Chesapeake Bay Water Quality

Good water quality is essential to all the plants and animals that live in the Bay. Healthy water contains a balanced amount of oxygen, salinity, and pH.

What is water quality? Water quality is a measure of the substances in water besides water molecules. Other substances, such as iron, can affect the taste or color of water but are harmless unless present at very high levels.

What determines Water Quality? Good water quality is essential to all the plants and animals that live in the Bay. Healthy water contains a balanced amount of , and Measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2) dissolved in water Oxygen - oxygen salinity pH Salinity - The dissolved salt content in water pH - Measures how acidic or basic a substance is I live in that blue area!

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Indicators of Water Quality Turbidity: measure of the degree to which water looses its transparency due to the presence of suspended particulates Nitrates: compound that contains the nitrogen based polyatomic ion NO3 (Ex: Sodium Nitrate) Bio-indicators: macroinvertibrates found living in water (they tend to remain in one place) that are sensitive to pollution

What is Pollution? Water pollution: the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water. Water pollution can effect surface water, groundwater, and even rain. Pollutants: the substances that cause water pollution. Some pollutants can build up in the bodies of living things. A bird eats a fish with pollution. Now the bird has the pollution in its body.

Point and Nonpoint Sources The major sources of water pollution are human wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals, and runoff from roads. Point source: a specific source of pollution that can be identified. For example: a sanitary sewer pipe with a leak. Nonpoint source: a widely spread source of pollution that can’t be tied to a specific point of origin. For example: salt on icy roads or fertilizer sprayed on an orchard.

Human Wastes Dumping untreated sewage into drinking water can spread disease. During floods, sanitary sewers can sometimes overflow and run into storm sewers. This can contaminate drinking water. To kill the disease causing organisms, boil water that is used for drinking and cooking. In rural areas, septic tanks should not be near a stream or on a hill. It could contaminate drinking water.

Industrial Wastes SMOKE HEATED WATER CHEMICALS Three types of industrial pollutants CHEMICALS HEATED WATER SMOKE

Chemicals Chemicals: factories sometimes use chemicals to produce products or chemicals are produced as by-products.

Smoke Smoke: produced when factories burn fuels or by cars, trucks, and buses.

Heated Water Heated Water: warm water released by a factory into a nearby river. It raises the temperature of the water and can harm living things.

Agricultural Chemicals The rich supply of nutrients from fertilizers encourages the growth of plants and algae in and around nearby bodies of water. Increased algae growth blocks the sunlight to underwater plants. When algae die, they decompose and deplete oxygen in the water.

Nitrogen and Phosphorus are the two main nutrient pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. Some sources of nutrient pollution: sewage treatment plants, agriculture, and air pollution. Pesticides: are chemicals intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops. Can be sprayed on crops and then runoff.

Runoff From Roads Gasoline, oil, and salt can runoff from roads and pollute rivers and lakes. They can also seep down into groundwater and pollute wells.

Cleaning Up Polluted Water and Preventing Pollution Living things in lakes, streams, and wetlands filter out and break down waste material. Bacteria and plants can be used to clean up water pollution. Sand and rock can help filter out some types of pollution. Metals or manufacturing chemicals that are in water have to be cleaned by a treatment plant. It is easier to avoid causing pollution in the first place, then to clean it up.