Week III

SOURCES OF POLLUTION AND

ITS IMPACT ON SURFACE
WATER
 Konsep-Konsep Penting

➢ Types, sources, and effects of water

pollutants
➢ Major pollution problems of surface water
➢ Reduction and Prevention of Water
Pollution
 Pollution
Pollution, also called environmental pollution, the addition of any
substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat,
sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be
dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless
form
 Water Pollution

❖ Water pollution is the entry of living things, substances, energy

and or other components into water by human activities so
that the water quality drops to a certain level which causes the
water to no longer function according to its purpose. (PP No.82
2001)

❖ Changes in water quality physically, chemically and

biologically which result in the life of microorganisms.
 Contaminated Water Indicator
1. Physical Observation 2. Chemical Observations
- Clarity - Content of dissolved chemical
- Change in color substances
- Taste and smell - Change in pH
- Temperature

3. Biological Observations
The content of microorganisms in the
water, especially pathogenic bacteria

5
 Point Source Pollution
vs.
Nonpoint Source Pollution

What’s the difference?

 Sumber Pencemaran : Titik (Langsung)

➢ Comes from a specific

source, like a pipe

➢ Factories, industry,
municipal treatment
plants

➢ Can be monitored and

controlled by a permit
system
 Sumber pencemaran: Bukan-titik (Tidak Langsung)

 Nonpoint Source (NPS)

Pollution is pollution
associated with
stormwater or runoff

 NPS pollution cannot be

traced to a direct
discharge point such as a
wastewater treatment
facility
 Contoh-contoh NPS

 oil & grease from cars  sewage & cleaners from

 fertilizers boats
 animal waste  household cleaning products
 grass clippings  litter
 septic systems
 Mekanisme Transpor Polutan

❑ NPS pollutants build up on land surfaces during dry

weather
➢ Atmospheric deposition
➢ Fertilizer applications
➢ Animal waste
➢ Automotive exhaust/fluid leaks

❑ Pollutants are washed off land surfaces during

precipitation events (stormwater runoff)
❑ Stormwater runoff will flow to lakes and streams
Sumber Pencemaran Air
 Polutan dalam Runoff
Sediment Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Soil particles ● Oxygen depleting material
transported from ➢Leaves
their source ➢Organic material
Toxics Nutrients
● Pesticides ● Various types of materials that
➢ Herbicides become dissolved and suspended in
➢ Fungicides water (commonly found in fertilizer
➢ Insecticides and plant material):
● Metals (naturally occurring ➢ Nitrogen (N)
in soil, automotive emissions/ ➢ Phosphorus (P)
tires)
➢ Lead Bacteria/ Pathogens
➢ Zinc Thermal Stress
➢ Mercury Originating from: Heated runoff,
● Petroleum Hydrocarbons ● Pets removal of
(automotive exhaust and ● Waterfowl streamside
fuel/oil) ● Failing septic systems vegetation
Debris
Litter and illegal dumping
 Types of Water Pollution
❑ Sediment
 Logging, roadbuilding, erosion
❑ Oxygen-demanding wastes
 Human waste, storm sewers, runoff from
agriculture, grazing and logging, many others
❑ Nutrient enrichment = Eutrophication
 N, P from fertilizers, detergents
 Leads to increased growth in aquatic systems,
ultimately more non-living organic matter
❑ Toxic
❑ Bacteria/Pathogens
Types of Water Pollution (con’t)
 Disease-causing organisms
 from untreated sewage, runoff from feed lots
 Toxic chemicals
 pesticides, fertilizers, industrial chemicals
 Heavy metals
 lead, mercury
 Acids (to discuss later)
 Elevated temperatures = Thermal Pollution
 water is used for cooling purposes, then heated water is
returned to its original source
 any increase in temperature, even a few degrees, may
significantly alter some aquatic ecosystems.
WATER POLLUTION: SOURCES, TYPES,
AND EFFECTS
 Major sources of water pollution:
– Agriculture
 Sediment, fertilizer, pesticides, bacteria
– Industries
 Organic and inorganic chemicals
– Mining
 Eroded sediments and runoff of toxic chemicals
Water Pollution from Mine Tailings

