Air, Water, Drinking Water or Breathing, Drinking & Swimming CE3501, Fall 2005

Air Quality Engineering Introduction, and A Case Study (Acidic Deposition)

Air Quality Engineering: What is it? Goal: Control air pollutant emissions so that impacts on –human health, –structures and crops, aesthetics, –ecosystem health, and –the atmosphere/climate system are minimized, or are acceptable.

Air Quality Engineering: What is it? Components: Scientific understanding of the atmosphere: –What determines air composition? –How do pollutants move, react? Understanding of the sources of air pollution Pollutant sources: who, where, control options. Natural processes that interact. Application of control techniques.

Acid Rain: History 1872: Robert Angus Smith, “Air and Rain: The Beginnings of a Chemical Climatology”: –Used the term “Acid Rain” –Studied rain composition around Manchester, England: “that with carbonate or ammonia in the fields at a distance, that with sulfate of ammonia in the suburbs and that with sulphuric acid or acid sulphate, in the town.”

History: Is it still a problem? Coal contains S –S + O 2 --> SO 2. –“Smog” (SMoke + fOG): SO 2 and particles: London, 1952: 4000 deaths. London, 1962: 700 deaths. Denora, Pennsylvania, 1948: 20 deaths. U.S., 1996, 15,000-45,000 premature deaths. –To reduce SO 2 concentrations: Reduce emissions, or Dilute and disperse the emissions.

Solution: Tall Stacks Smelter at Sudbury, Ontario 1/2 km smokestack Dilution is the Solution to Pollution

Map of Rainfall pH

Effects on Streams & Lakes Bulger et al., Univ. Virginia, Report for Trout Unlimited, June, Buffer Capacity of Virginia Watersheds > 50 ueq/L ueq/L 0-20 ueq/L <0 ueq/L

Effects on Statues U.S. Geological Survey

Emission Sources Sources: Most from utilities, industrial boilers. National Science and Technology Council, National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Biennial Report to Congress: An Integrated Assessment, May 1998.

Emission Control Options Change the fuel: –Coal S content ranges from 3%. –Oil – S content < 1%; – Natural gas – negligible S content Clean the exhaust. –Must clean a lot of gas: 1000 MW => 3 million cubic feet/minute

Limestone Scrubber Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach, Cooper and Alley, Note size of cars Spray: H 2 O + CaCO 3 Reactions: Absorb SO 2, SO 2 +CaCO 3 --> CaSO 3 + CO 2 Issues: Mass transfer Chemistry Material balance Energy balance

Regulations to Reduce Emissions Two Options: “Command and Control:” Set emission limits for each plant Emission Trading: Selected in 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. –Plants receive “allowances” that can be traded. –Should be more efficient ($/ton)

Methods Used

Rainfall: Change in H + J. Lynch et al., USGS, Open-File Report , Trends in Precipitation Chemistry in the United States, …

Learn More: Faculty and instructors (Civ. & Env. Eng.): –Prof. Richard Honrath –Prof. Kurt Paterson –Prof. Judith Perlinger Courses (Civ. & Env. Eng.) –CE4505: Air Quality Science and Engineering –CE5506: Air Quality Modeling –CE5505: Atmospheric Chemistry –CE5590: Applied Boundary Layer Meteorology Related Courses and Programs –Remote Sensing Institute. –Atmospheric Science: Meteorology, atmos. physics: Physics, Geological Eng. & Sciences. –Atmosphere/biosphere interactions: Forestry

Contributing authors include Prof. D.W.Hand

Offerings at MTU TopicFacultyCourses Water TreatmentDr. D.Hand CE Wastewater Collection & Water Distribution Dr. N. Hutzler CE4508 – Water & Wastewater Treatment and Design CE4509 – Environmental Process Simulation CE5501 – Environmental Process Engineering CE5503 – Physical-chemical Treatment Processes Water ResourcesDr. D. Watkins CE3620 – Water Resources Engineering Dr. B. Barkdoll CE4610 – Systems Analysis CE4620 – Open Channel Flow CE4630 – Hydraulic Structures GeoHydrologyDr. J.Gierke GE Geohydrology Dr. A.Mayer GE4800 – Groundwater Engineering Water QualityDr. M.Auer CE4505 – Surface Water Quality Engineering Dr. N.Urban CE5504 – Surface Water Quality Modeling CE5508 – Biogeochemistry

