1. Fresh Water Pollution and Its Control Wastewater and Its Treatment
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Fresh Water Pollution and Its Control
&
Wastewater and Its Treatment

2. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Objectives:
Define the terms point-source pollution and non-point- source pollution.
Assess problems of water quality and propose solutions to address water pollution.
Explain how we treat drinking water and wastewater.
TED Talk - Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it -- inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.

3. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Define the terms point-source pollution and non-point-source pollution.
Point-Source Pollution:
Non-Point-Source Pollution:
Point-Source Pollution: A source of pollution that involves the discharge of wastes from an identifiable point, such as a smokestack or sewage treatment plant.
Non-Point-Source Pollution: A source of pollution that cannot always be traced to an exact point of entry.

4. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Assess problems of water quality and propose solutions to address water pollution.
Water pollution stems from point sources and nonpoint sources.
Water pollutants include toxic chemicals, sediment, thermal pollution, excessive nutrients, and microbial pathogens,
Scientists who monitor water quality use biological, chemical, and physical indicators.
Groundwater pollution can be more persistent and difficult to address than surface water pollution.
Preventing water pollution is better than mitigation.
Legislation and regulation have improved water quality in developed nations in recent decades.

5. Freshwater pollution and its control
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Freshwater pollution and its control
Water for human consumption and other organisms needs to be:
Disease-free
Nontoxic
Half of the world’s major rivers are seriously depleted and polluted
They poison surrounding ecosystems
Threatening the health and livelihood of people
The invisible pollution of groundwater has been called a “covert crisis”

6. Point and nonpoint sources of pollution
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Point and nonpoint sources of pollution
Pollution = the release of matter or energy that causes undesirable impacts on the health and well-being of humans or other organisms
**Point sources = discrete locations of water pollution
Factories, sewer pipes**
Addressed by the U.S. Clean Water Act
Nonpoint sources = pollution arises from multiple inputs over larger areas (farms, city streets, neighborhoods)
The major source of U.S. water pollution

7. Freshwater pollution sources
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Freshwater pollution sources

8. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Nutrient pollution
Nutrient pollution from fertilizers, farms, sewage, lawns, golf courses leads to eutrophication
Fertilizers add phosphorus to water, which boosts algal and aquatic plant growth
Spreading algae cover the surface, decreasing sunlight
Bacteria eat dead algae, reducing dissolved oxygen
Fish and shellfish die
Solutions include treating wastewater
Reducing fertilizer application
Using phosphate-free detergents
Planting vegetation to increase nutrient uptake
The Dümmer See, a lake in Germany's Lower Saxony, suffers from heavy nutrient pollution.

9. Eutrophication is a natural process, but…
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Eutrophication is a natural process, but…
Human activities dramatically increase the rate at which it occurs

10. Pathogens and waterborne diseases
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Pathogens and waterborne diseases
Enter water supplies through inadequately treated human waste and animal waste from feedlots
Fecal coliform bacteria indicate fecal contamination
They are not pathogenic organisms
But the water may also hold other disease-causing pathogens (e.g., giardiasis, typhoid, hepatitis A)
**Bacterial (i.e., pathogens) pollution causes more human health problems than any other type of water pollution**
Conditions are improving
86% of people now have safe water

11. Pathogens cause human health problems
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Pathogens cause human health problems
1 billion are still without safe water
2.6 billion have inadequate sewer or sanitary facilities
Mostly rural Asians and Africans
Health impacts kill 5 million people per year
Solutions:
Disinfect drinking water
Treat sewage
Public education to encourage personal hygiene
Government enforcement of regulations protecting food
Pathogens that can be spread through drinking water

12. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Toxic chemicals
Pesticides, petroleum products, synthetic chemicals
Arsenic, lead, mercury, acid rain, acid drainage from mines
Effects include poisoned animals and plants, altered aquatic ecosystems, and decreased human health
Solutions:
Issue and enforce more stringent regulations of industry
Modify industrial processes
Modify our purchasing decisions
Many of these chemicals are potentially harmful and can spawn health problems.

13. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Sediment pollution
Sediment in rivers can impair aquatic ecosystems
Clear-cutting, mining, clearing land for housing, and cultivating farm fields expose soil to erosion
It dramatically changes aquatic habitats
Fish may not survive
Solutions:
Better management of farms and forests
Avoid large-scale disturbance of vegetation

14. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Thermal pollution
Water that is too warm causes problems
Warmer water holds less oxygen
Dissolved oxygen decreases as temperature increases
Industrial cooling heats water
Removing streamside cover raises water temperature
Water that is too cold also causes problems
Water at the bottom of reservoirs behind dams is colder
When water is released, downstream water temperatures drop suddenly, killing aquatic organisms

15. Indicators of water quality
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Indicators of water quality
Scientists measure properties of water to characterize its quality
Biological indicators: presence of fecal coliform bacteria, disease-causing organisms, algae, etc.
Chemical indicators: nutrient concentrations, pH, taste, odor, hardness, dissolved oxygen
Physical indicators: color, temperature, turbidity

16. Groundwater pollution is a difficult problem
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Groundwater pollution is a difficult problem
Groundwater is increasingly contaminated
But is hidden from view and difficult to monitor
“Out of sight, out of mind”
Groundwater pollution is hard to address
It retains contaminants for decades and longer
It takes longer for contaminants to break down because of lower sunlight, microbes, and dissolved oxygen
So far, the EPA has cleaned up 388,000 leaking tanks

17. Sources of groundwater pollution
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Sources of groundwater pollution
Some toxic chemicals occur naturally
Aluminum, fluoride, sulfates
Pollution from human causes wastes leach through soils
Pathogens enter through improperly designed wells
Leaking underground storage and septic tanks

18. Agriculture and industry pollute groundwater
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Agriculture and industry pollute groundwater
Agricultural pollution comes from several sources
Pesticides are in most of the shallow aquifers tested
Nitrates from fertilizers have caused cancer, miscarriages, and “blue-baby” syndrome
Pathogens like Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Manufacturing industries and military sites have been heavy polluters
By-products seep into water from miles around
Radioactive wastes will contaminate water for 750,000 years

19. It is best to prevent pollution
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
It is best to prevent pollution
It is far better to prevent pollution than use “end-of-pipe” treatment and cleanup
Other options are not as good:
Removing just one herbicide from water in the U.S. Midwest costs $400 million/year
Pumping, treating, and re-injecting it takes too long
Consumers can purchase sustainably made products
Become involved in local “riverwatch” projects
Urge government to pursue policies to fight pollution

20. Legislative efforts reduce pollution
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Legislative efforts reduce pollution
Water pollution was worse decades ago
Citizen activism and government response resulted in legislation during the 1960s and 1970s
The situation is much better now
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1972)
Renamed the Clean Water Act in 1977
It is illegal to discharge pollution without a permit
Sets standards for industrial wastewater
Funded sewage treatment plants

21. Enforcement of water quality is decreasing
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Enforcement of water quality is decreasing
Underfunded and understaffed state and federal regulatory agencies were pressured by industries and politicians
Violations of the Clean Water Act have risen to over 100,000 documented violations/year
10% of Americans are unknowingly exposed to unsafe drinking water
The new EPA administrator has promised to improve
Citizens pushed politicians to improve the Great Lakes
The water quality of the lakes has dramatically improved
Chart comparing Virginia's population growth to its CZMA funding level.

22. Explain how we treat drinking water and wastewater.
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Explain how we treat drinking water and wastewater.
Municipalities treat drinking water by filtering and disinfection in a multistep process.
Septic systems are used to treat wastewater in rural areas.
Wastewater is treated physically, biologically, and chemically in a series of steps at municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
Artificial wetlands enhance wastewater treatment while restoring habitat for wildlife.

23. We treat our drinking water
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
We treat our drinking water
Technology and government regulation have improved our pollution control
Treated drinking water is widespread and successful in developed nations
Before water reaches the user, it is chemically treated, filtered, and disinfected
The EPA sets standards for over 90 drinking water contaminants
Local governments and private water suppliers must meet these standards

24. We treat our wastewater
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
We treat our wastewater
Wastewater = water people have used in some way
Household, manufacturing, stormwater runoff, etc.
It is treated before being released into the environment
Septic systems = the most popular method of wastewater disposal in rural areas
Underground septic tanks separate solids and oils from wastewater
The water drains into a drain field, where microbes decompose the pollutants
Solid waste is periodically pumped out and landfilled

25. Municipal sewer systems
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Municipal sewer systems
In populated areas, sewer systems carry wastewater to treatment locations
**Step one… physically screen water to remove large debris**
Primary treatment = physically removes contaminants in settling tanks (clarifiers)
Secondary treatment = water is stirred and aerated
Aerobic bacteria degrade organic pollutants
Water treated with chlorine (and/or ultraviolet light) is piped into rivers or the ocean
Reclaimed water is used for lawns, irrigation, or industry

26. A typical wastewater treatment facility
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
A typical wastewater treatment facility
Sludge = solid material resulting from treatment
Is decomposed microbially
Then landfilled, incinerated, or used as fertilizer on cropland
Methane-rich gas created by decomposition can be burned to generate electricity

27. Artificial wetlands clean wastewater
APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
Artificial wetlands clean wastewater
After primary treatment at a conventional facility
Water is pumped into the wetland
Microbes decompose the remaining pollutants
**Cleansed water is released into waterways**
Or percolates underground
They are havens for wildlife
and areas for human recreation
The U.S. has over 500 artificially constructed or restored wetlands

28. APES Lesson 73 - Fresh Water Polution and its Control & Wastewater and its Treatment
TED Video
With cutting-edge nanotech, Michael Pritchard's Lifesaver water-purification bottle could revolutionize water-delivery systems in disaster-stricken areas around the globe.
"On the outside, it looks like an ordinary sports bottle. On the inside, there's a miracle: an extremely advanced filtration system that makes murky water filled with deadly viruses and bacteria completely clean in just seconds."
Allison Barrie, FoxNews.com
Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable (9:29)