 Both sediment and sulfur

contaminate streams from runoff
 4FeS2 + 14H2O = 4Fe(OH)3 + 8H2SO4

http://stopwastingourlakes.ca/wasting-lakes/how/acid-rock-
drainage/reducing-impacts-from-ard/
Types of Pollutants
 Disease-causing agents (infectious agents)
– Pathogens that cause disease
– Ex. bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms
– Source: human and animal wastes
Major Water Pollution Effects

The two major effects of water pollution are:

 Exposure to infectious diseases

 Not having sufficient water for sanitation
Common Diseases Transmitted to Humans through
Contaminated Drinking Water
Major Water Pollutants
and Their Effects

 A fecal coliform bacteria test is used

to indicate the likely presence of
disease-causing bacteria in water.
Types of Pollutants

- Oxygen-demanding wastes
- Organic wastes that can be decomposed by aerobic bacteria
- Degrade water quality by depleting water of dissolved
oxygen; reduction in aquatic populations.
- Source: animal waste, feedlots, etc.
 Major Water Pollutants
and Their Effects

 Water quality and dissolved oxygen (DO) content in parts per million
(ppm) at 20°C.
– Only a few fish species can survive in water less than 4ppm at 20°C.
Types of Pollutants cont.
 Water-soluble inorganic chemicals,
– Examples are acids, salts, and compounds of toxic metals (lead
and arsenic)
– Affected water is unfit to drink and is harmful to aquatic life.
– Damages nervous system, liver, kidneys, skin cancer.
 Case study of Batanghari River:
• River passes through Jambi and Sumbar,
• Thousands of traditional gold miners are
along the river with omzet of one to
hundreds thousand Rp. per day,
• Sediment of river is pumped and treated
using mercury,
• Two sucking pumps may get 10 grams
which is sold for Rp. 175,000 per gram.
(Kompas, June 2006-twice)
24
 Case study of Batanghari River:
• Hg is sold for Rp. 600,000 – 1,000,000 per
kg,
• Miners exist from upstream in the forest up to
downstream,
• Government is taking no action at the
moment,
• Two regencies in Sumbar: Solok Selatan and
Dhamasraya are heavily polluted which may
become an international issue.
(Kompas, June 2006-twice)
25
 Case study of Batanghari River:

• Hg is used to separate gold from the

sediment,
• Hg is limited to 1 µg/l while in on site was
detected up 7.819 mg/l and 1.761 mg/l,
• This will disturb the biota and ecology,
• They start to mine when illegal logging was
activated.
(Kompas, June 2006-twice)

26
Types of Pollutants cont.
 Inorganic Plant Nutrients
– Examples include water-soluble nitrates and phosphates
– Causes overgrowth of algae which leads to the depletion of
dissolved oxygen and the death of fish
– Sources- runoff from fertilizers, manure
Types of Pollutants cont.
 Organic chemicals
• Examples include gasoline, oil, plastics, pesticides,
cleaning solvents, detergents, medicines
• Threaten human and aquatic life; impacts nervous
system. Can cause cancer in humans.
Types of Pollutants cont.
 Sediment/ Suspended Matter
– Biggest class
– Examples include insoluble particles of soil and other
solids released by erosion.
– Sediments cloud water and disrupt aquatic food webs.
Sedimentation
Effects
Types of Pollutants cont.
 Thermal pollution
– Caused by the heat absorbed by the water used to cool nuclear
power plants. This water is returned to natural environment
warm.
– Lowers dissolved oxygen levels
– Causes an abrupt change in temperature- thermal shock.
Types of Pollutants cont.

