1. Living in the Environment
Water Pollution
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
Chapter 20

2. Types and Sources of Water Pollution
Point sources
Nonpoint sources
Water
Quality
Good
8-9
Do (ppm) at 20˚C
Slightly
polluted
Moderately
Heavily
Gravely
6.7-8
Below 4.5
Below 4
Biological oxygen demand
Water quality indication of what beneficial uses of water- spawning, recreation, swimming,drinking.
Water quality
Pg. 535

3. Point and Nonpoint Sources
Urban streets
Suburban development
Wastewater treatment plant
Rural homes
Cropland
Factory
Animal feedlot
POINT SOURCES

4. Water pollution Bacteria,Viruses,Protozoa, Parasitic worms
Oxygen demanding substances
Inorganic plant nutrients
Organic chemicals
Sediment or suspended matter
Thermal pollution
Genetic pollution
Bacteria viruses
Eat oxygen, phosphates, heat, introduction of non native species
Table 19-2 tells all the things from bacteria,…vomiting, diarreha,dehydration

5. Biological Magnification
Rainbow smelt
1.04 ppm
Zooplankton
0.123 ppm
Phytoplankton
ppm
Water
ppm
Herring gull
124 ppm
Lake trout
4.83 ppm
Herring gull eggs
Why we need good water quality. Higher in food chain means more concentrated is contamination. Where are we on the food chain. Why Audobuan society devotes money to water quality. To protect birds.

6. Thermal Pollution
Occurs when heated water produced during industrial processes is released into waterways
Organisms affected
Warm water holds less DO than cold water

7. Groundwater Pollution: Causes
Hazardous waste injection well
Pesticides
Coal strip mine runoff
De-icing road salt
Buried gasoline and solvent tank
Pumping well
Cesspool septic tank
Gasoline station
Waste lagoon
Water pumping well
Sewer
Landfill
Leakage from faulty casing
Accidental spills
Discharge
Unconfined freshwater aquifer
Confined aquifer
Confined freshwater aquifer
Groundwater flow
Fig

8. Contaminant plume moves with the groundwater
Leaking
tank
Aquifer
Water
table
Bedrock
Figure 21.8
Natural capital degradation: groundwater contamination from a leaking gasoline tank. As the contaminated water spreads from its source in a widening plume, it can be extracted by wells used to provide water for drinking and irrigation.
Groundwater
flow
Free gasoline
dissolves in
groundwater
(dissolved
phase)
Gasoline
leakage plume
(liquid phase)
Migrating
vapor phase
Water well
Contaminant plume moves
with the groundwater
Fig

9. Groundwater Pollution Prevention
Monitoring aquifers
Strictly regulating hazardous waste disposal
Storing hazardous materials above ground

10. Oligotrophic Lakes
Unenriched, clear water that supports small populations of aquatic organisms

11. Sources of nutrients leading to eutrophication
Discharge of untreated
municipal sewage
(nitrates and phosphates)
Nitrogen compounds
produced by cars
and factories
Discharge of treated
(primary and secondary
treatment:
nitrates and phosphates)
Discharge of
detergents
( phosphates)
Natural runoff
(nitrates and
phosphates
Manure runoff
From feedlots
Phosphates,
ammonia)
Dissolving of
nitrogen oxides
(from internal combustion
engines and furnaces)
Runoff and erosion
(from from cultivation,
mining, construction,
and poor land use)
Runoff from streets,
lawns, and construction
lots (nitrates and
phosphates)
Lake ecosystem
nutrient overload
and breakdown of
chemical cycling
Aging of lakes
Fig .22.7, p. 499

12. Stream Pollution: What species are found in each zone
Stream Pollution: What species are found in each zone? What happens to BOD and DO in each zone?
Fig. 20-5

13. Why treat wastewater?
Increases BOD biochemical oxygen demand)…Causes an increased demand for dissolved oxygen by the microorganisms that decompose organic waste lower DO levels in water
Adds nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) to cause excessive growth
Increases suspended solids or sediments in streams (turbidity increase)
Contains pathogenic organisms

14. Sewage- Eutrophication
Slow-flowing stream, lake or estuary enriched by inorganic plant and algal nutrients such as phosphorus
Often due to fertilizer or sewage runoff

