Water Purification & Pollution
How Water Treatment Works uYB8nMFxQA uYB8nMFxQA
During our lab, what 4 steps in the water treatment process did we use? Aeration Coagulation Sedimentation Filtration
Aeration Gas bubbles escape Oxygen is added
Coagulation Alum is added –sticks to solid particles so that they clump together and separate from water – “floc”
Sedimentation Gravity pulls the floc to the bottom in settling basins
Filtration Remaining water is filtered through sand, pebbles
What is the 5 th step? Adding disinfectants to water to purify it and kill any organisms
How long does cardboard take to break down? 2 weeks
How long does it take photodegradable packaging to break down? 6 weeks
How long does it take newspaper to break down? 6 weeks
How long does it take styrofoam to break down? 80 years
How long does it take for aluminum to break down? 200 years
How long does it take plastic packaging to break down? 400 years
How long does it take glass to break down? Takes so long that we do not know fully
CHALLENGE WATER POLLUTION SCENARIOS: How do these activities lead to water pollution? 6 th Grade
Allowing Animals to graze directly next to a stream
1) Wastes pass disease-carrying bacteria 2) prevents soil from eroding, so that water does not travel faster and further 2) Loss of riparian vegetation Plantlife that exists along a waterway Benefit: absorb pollutants before they exit downstream
Fields left empty after harvesting crops
1) soil is looser, filled with fertilizers and pesticides, so it erodes more quickly, carrying them further
PowerPlants returning water that is not polluted into a river after using it to cool down machines
Warm water (even if not polluted) causes many organisms to die
Having fun on a motorboat with friends
*Oil and gas to keep it moving Harms wildlife Hard to get out of water *Litter can easily get into the water (marine dumping)
Driving a car down a highway
Oil and gas spills road is impermeable, surface runoff carries it to nearby ponds/lakes/rivers Litter
Putting salt on the road after a snow day to make it less slippery
Rain carries salt to freshwater sources Can change the LAKE TURNOVER process Damages plants
Using cleaning products labeled “environmentally friendly” and “biodegradable”
Remove oxygen from the water
Using laundry detergents with phosphates in them
Phosphates are food to algae Cause Eutrophication
Mercury is emitted into the air by burning coal for fuel
Atmospheric Deposition: pollutes air, creating acid rain mercury poisoning