Engineering of unit processes, pipes, pumps, distribution systems, …

Employment Opportunities: Municipalities Consulting firms (large and small) Large, water treatment and supply firms International Aid agencies Graduate school, research

AWWA Government Affairs What Water Utilities Can Do to Minimize Public Exposure to Cryptosporidium in Drinking Water Byproduct of water-disinfection process found to be highly toxic Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor ; 9/14/04 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A recently discovered disinfection byproduct (DBP) found in U.S. drinking water treated with chloramines is the most toxic ever found, says a scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign… Water Quality NEW! 4/09/01 - Compassionate Environmentalists Warn President Bush: Test the Water at Your Ranch Test the Water at Your Ranch Sierra Club Blasts Decision to Withdraw Protections for Drinking Water Arsenic in Water Causes Cancer March 20, 2001

Walkerton criminal charges met with anger WALKERTON REPORT Full Story (Part 2) Full Story (Part 1) Excerpts from report Statement by Mike Harris Chronology of Events Key Players Collected Walkerton Letters Walkerton Columns WALKERTON -- At a news conference marked by angry outbursts from residents, Ontario Provincial Police announced yesterday they have charged the two brothers at the centre of the Walkerton tainted water tragedy. Stan Koebel, manager of the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission when the E. coli disaster hit in 2000, faces seven criminal charges. His brother, Frank, PUC foreman at the time, faces five criminal charges. Seven people died and more than 2,000 were sickened by E. coli contamination of Walkerton's water system in May Excerpted from Canada Online (Canoe)

PROTECTING ONTARIO’S DRINKING WATER:TOWARD A WATERSHED-BASED SOURCE PROTECTION PLANNING FRAMEWORK Advisory Committee on Watershed-based Source Protection Planning Final Report April 2003

Surface Water Quality Engineering

Surface Water Quality Engineering Definition: the application of scientific principles to the study of water quality in rivers, lakes and reservoirs and to the development of engineered works for the protection, remediation, and restoration of those systems.

Transportation Power Water supply Waste disposal Recreation Aesthetics Beneficial Uses Scientists and engineers are typically sought for assistance when ‘beneficial uses’ are impaired

Oxygen Turbidity Pathogens Toxics Taste and Odor Exotic Species pH Color Beneficial Use Impairment What types of human activities might lead to these ‘beneficial use’ impairments?

Surface Water Quality: The Regulatory Basis Clean Water Act of 1972 (since amended) NPDES: permitting system TMDLs: watershed loads Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 (since amended) MCLs: 1  and 2  for organics, metals, etc. SWTR: coliforms, protozoans, turbidity, DBPs

Limnology: The Science of Surface Waters

Plug Flow Reactor (rivers) Surface Water Quality Modeling Reactor Analogs Completely Mixed Flow Reactor (lakes)

Watershed protection Point source controls In-lake control actions –Aeration –Biomanipulation –Dredging Surface Water Quality Management These are some of the scientific and engineering approaches used to manage water quality.

Case Study - Lake Huron Cladophora is a green algae which grows attached to solid substrate in the nearshore waters of the Great Lakes. Excessive phosphorus discharges to the lakes has led to nuisance growths of the alga, leading to beachfront deposition, with subsequent decay and loss of beneficial uses. We worked with U.S. EPA to determine the level of phosphorus control required to eliminate nuisance growth and implemented a demonstration project of P-removal at the Harbor Beach, Michigan wastewater treatment plant. The project led to elimination of nuisance conditions at the adjacent beach areas on Lake Huron.

Case Study - Green Bay Green Bay is highly polluted due to the discharge of agricultural runoff and treated waste effluents from municipal and industrial sources. A marked gradient in water quality exists between the mouth of the Fox River and the boundary with Lake Michigan near Escanaba. Under a grant from U.S. EPA, we quantified pollutant inputs to the bay and studied their subsequent fate and transport. We developed a mathematical model which demonstrated the response of water quality conditions in the may to changes in the discharge of pollutants from the Fox River.

