The History and Current State of Water ENS102D Wednesday March 15, 2006 Background image:
Review Atmospheric water Green water Surface water Groundwater –Aquifers
Opening De 8:7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills, Eze 12:19 and say of the people of the land, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink water in dismay, because their land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. Eze 34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must foul the rest with your feet?
What's in your water? Ann Bailey 2006 WorldWatch 19(2):27
Case 1: The Great River Upper Mississippi River Water Quality Assessment
"Flowing water perspective"
Mean densities (±1 standard error) of the long fingernailclam in Pool 19 of the Upper Mississippi River during 1973992. Mean densities in 1989, 1990, and 1991 were too low to readily appear on the chart and are given in parentheses.
Case 2: Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in northeast Ohio. It begins its 100-mile journey in Geauga County, then flows south to Cuyahoga Falls where it turns sharply north until it empties into Lake Erie. The river drains 813 square miles of land in portions of six counties. Native Americans referred to the U-shaped river as the Cuyahoga or "crooked river."Fires plagued the Cuyahoga beginning in 1936 when a spark from a blow torch ignited floating debris and oils. Fires erupted on the river several more times before June 22, 1969, when a river fire captured national attention when Time magazine described the Cuyahoga as the river that "oozes rather than flows" and in which a person "does not drown but decays." This event helped spur an avalanche of pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies. Lake Erie Clean Water Act Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Case 3: The Death of Lake Erie Point Sources Non-point SourcesNon-point Sources More on Lake Erie click image for more informaton
Pollutant Source
Case 4:The Life of Lake Valentine SD depth increased Eutrophication has declined
Eutrophication
GroundWater St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer
GroundWater
GroundWater Withdrawls by state
GroundWater Nitrates Coliforms Organics
Case 5: TCAAP
TCAAP TCE Plume
Other Pollutants of Concern Endocrine Disrupters
Criteria Pollutants EPA Priority Pollutants Priority Pollutants Actually are categories based upon the action of major entities in our economic/society structure. –Let's list possibilities as a final exercise. Further Resources US EPA Water Quality Standards Database MN Pollution Control Agency Water Page: