Water Pollution

G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment Chapter 20

Types and Sources of Water Pollution Point sources Nonpoint sources Biological oxygen demand  Water quality
Water Quality
Good 6.76.7-8 4.54.5-6.7 Below 4.5 Below 4

Do (ppm) at 20C

8-9

Slightly polluted

Moderately polluted Heavily polluted Gravely polluted

Pg. 535

Point and Nonpoint Sources

NONPOINT SOURCES

Rural homes

Urban streets

Cropland Animal feedlot Suburban development POINT SOURCES

Factory

Wastewater treatment plant

Water pollution
Bacteria,Viruses,Protozoa, Parasitic worms Oxygen demanding substances Inorganic plant nutrients Organic chemicals Sediment or suspended matter Thermal pollution Genetic pollution

Biological Magnification

Water 0.000002 ppm Herring gull 124 ppm Phytoplankton 0.0025 ppm

Herring gull eggs 124 ppm

Zooplankton 0.123 ppm

Lake trout 4.83 ppm

Rainbow smelt 1.04 ppm

Pollution of Streams
 Oxygen sag curve

Fig. 20-5

Pollution of Lakes
 Eutrophication
Discharge of untreated municipal sewage (nitrates and phosphates) Nitrogen compounds produced by cars and factories

Discharge of detergents ( phosphates)

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)

Fig .22.7, p. 499

Solutions to better water quality

Drainage Area Management Plans Agriculture plots 1987 Water Quality Act

Leaking tank

Water table Groundwater flow Free gasoline dissolves in Gasoline groundwater leakage plume (dissolved (liquid phase) phase)

Migrating vapor phase Water well

Fig. 20-12

Contaminant plume moves with the groundwater

Groundwater Pollution: Causes

Hazardous waste injection well Coal strip mine runoff Pesticides De-icing road salt Pumping well Waste lagoon Gasoline station Water pumping well Landfill Buried gasoline and solvent tank Cesspool septic tank Sewer Leakage from faulty casing Discharge Confined aquifer Groundwater flow

Accidental spills

Fig. 20-11

Groundwater Pollution Prevention Monitoring aquifers Strictly regulating hazardous waste disposal Storing hazardous materials above ground

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. 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. 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. 21-10, p. 505 Fig.

Fig. 20-15

Reducing Water Pollution through Sewage Treatment

Primary and Secondary sewage treatment.

Figure 20-19 20-

Technological Approach: Using Wetlands to Treat Sewage

(

Sewage Wetland type plants Wetland type plants

Treated water

First concrete pool

45 centimeter layer of limestone gravel coated with decomposing bacteria

Second concrete pool

Global Outlook: Stream Pollution in Developing Countries

Water in many of central China's rivers are greenish black from uncontrolled pollution by thousands of factories.

Figure 20-7 20-

Case Study: Indias Ganges River: Religion, Poverty, and Health

Religious beliefs, cultural traditions, poverty, and a large population interact to cause severe pollution of the Ganges River in India.
Very

little of the sewage is treated. Hindu believe in cremating the dead to free the soul and throwing the ashes in the holy Ganges.
Some are too poor to afford the wood to fully cremate.  Decomposing bodies promote disease and depletes DO.


Case Study: Indias Ganges River: Religion, Poverty, and Health

Daily, more than 1 million Hindus in India bathe, drink from, or carry out religious ceremonies in the highly polluted Ganges River.

Drinking Water Quality

 Bottled water  Safe Drinking Water Act  Maximum contaminant levels

Is Bottled Water the Answer?

Some bottled water is not as pure as tap water and costs much more.
1.4

million metric tons of plastic bottles are thrown away. Fossil fuels are used to make plastic bottles.


The oil used to produce plastic bottles in the U.S. each year would fuel 100,000 cars.

Using Laws to Protect Drinking Water

The U.N. estimates that 5.6 million Americans drink water that does not meet EPA standards. 1 in 5 Americans drinks water from a treatment plant that violated one or more safety standard.

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.

Roger Rosenblatt
It is a hard truth to swallow, but nature does not care if we live or die. We cannot survive without the oceans, for example, but they can do just fine without us. End chapter 20