1. Measuring Water Pollution
A Quick Overview

2. How do you measure the quality of a moving, ever changing fluid medium?

3. Two Basic Approaches:
TECHNOLOGY-BASED LIMITS: Use a certain treatment technology (BPT, BAT, MACT, BPJ) to achieve a given quality of effluent
WATER QUALITY-BASED LIMITS: Quantitative relationship between inputs and quality (LD50, NOEL)--dose/response risk assessment, hydrology, mass balance

4. The “Conventional” Pollutant Measures:
Oxygen (BOD, COD, DO)
Solids content (TSS, Conductivity, Secchi disk, settleable solids)
Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) /Algae/Eutrophication
Acidity (pH)
Bacteria (e.g., fecal coliform)
Temperature

5. Oxidizing (Oxygen-Using) Reactions
Fire
Metabolism of humans and animals
Fate of pollutants in water
C in fuel combines with atmospheric O2
carbon-bearing organic compounds oxidized to CO2,water, energy
pollutants are oxidized, depleting O2 in water

6. Measures of oxygen in water:
Dissolved oxygen (DO)--time and space variables, dilution
Biological oxygen demand, five days (BOD5)
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
Sediment oxygen demand (SOD)

7. Oxygen and other pollutants may vary according to:
Fluctuations in inputs (lagged)
Time of day (day-night)
Time of year (summer-winter)
Water temperature (thermal stratification)
Stream flow
Which in turn varies with land clearance/impervious cover, storm events, seasonal variations, channel structure, etc.

8. Effects of sediment loading
Destruction of spawning beds
Adsorption and transport of other pollutants
Reduced light penetration, aquatic vegetation
Greater nutrients loadings, oxygen demand
Interference with navigation, flood control, recreation, industry

9. Effects of nutrient loadings (N, P measured by Chlorophyll a, Secchi, algal species)
Algae blooms
DO changes, fish kills
Shift of trophic status toward eutrophic
Drinking water impairment (direct and indirect)
Aesthetics (color, clarity, smell)
Uptake and release of toxics

10. Effects of acidification (measured in pH--log scale)
Direct kill of living things
Shift toward acid-tolerant species
Mobilization (dilution, desorption) of metals and other toxics

11. What about toxics?

12. Impacts of toxics Acute mortality (instant death)
Chronic illnesses (e.g., cancer)
Reproductive and developmental toxicity (“hormone mimics”)
Persistence over space (toxaphene) and time (PCBs); or transformation (DDT to DDE, PCB dechlorination, methyl mercury)
Storage in reservoirs (sediment sinks)

13. Some approaches to toxics parameters
Chemical levels (water, sediment)
Ability to support designated uses
Ability to support beneficial uses
Fish advisories
Historical baselines
Background levels
“Narrative criteria” (no toxics in toxic amounts)

14. Bring diverse measurements together into a single-number value
Indices
Bring diverse measurements together into a single-number value

15. Ecosystem approaches
Look at interactions of living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem (what’s an ecosystem?)
Try to identify stresses and responses
Holistically integrate physical, biological, and social aspects of the area in question

16. “Social Indicators” Stewardship Sustainability Stakeholder Involvement
Etc., etc. (what is the good society?)