Water Pollution Chapter 19

I. What is water pollution? Any chemical, biological, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses.

I. B. Sources of Pollutants Point Sources : Factories, Straight Piping, Mines, Oil Wells, Oil Tankers Directly from an identifiable source at a specific location Nonpoint Sources: Acid Deposition, Runoff, Seepage into Groundwater Cannot directly identify or trace the source Accounts for majority of water pollution Difficult to control

II. CATEGORIES OF WATER POLLUTION & SOURCES & IMPACTS

II.A. DISEASE-CAUSING AGENTS SOURCES - Waterborne Bacteria, Pathogens IMPACT - Spreads fast - Can cause sickness and death Giardia sp.* Escherichia coli

B. OXYGEN DEMANDING AGENTS BOD : Oxygen is removed from water when organic matter is consumed by bacteria SOURCES - Natural: bogs, leaf fall, riparian zone - Human: Pulp/Paper Mills, Wastewater Treatment Plants , Sewage - Nonpoint: Runoff from urban, agricultural areas/manure

IMPACTS -Creates low oxygen conditions that organisms in the ecosystem rely on

C. INORGANIC CHEMICALS SOURCES - Heavy/Toxic Metals, Acids, Industry, Burning of Fossil Fuels IMPACT - Most are extremely toxic - Readily absorbs into plant/animal tissue *Biological Magnification

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 Biological magnification

Bioaccumulation : Mercury Deposition

D. INORGANIC PLANT NUTRIENTS SOURCES - Nitrogen and Phosphorus From – waste - storm water runoff - soil erosion - excessive use of fertilizers - detergents, soaps (phased out)

IMPACTS -Eutrophication: Rapid increase in plant life - Algae Blooms

E. ORGANIC CHEMICALS SOURCES - Oil, Pesticides, Detergents IMPACTS - Some are Degradable: chemically decomposed Photodegradable: broken down by exposure to light Biodegradable: decomposed by biological agents

F. SEDIMENT AND SUSPENDED MATERIAL SOURCES - Erosion, Suspended Soil, Trash IMPACTS -Sediment Loading -Reduced light penetration - Adsorption of pollutants - Greater nutrients and BOD - Interferes with navigation, recreation, spawning beds

G. THERMAL SOURCES - Electric and Nuclear Power Plants IMPACTS - Heat reduces the ability of water to hold oxygen

Groundwater pollution Sources: storage lagoons, septic tanks, landfills, hazardous waste dumps, deep injection wells High health risks in drinking water – mainly from petrochemicals, organic chlorides, pesticides, arsenic, lead, and fluorine Moves very slowly Low amount of decomposing bacteria Cold temps slow decomposition rate Extent is unknown