 Genetic pollution
– Occurs when a nonnative species is introduced into an
aquatic system
– Examples include salmon escaping from fish farms, and
zebra mussels infiltrating the Great Lakes.
 POLLUTION OF FRESHWATER STREAMS

 Most more-developed countries have sharply reduced point-source

pollution but toxic chemicals and pollution from nonpoint sources
are still a problem.
 Stream pollution from discharges of untreated sewage and
industrial wastes is a major problem in less-developed countries.
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.
 POLLUTION OF FRESHWATER STREAMS

 Flowingstreams can recover from a moderate level of degradable

water pollutants if they are not overloaded and their flows are not
reduced.
– In a flowing stream, the breakdown of degradable wastes by bacteria depletes DO
and creates and oxygen sag curve.
 This reduces or eliminates populations of organisms with high oxygen requirements.
 Water Pollution Problems in Streams

 Dilution and decay of degradable, oxygen-demanding wastes and heat in a stream.

What is BOD?

 Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

is the amount of dissolved oxygen BOD Water Quality
(PPM)
needed by aerobic decomposers 1-2 Very Good
to break down the organic
3-5 Moderate
materials in a certain volume of
water over a 5-day incubation 6-9 Fairly Polluted
period at 20°C (68°F) 10+ Very Polluted
 BOD Effects on Water Quality

All streams have some capability to degrade organic waste. Problems occur when
stream is overloaded with biochemical oxygen-demanding waste.
Detecting Pollutants
 Chemical Analysis- used to determine the presence and concentrations of most
water pollutants
 Living Organisms- used as an indicator species to monitor water pollution. Ex.
Filter-feeding mussels, Mayflies
 Computer Models- used to find complex inputs and interactions that couldn’t be
determined through chemical or biological methods.
 POLLUTION OF
FRESHWATER LAKES
 Dilution of pollutants in lakes is less effective than in most streams because
most lake water is not mixed well and has little flow.
– Lakes and reservoirs are often stratified and undergo little mixing.
– Low flow makes them susceptible to runoff.
 Various human activities can overload lakes with plant nutrients, which
decrease DO and kill some aquatic species.
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.
Eutrofikasi

 Eutrophication: nutrient
enrichment of lakes mostly from
runoff of plant nutrients
(nitrates and phosphates)
 During hot dry weather can lead
to algae blooms
 Decrease of photosynthesis
 Dying algae then drops DO levels
 Fish kills, bad odor
 Nitrogen compounds
produced by cars
and factories
Discharge of untreated
municipal sewage
(nitrates and phosphates)

Natural runoff
Discharge of (nitrates and
detergents phosphates)
( phosphates) Inorganic fertilizer runoff
(nitrates and phosphates)
Manure runoff
from feedlots
Discharge of treated (nitrates, phosphates,
municipal sewage ammonia)
(primary and secondary
treatment: Runoff from streets,
nitrates and phosphates) Lake ecosystem lawns, and construction
nutrient overload lots (nitrates and
and breakdown of phosphates)
chemical cycling
Dissolving of Runoff and erosion
nitrogen oxides (from cultivation,
(from internal combustion mining, construction,
engines and furnaces) and poor land use)

Lake Pollution
Case Study: The Great Lakes of North America

Fig. 20-12, p. 538

Case Study: GREAT LAKES
 Contain ~95% of all fresh surface water in the U.S.
 Pollution: nonpoint and point sources
 1960s: cultural eutrophication- Lake Erie hit the hardest- it’s the shallowest.
 Since 1970s some improvements in all Great Lakes due to upgraded
wastewater treatment plants, bans on household products containing
phosphates, etc.
 CANADA

Nipigon Bay
Thunder Bay Jackfish Bay

Silver Bay
St. Mary’s R. St. Lawrence R.
Spanish R.
St. Louis R.
MICHIGAN Penetary Bay

WISCONSIN Sturgeon Bay

MICHIGAN Saginaw
Saginaw R.
Bay
Grand R. Niagara Falls NEW YORK
MINNESOTA System Niagara R.
St. Clair R. Thames R. Buffalo R.
Detroit R.
Rouge R.
Raisin R. Ashtabula R.
IOWA Maumee R. Cuyahoga R. PENNSYLVANIA
Rocky R.
Black R.
ILLINOIS
INDIANA OHIO

