1. Water Pollution
Chapter 19

2. 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.

3. 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

4. II. CATEGORIES OF WATER POLLUTION & SOURCES & IMPACTS

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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. Biological magnification
Water
ppm
Herring gull
124 ppm
Phytoplankton
ppm
Herring gull eggs
124 ppm
Zooplankton
0.123 ppm
Lake trout
4.83 ppm
Rainbow smelt
1.04 ppm
Biological magnification

10. Bioaccumulation : Mercury Deposition

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

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

13. 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

14. 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

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

16. 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