paints, solvents, oil,
antifreeze, or other products containing harmful
chemicals down the drain or onto the ground.
Fig. 21-19, p. 517
122
OCEAN POLLUTION

• Oceans, if they are not overloaded, can disperse
  and break down large quantities of degradable
  pollutants.
• Pollution of coastal waters near heavily
  populated areas is a serious problem.
• About 40 of the worlds population lives near on
  or near the coast.
• The EPA has classified 4 of 5 estuaries as
  threatened or impaired.

123

Urban sprawl Bacteria and viruses from sewers and
septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds
Cities Toxic metals and oil from streets and
parking lots pollute waters
Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos
and smokestacks, toxic chemicals, and heavy
metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.
Construction sites Sediments are washed
into waterways, choking fish and plants, clouding
waters, and blocking sunlight.
Farms Runoff of pesticides, manure, and
fertilizers adds toxins and excess nitrogen and
phosphorus.
Red tides Excess nitrogen causes explosive growth
of toxicmicroscopic algae, poisoning fish
and marine mammals.
Closed shellfish beds
Closed beach
Oxygen-depleted zone
Toxic sediments Chemicals and toxic metals
contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish,
and accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.
Healthy zone Clear, oxygen-rich waters promote
growth of plankton and sea grasses, and support
fish.
Oxygen-depleted zone Sedimentation and
algae overgrowth reduce sunlight, kill beneficial
sea grasses, use up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Fig. 21-10, p. 505
124
OCEAN POLLUTION

• Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are caused by
  explosive growth of harmful algae from sewage and
  agricultural runoff.

Figure 21-11
125
Oxygen Depletion in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

• A large zone of oxygen-depleted water forms for
  half of the year in the Gulf of Mexico as a
  result of HAB.

Figure 21-A
126
Case Study The Chesapeake Bay An Estuary in
Trouble

• Pollutants from six states contaminate the
  shallow estuary, but cooperative efforts have
  reduced some of the pollution inputs.

Figure 21-12
127
OCEAN OIL POLLUTION

• Most ocean oil pollution comes from human
  activities on land.
• Studies have shown it takes about 3 years for
  many forms of marine life to recover from large
  amounts of crude oil (oil directly from ground).
• Recovery from exposure to refined oil (fuel oil,
  gasoline, etc) can take 10-20 years for marine
  life to recover.

128
OCEAN OIL POLLUTION

• Tanker accidents and blowouts at offshore
  drilling rigs can be extremely devastating to
  marine life (especially diving birds, left).

Figure 21-13
129

Solutions
Coastal Water Pollution
Prevention
Cleanup
Reduce input of toxic pollutants
Improve oil-spill cleanup capabilities
Separate sewage and storm lines
Ban dumping of wastes and sewage by maritime and
cruise ships in coastal waters
Sprinkle nanoparticles over an oil or sewage
spill to dissolve the oil or sewage without
creating harmful by-products (still under
development)
Ban ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged
material
Protect sensitive areas from development, oil
drilling, and oil shipping
Require at least secondary treatment of coastal
sewage
Regulate coastal development
Use wetlands, solar-aquatic, or other methods to
treat sewage
Recycle used oil
Require double hulls for oil tankers
Fig. 21-14, p. 509