Great Lakes drainage basin

Most polluted areas, according to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board
“Hot spots” of toxic concentrations in water and sediments
Eutrophic areas
 "Crying Indian" PSA

Harmful algae on the shore

of Catawaba Island, Ohio.
(Credit: Image courtesy of NOAA)

Eutrophication of Lake Erie

 ALGAE BLOOM?
UHT, SURABAYA

DAM JAGIR, SBY. 48

Preventing Lake Pollution

 Advanced waste treatment  Land –use control to reduce

 Bans or limits on nutrient runoff
phosphates in household  Bans on certain pesticides
detergents
 Soil conservation
Lake Cleanup Methods
 Dredging bottom sediments
 Removing excess weeds
 Controlling undesirable
plant growth with
herbicides and algicides
 Pumping air through lakes
and reservoirs to avoid
oxygen depletion
 Remove excess nutrient
buildup
Pollution by Heat

 Thermal Shock- large inputs of heated water from one or more

plants using the same lake or slow moving stream lower dissolved
oxygen content by decreasing the solubility of oxygen in water
 Thermal Shock- the effect of sharp changes in water temperature.
 Thermal Enrichment- beneficial effects in an aquatic ecosystem from
a rise in water temperature.
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.
 Thermalpollution may also come from stormwater running off
warmed urban surfaces, such as streets, sidewalks, and parking
lots.
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.
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.
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.
 Controlling Thermal Pollution
 Using/wasting less energy
 Limiting the amount of heated water
discharged into a body of water
 Returning the heated waster some distance
away from the shore zone
 Transferring the heat from the water to the
atmosphere by means of cooling towers
 Discharge the heated water into shallow
ponds or canals
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 world’s population lives near on or near the coast.
– The EPA has classified 4 of 5 estuaries as threatened or impaired.
Pollutants in the Ocean

 Dredge Spoils-
– Materials scraped from the bottoms of harbors and streams to maintain
shipping channels.
– They are often contaminated with high levels of toxic substances that have
settled out of the water.
– Still dumped legally in many countries by barges and ships.
 Sewage Sludge
– A gooey, mud-like, mixture of toxic chemicals, infectious agents, and settled
solids removed from wastewater at sewage treatment plants.
Industry Cities Urban sprawl
Nitrogen oxides Toxic metals Bacteria and Construction sites
from autos and and oil from viruses from Sediments are washed into
smokestacks, streets and sewers and septic waterways, choking fish and
toxic chemicals, parking lots tanks contaminate plants, clouding waters, and
and heavy metals pollute shellfish beds blocking sunlight.
in effluents flow waters;
into bays and
estuaries. Farms
Runoff of pesticides, manure, and
fertilizers adds toxins and excess
nitrogen and phosphorus.
Red tides
Closed Excess nitrogen causes
shellfish beds explosive growth of
toxicmicroscopic algae,
Closed poisoning fish and
beach marine mammals.
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 Healthy zone
Sedimentation and algae Clear, oxygen-rich
overgrowth reduce sunlight, waters promote growth
kill beneficial sea grasses, use of plankton and sea grasses,
up oxygen, and degrade habitat. and support Fig.
fish.21-10, p. 505
OCEAN POLLUTION

 Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are caused by explosive growth of harmful

algae from sewage and agricultural runoff.
Ocean Pollution
Ocean Garbage Patches

 Form in ocean gyres

 Have high concentration of plastic
pelagic garbage in upper water
columns
 The plastics break down to
molecular sizes and get into the
food chain
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. This is
called the “Dead Zone.”
Has anything been done?

 50 countries with at least 80% of the world’s merchant fleet have agreed not
to dump sewage and garbage at sea, but this agreement is difficult to enforce
and is often violated
 London Dumping Convention of 1972- 100 countries agreed not to dump
highly toxic pollutants and high-level radioactive wastes in the open sea
beyond the boundaries of their national jurisdictions.
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.
OCEAN OIL POLLUTION

 Tanker accidents and blowouts

at offshore drilling rigs can be
extremely devastating to marine
life (especially diving birds, left).
Oil and the Ocean cont.

 The effects of oil on ocean ecosystems depend on a number of factors: type of

oil, amount released, distance of release from shore, time of year, weather
conditions, average water temperature, and ocean currents.
 Spills can result in the death of numerous aquatic organisms.
Cleaning Up Oil Spills
 Mechanical Methods:
– Floating booms to contain the oil spills or keep it from reaching sensitive areas
– Skimmer boats to vacuum up some of the oil into collection barges
– Absorbent pads or large feather-filled pillows to soak up oil on beaches or in shallow water.

 Chemical Methods:
– Coagulating agents to cause floating oil to clump together for easier pickup or sink to the
bottom where it will do less harm
– Dispersing agents to break up oil slicks

Fire can burn off floating oil, but this method causes more harm than good (air pollution).
Natural Action:
–Wind and waves will mix oil with water
–Bacteria will biodegrade some of the oil
Deepwater Horizon Blowout in the Gulf
of Mexico, April 20, 2010

Fig. 20-18, p. 547

Gulf Oil Spill

Burning off surface oil

Deepwater Horizon rig in flames,

last April. Seabird caught in the oil slick
on a beach on Louisiana's
East Grand Terre Island
 Graphic shows efforts to reduce effects of oil spill

http://nanopatentsandinnovations.blogspot.com/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-transcript-national.html
Oil Pollution Act
 It has strengthened the government’s ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic
oil spills.
 It provides the money and resources necessary to respond to oil spills. A trust fund
financed by a tax on oil is available to clean up spills when the responsible party is
incapable or unwilling to do so (the largest source of income for the fund is from
the 5-cents-per-barrel tax on imported and domestic oil).
 Requires oil storage facilities and vessels to submit to the federal
government plans detailing how they will respond to large discharges.
 The OPA also requires the development of Area Contingency Plans to prepare and
plan for oil spill response on a regional scale.
 The Oil Pollution Act caused a major restructuring of the oil industry
 Solutions
Coastal Water Pollution
Prevention
Reduce input of toxic pollutants
Separate sewage and storm lines
Ban dumping of wastes and
sewage by maritime and cruise
ships in coastal waters
Ban ocean dumping of sludge and
hazardous dredged material
Protect sensitive areas from
development, oil drilling, and
oil shipping
Regulate coastal development
Recycle used oil
Require double hulls for oil tankers
Cleanup
Improve oil-spill cleanup
capabilities
Sprinkle nanoparticles over an
oil or sewage spill to dissolve
the oil or sewage without
creating harmful by-products
(still under development)
Require at least secondary
treatment of coastal sewage
Use wetlands, solar-aquatic,
or other methods to treat sewage
Fig. 21-14, p. 509
 PREVENTING AND REDUCING SURFACE
WATER POLLUTION: The Clean Water Act

 Reduces direct pollutant discharges into waterways

 Finances municipal wastewater treatment facilities
 Manages polluted runoff
 Goal is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the nation's waters

 Originally focused on regulating discharges from point

source facilities and not non-point sources
PREVENTING AND REDUCING SURFACE
WATER POLLUTION: The Clean Water Act
 Starting in the late 1980s, efforts to address polluted runoff have
increased significantly.
 Evolution of CWA programs has also included shift from a program-by-
program, source-by-source, pollutant-by-pollutant approach to more
holistic watershed-based strategies.
 Emphasis now on protecting healthy waters and restoring impaired ones.
 The key to reducing nonpoint pollution – most of it from agriculture – is to prevent
it from reaching bodies of water.
– Farmers can reduce runoff by planting buffers and locating feedlots away from steeply sloped land,
flood zones, and surface water.
The Nitrogen Cycle:
Bacteria in Action
Reducing Water Pollution through Sewage
Treatment