15. Sewage

16. Disease-causing Agents
Infectious organisms that cause diseases
Originate in the wastes of infected individuals
Common bacterial or viral diseases:
Typhoid, cholera, bacterial dysentery, polio, and infectious hepatitis

17. Disease-causing Agents
Monitored by testing for presence of E. coli in the water via a fecal coliform test
Indicates the presence of pathogenic organisms

18. Municipal Sewage Treatment
Primary treatment
Removing suspended and floating particles by mechanical processes
Secondary treatment
Treating wastewater biologically to decompose suspended organic material; reduces BOD

19. Municipal Sewage Treatment
Sewage Sludge (Solids) Collected After Primary and Secondary Treatment
Solids may be composted, landfilled, used to make methane gas by anaerobic digestion, or incinerated

20. Tertiary treatment
-Advanced wastewater treatment methods that are sometimes employed after primary and secondary treatments to
reduce phosphorus and nitrogen
-May use artificial wetlands or other means

21. Reducing Water Pollution through Sewage Treatment
Figure 20-19

22. Municipal Sewage Treatment

23. Individual Septic System- Septic Tank

24. Individual Septic System- Drain Field

25. Coastal Pollution Sources

26. Fig. 20-15 Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos and smokestacks,
toxic chemicals,
and heavy metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.
Cities
Toxic metals and oil from streets and parking lots pollute waters;
Urban sprawl
Bacteria and viruses from
sewers and septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds
Construction sites
Sediments are washed into
waterways, choking fish and plants, clouding waters, and blocking sunlight.
Farms
Runoff of pesticides, manure, and fertilizers adds toxins and excess nitrogen and phosphorus.
Red tides
Excess nitrogen causes
explosive growth of
toxicmicroscopic algae,
poisoning fish and
marine mammals.
Closed
shellfish beds
Closed
beach
Oxygen-depleted
zone
Toxic sediments
Chemicals and toxic metals contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish, and
accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.
Figure 21.10
Natural capital degradation: residential areas, factories, and farms all contribute to the pollution of coastal waters and bays. According to the UN Environment Programme, coastal water pollution costs the world $16 billion annually—$731,000 a minute—due to ill health and premature death.
Stop 10:30
Oxygen-depleted zone
Sedimentation and algae
overgrowth reduce sunlight,
kill beneficial sea grasses, use
up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Healthy zone
Clear, oxygen-rich
waters promote growth
of plankton and sea grasses,
and support fish.
Fig
Fig , p. 505

27. Drinking Water Quality
Bottled water
Safe Drinking Water Act
EPA established national drinking water standards called maximum contaminant levels–
System of Long Beach- groundwater pumped to Redondo and spring, treated, pumped back out to residences. Usually most safe because it is tested.
Privately owned wells are not required to meet test standards.
1/3 of bottled water contaminated with bacteria- not required to do testing. Not required to test like federal government- IBWA International bottle water association.
7 million illnesses and 1200 deaths in the U.S. per year .
Maximum contaminant levels

29. Is Bottled Water the Answer?
Some bottled water is not as pure as tap water and costs much more.
1.4 million metric tons of plastic bottles are thrown away.
Fossil fuels are used to make plastic bottles.
The oil used to produce plastic bottles in the U.S. each year would fuel 100,000 cars.

30. Using Laws to Protect Drinking Water
The U.N. estimates that 5.6 million Americans drink water that does not meet EPA standards.
1 in 5 Americans drinks water from a treatment plant that violated one or more safety standard.

31. • Minimize your use of pesticides.
What Can You Do?
Water Pollution
• Fertilize garden and yard plants with manure or compost instead of commercial inorganic fertilizer.
• Minimize your use of pesticides.
• Do not apply fertilizer or pesticides near a body of water.
• Grow or buy organic foods.
• Do not drink bottled water unless tests show that your tap water is contaminated. Merely refill and reuse plastic bottles with tap water.
• Compost your food wastes.
Figure 21.19
Individuals matter: ways to help reduce water pollution. QUESTION: Which three of these actions do you think are the most important?
• Do not use water fresheners in toilets.
• Do not flush unwanted medicines down the toilet.
• Do not pour pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze, or other products containing harmful chemicals down the drain or onto the ground.