Case Study - Onondaga Lake For more than 100 years, Onondaga Lake has received the municipal and industrial waste discharges of the city of Syracuse, NY. The lake has been identified in the Congressional Record as the most polluted lake in the U.S. Since 1986, we have worked with Upstate Freshwater Institute in exploring options for lake cleanup, including advanced treatment at the 125 million gallon per day Syracuse Metropolitan Treatment Plant (METRO) and diversion of the METRO effluent to the adjoining Seneca River.

Case Study - NYC Reservoirs The New York City drinking water supply system is composed of 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes located in southeastern upstate New York. The system has a usable capacity of 580 billion gallons and supplies an average of 1.4 billion gallons per day to 9 million people. Since 1992, we have been working with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to assure a high quality source water despite increasing land use and pollution pressures in the watershed.

Case Study - Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world by surface area and the most pristine of the Great Lakes. It is also the least well known of these precious resources. Because of its relatively undeveloped watershed, most pollutants reach the lake from the atmosphere. Under grants from the National Science Foundation and the Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund, we have been working to better understand how pollutants reaching the lake are transported from site to site and cycled within the food web.

Case Study: Lake Sempach, Switzerland Lake Sempach is a deep, pre- alpine lake in the heart of lush farmlands in Switzerland. Agricultural runoff and sewage inputs caused severe eutrophication of the lake. Building tertiary sewage treatment plants was not enough to solve the problem, and in-lake treatment (aeration) also was ineffective. This situation has led the Swiss government to pass legislation stating that farmers cannot apply more fertilizer to the land than the land can absorb. We studied the processes in the sediments that promoted internal recycling of nutrients and exacerbated the eutrophication problem.

Case Study: Little Rock Lake, WI Little Rock Lake, near Rhinelander, WI, is a seepage lake situated in glacial outwash sands. Such lakes have very little capacity to neutralize acid rain. This lake was divided in two with an artificial curtain, and one half was experimentally acidified for six years and then allowed to recover in order to study the effects of acid rain on lakes. We studied the processes in the lake that neutralize acid inputs and that determine the rate at which this lake is acidified.

Case Study: Torch Lake, MI Torch Lake is a Superfund site on the Keweenaw Peninsula that had 20% of its volume filled with mine tailings (stamp sands). Trace metals have leached from these mine residues and reached toxic concentrations particularly in the sediments. The U.S.EPA elected not to remediate the lake because of the expense involved. However, our work has shown that the time required for the lake to recover on its own is a few hundred years. Senior design classes have examined the feasibility of capping the sediments of the lake to hasten its recovery.

Case Study: Torch Lake, MI Torch Lake is a Superfund site on the Keweenaw Peninsula that had 20% of its volume filled with mine tailings (stamp sands). Trace metals have leached from these mine residues and reached toxic concentrations particularly in the sediments. The U.S.EPA elected not to remediate the lake because of the expense involved. However, our work has shown that the time required for the lake to recover on its own is a few hundred years. Senior design classes have examined the feasibility of capping the sediments of the lake to hasten its recovery.

CE Hydrology CE Surface Water Quality Engineering CE Surface Water Quality Modeling CE Biogeochemistry BL Aquatic Ecology FW Wetlands Coursework Students have the option of building a ‘concentration’ in surface water quality as part of the B.S. in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech.

Government (NYC DEP, MPCA, U.S. EPA) Industry (Detroit Edison, Kodak, GM) Consulting (Limno-Tech, Hydroqual, Earthtech) Graduate Study & Research (MTU, UFI, NOAA) Employment Check out the web pages of these organizations for professional opportunities.

WHAT IS UNIQUE?

The problem(s): >20% of world’s population lacks safe drinking water; Major rivers (Nile, Yellow R., Colorado R.) run dry before reaching the ocean; Water tables dropping in major food producing regions (U.S. Great Plain, Chinese northern plain, India); Lack of water is major constraint to industrial and socioeconomic growth (China, India, Indonesia); By 2025 two thirds (2/3) of world population will live in water-stressed regions.

SUSTAINABILTY Preserve limited water supplies; Watershed or source protection; Air pollutants move into aquatic systems; Groundwater pollutants affect surface waters; Interconnections; Population growth; Lifestyles, culture; Science, engineering, policy; Economics, social science, …