 Septic tanks and various levels of sewage treatment can

reduce point-source water pollution.
Reducing Water Pollution Through Sewage
Treatment

 Raw sewage reaching a municipal sewage treatment plant

typically undergoes:
– Primary sewage treatment: a physical process that uses
screens and a grit tank to remove large floating objects
and allows settling.
– Secondary sewage treatment: a biological process in
which aerobic bacteria remove as much as 90% of
dissolved and biodegradable oxygen demanding organic
wastes.
Wastewater Treatment Plants
 Wastewater entering a plant is ~99.94 percent water, only 0.06 percent of
the wastewater is suspended solid material.
 Facility uses a multi-stage process to process the wastewater.
 Goal is to reduce or remove organic matter, solids, nutrients, disease-causing
organisms and other pollutants from wastewater.
Municipal Sewage Treatment

 Primary: physically separates large

solids from the waste stream
– Metal grating: removes large debris
– Moving screen: filters out smaller
items
– Grit tank: allows sand and sediment
to settle
Bar Screen
– Primary sedimentation tank: about
half the suspended organic solids
settle out as sludge
Municipal Sewage Treatment

 Secondary Treatment: biological degradation of dissolved organic compounds.

– Aeration tank: waste aerobically decomposed by bacteria
– Water flows from top of the tank and sludge is removed from the bottom
– Sludge is disposed in sanitary landfill
– Effluent treated with chlorine, UV light, or ozone to kill harmful bacteria before
being released to a nearby waterway
 Reducing Water Pollution through Sewage
Treatment
 Advanced or tertiary sewage treatment:
– Uses series of chemical and physical processes to remove specific pollutants left
(especially nitrates and phosphates).
– Tertiary Wastewater Treatment
 Sewage sludge can be used as a soil conditioner but this can cause health
problems if it contains infectious bacteria and toxic chemicals.
 Preventing toxic chemicals from reaching sewage treatment plants would
eliminate such chemicals from the sludge and water discharged from such
plants.
Reducing Water Pollution through Sewage
Treatment

 Primary and Secondary sewage treatment.

Primary Treatment – Bar Screen
Bar Screen
Primary Treatment – Settling Tank
Secondary Treatment: Aeration Tanks

Secondary clarifier

Aerobic digester
Final Product: Clean Water

Clean water going out of plant Noonday Creek: where water is

discharged
Dust Particles Odors
Particles of dried sludge Odors may cause illness or
carry viruses and harmful indicate presence of harmful gases.
bacteria that can be
inhaled, infect cuts or enter
homes.

BUFFER Exposure
ZONE Children may walk or
play in fertilized fields.

Livestock Poisoning
Sludge Cows may die after grazing
on sludge-treated fields.
Groundwater
Contamination
Harmful chemicals Surface Runoff
and pathogens Harmful chemicals
may leach into and pathogens may
groundwater pollute nearby
and shallow wells. streams,lakes, ponds,
and wetlands.

Fig. 21-17, p. 513

Treating Water Naturally

 Wetlands naturally absorb

organic and inorganic
pollutants.
 Constructed wetlands can be
used to remove pollutants
before returning to water
source
The Water

 Drinking Water: Safe Drinking Water Act

 Surface Water: Clean Water Act
DRINKING WATER QUALITY

 Centralized water treatment plants and watershed protection can provide safe
drinking water for city dwellers in developed countries.
 Simpler and cheaper ways can be used to purify drinking water for developing
countries.
– Exposing water to heat and the sun’s UV rays for 3 hours can kill infectious
microbes.
The LifeStraw: Personal Water Purification Device

Fig. 20-15, p. 542

Using Laws to Protect Drinking Water

 While most developed countries have drinking water quality standards and laws, most
developing countries do not.
 The U.S Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to establish national drinking water
standards (maximum contaminant levels) for any pollutant that may have adverse effects
on human health.
 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
standards.
 Industry pressures to weaken the Safe Drinking Act:
– Eliminate national tests and public notification of violations.
– Allow rights to pollute if provider cannot afford to comply.
 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

 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.