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Water pollution
Classes of pollution, pollutants
Pathogens, parasites Oxygen-demanding wastes Inorganic chemicals Inorganic plant nutrients Organic chemicals Sediments Radioactive material Heat (thermal pollution)
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Pathogens, parasites
Usually from sewage, feedlots, slaughterhouses Viruses Bacteria (cholera, ...)
Coliform bacteria usually not pathogenic, Used as indicators of pollution
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Oxygen-demanding wastes
Organic materials from sewage, slaughterhouses, etc. Decomposed by bacteria
Bacteria require, consume dissolved oxygen
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Inorganic chemicals
Mostly from industry Heavy metals
Lead, arsenic, mercury, copper ions, etc.
Ammonia Acids
Sulfuric acid, nitric acid from acid deposition Also from industry
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Inorganic plant nutrients (fertilizers)
From agriculture, lawns & gardens
Leaching into groundwater Run-off into surface waters
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Inorganic plant nutrients (fertilizers)
From agriculture, lawns & gardens Eutrophication
Natural process Accelerated by excess nutrient input Algae die, sink, become oxygen-demanding waste
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Water-Pollution.ppt
Water pollution
Organic chemicals
from industry, restaurants, cars, households, farms Gasoline, oil Engine coolant (ethylene glycol) Solvents Detergents Pesticides
insecticides, herbicides, fungicides
Water pollution
Sediments
Erosion from construction sites, streets & roads, farms, sewage Dense sediments sink, accumulate
Sedimentation in reservoirs
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Water pollution
Radioactive material
From spills, waste from atomic weapons production
Hanford, Washington Savannah River Plant, South Carolina
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Nonpoint sources Broad, diffuse areas Difficult to identify and control Expensive to clean up Examples (atmospheric deposition, agricultural / industrial / residential runoff)
A fecal coliform bacteria test is used to indicate the likely presence of diseasecausing bacteria in water.
Fig 20-a
What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems in Streams and Lakes?
While streams are extensively polluted worldwide by human activities, they can cleanse themselves of many pollutants if we do not overload them or reduce their flows. Addition of excessive nutrients to lakes from human activities can disrupt lake ecosystems, and prevention of such pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning it up.
Pollution of Streams
Fig. 20-5
Pollution of Lakes
Eutrophication
Discharge of untreated municipal sewage (nitrates and phosphates) Nitrogen compounds produced by cars and factories
Natural runoff (nitrates and phosphates Manure runoff From feedlots (nitrates and Phosphates, ammonia)
Runoff from streets, lawns, and construction Lake ecosystem lots (nitrates and nutrient overload phosphates) and breakdown of chemical cycling Runoff and erosion Dissolving of (from from cultivation, nitrogen oxides mining, construction, (from internal combustion and poor land use) engines and furnaces)
Discharge of treated municipal sewage (primary and secondary treatment: nitrates and phosphates)
Cultural Eutrophication
Eutrophication: the natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary or slow moving stream, mostly from runoff of plant nutrients from the surrounding land. Cultural eutrophication: human activities accelerate the input of plant nutrients (mostly nitrate- and phosphate-containing effluents) to a lake.
85% of large lakes near major population centers in the U.S. have some degree of cultural eutrophication.
Clean up lakes
Remove excess weeds Use herbicides and algaecides; down-side? Pump in air
POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER
It can take hundreds to thousand of years for contaminated groundwater to cleanse itself of degradable wastes.
Nondegradable wastes (toxic lead, arsenic, flouride) are there permanently. Slowly degradable wastes (such as DDT, PCB, Polybrominated diphenylethers PBDEs = flame retardant) are there for decades.
EPA on PBDEs EPA on PCBs
POLLUTION OF GROUNDWATER
Leaks from a number of sources have contaminated groundwater in parts of the world.
According the the EPA, one or more organic chemicals contaminate about 45% of municipal groundwater supplies. The EPA has completed the cleanup of 297,000 of 436,000 underground tanks leaking gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, or toxic solvents.
Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos and smokestacks, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.
Cities Toxic metals and oil from streets and parking lots pollute waters;
Urban sprawl Bacteria and viruses from sewers and septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds
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.
Closed shellfish beds Closed beach Oxygen-depleted zone Red tides Excess nitrogen causes explosive growth of toxicmicroscopic algae, poisoning fish and marine mammals.
Toxic sediments Chemicals and toxic metals contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish, and accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.
Oxygen-depleted zone Sedimentation and algae overgrowth reduce sunlight, kill beneficial sea grasses, use up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Healthy zone Clear, oxygen-rich waters promote growth of plankton and sea grasses, and support fish. Fig. 21-10, p. 505
SOLUTIONS
Groundwater Pollution Prevention
Find substitutes for toxic chemicals Keep toxic chemicals out of the environment Install monitoring wells near landfills and underground tanks Require leak detectors on underground tanks Ban hazardous waste disposal in landfills and injection wells Store harmful liquids in aboveground tanks with leak detection and collection systems
Cleanup
Pump to surface, clean, and return to aquifer (very expensive)
Health scientists: strengthen the law Water-polluting companies: weaken the law
Fig 20-15
A Large Zone of Oxygen-Depleted Water in the Gulf of Mexico Due to Algal Blooms
SOLUTIONS
Coastal Water Pollution Prevention
Reduce input of toxic pollutants Separate sewage and storm lines Ban dumping of wastes and sewage by ships in coastal waters Ban ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged material Regulate coastal development, oil drilling, and oil shipping Require double hulls for oil tankers Use nanoparticles on sewage and oil spills to dissolve the oil or sewage (still under development) Require secondary treatment of coastal sewage Use wetlands, solaraquatic, or other methods to treat sewage
Fig. 20-17, p. 551
Cleanup
Improve oil-spill cleanup capabilities
Water Quality
Improvement since 1970
Surface waters no longer regarded as open sewers
More and better sewage treatment systems Less dumping of industrial waste
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Reduce the amount of fertilizers Plant buffer zones of vegetation Use organic farming techniques Use pesticides prudently Control runoff Tougher pollution regulations for livestock operations Deal better with animal waste
Treated water
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) = The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. Primary MCLs are set as close to the PHGs (orMCLGs) as is economically and technologically feasible.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) = The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Solutions: Water Pollution, Methods for Preventing and Reducing Water Pollution
Fig 20-20
What Can You Do? Water Pollution, Ways to Help Reduce Water Pollution