H2O Pollution

Effluent

A stream or overflow from a larger body of water, or from a channel or sewer.

Trickling filters

A system which consists of a bed of coarse materials such as stones, slats, or other media which has microorganisms that biodegrade the waste growing on the media as the wastewater flows through them; this is an attached growth process.

Septic tank

A tank, typically underground, in which sewage is collected and allowed to decompose through bacterial activity before draining by means of a leaching field.

B.O.D.

"Biological Oxygen Demand" the amount of oxygen tht is used or demanded as waste material is digested or oxidized in organisms; higher values remove greater amounts dissolved oxygen from aquaic ecosystems; raw sewage has extremely high values and thus can lower dissolved oxygen very rapidly; measured in mg/L

Major sources of nutrient overload

(in lakes and ponds) nitrogen and phosphorous. Sewage treatment plants, industries, and factories are the major point sources.

Preventing/reducing surface water pollution from agriculture

-Be mindful not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers. This will reduce runoffs of the chemical into nearby water sources. Start looking at options of composting and using organic manure instead. -If the farm is close to a water body, try to plant lots of trees and flowers around the area, so that when it rains, chemicals from the soil/crops do not easily drain into the water.

Major pollutants of groundwater

-Storage Tanks. May contain gasoline, oil, chemicals, or other types of liquids and they can either be above or below ground -Septic Systems -Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste -Landfills -Chemicals and Road Salts -Atmospheric Contaminants

Thermal Pollution

-The degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers -Temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life

Clean water around the globe

1/10 people around the globe lack access to clean water

Coliform bacteria

Bacteria that live in the intestines (including the colon) of humans and other animals, used as a measure of the presence of feces in water or soil.

Water-transmitted diseases

Cholera, Giardia, Amoebiasis, Botulism

Pfiesteria piscida

Both fish and humans develop neurological symptoms and bloody skin lesions due to a sudden "bloom" of this algae. Usually non-toxic but when a nearby school of fish releases chemicals, it will transform into flagellated form and release 2 toxins

Coastal Wetlands

Coastal zone ares of vegetation covered with saltwater either seasonally or at high tide; salt marshes and mangrove. Protection methods include planting local species (prevents invasive species destruction), using phosphate-free detergent/fertilizers, and respecting areas while visiting.

Woburn Case study

Contamination of the Aberjona River in Massachusetts (near Woburn) began as early as 1648, when Woburn's first tannery opened. The industry continued to expand, and by 1865 Woburn was home to 21 active tanning and currying shops. VOCs associated with the tanning industry would come to be associated with severe illness and death in the Woburn community one hundred years later. From 1863 through 1929, Woburn Chemical Works operated one of the country's largest industrial complexes on what is now dubbed the Industriplex waste site, upriver from the polluted Wells G&H. Evidence was easily established that the cancer rate in Woburn was higher that would be expected based on national statistics, and these incidences were eventually linked without significant doubt to the pollution in the water from Wells G & H.

Advantages of combined sewage/rainwater runoff pipes

Convenience (minimal intervention by users) Low health risk No nuisance from smells, mosquitoes or flies Less maintenance compared to simplified and solids-free sewers Greywater and possibly stormwater can be managed concurrently Can handle grit and other solids, as well as large volumes of flow No problems related to discharging industrial wastewater

Thermal Enrichment

Excess heat added to aquatic systems; for example, to lengthen commercial fishing season, run under sidewalks to melt snow.

Kesterson Wildlife Refuge case study

Field studies of the area found that the high levels of Se were causing developmental deformities in both embryos and chicks of the majority of the birds nesting at Kesterson. The San Luis drain was closed and all inflow of agricultural drainage water was stopped, and the ponds were drained, but Se bioaccumulation is still occurring.

Primary sewage treatment

First step of sewage treatment; eliminates most particulate material from raw sewage using grates, screens, and gravity (example: settling).

Chlorination

Form of water disinfection continues to provide antibacterial protection after the water leaves the purification plant, added to drinking water to kill bacteria.

Preventing groundwater pollution

Groundwater contamination site investigations usually include drilling and installing monitoring wells, from which water level data and water samples may be obtained. Groundwater cleanup (a.k.a., "remediation") strategies often involve pump-and-treat systems, where contaminated groundwater is extracted and treated via activated carbon vessels, resin beds or other mechanisms to remove the contamination.

Issues cleaning up groundwater

Groundwater pollution is difficult to clean up because aquifers recharge slowly and because pollutants cling to the materials make up an aquifer. Groundwater is polluted by many different sources so it is hard to control all the pollutants.

Chesapeake Bay Case study

In the first half of the twentieth century, oysters began a precipitous decline as a result of over-fishing and habitat destruction. The loss of oysters contributed to the overall decline in water quality and increasing turbidity that in turn contributed to the disappearance of the once extensive sea-grass beds. -The degradation of the Chesapeake attracted national attention and the following steps have been taken, including ecosystem restoration. Atmospheric input is a major contributor to the bay's declining water and must be taken into account in the management effort. As a result of these measures, there have been major environmental improvements e.g. an increase in the quality of fish spawning habitat and improved fish passage on spawning streams, restoration of stream-side forests, designation of 11,000 acres (ca. 4,400 ha) of bay bottom as aquatic reef habitat, increase of sea-grass beds and reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads, but issues still remain.

Issues with drinking bottled water

Increases carbon footprint, uses additional plastic, waste of oil/increase in pollution for transportation of the bottles, economically disadvantageous for consumers (cheaper to just buy a water bottle and reuse that daily)

Cryptospridium

It is microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis. Both the parasite and the disease are commonly known as "Crypto." There are many species that infect animals, some of which also infect humans. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very tolerant to chlorine disinfection. While this parasite can be spread in several different ways, water (drinking water and recreational water) is the most common way to spread the parasite. It is a leading cause of waterborne disease among humans in the United States.

Black mayonnaise

Located in the Gowanus canal, literally just blobs and layers of pollutants

Dredge spoils

Materials, often laden with toxic metals, scraped from bottoms of harbors and rivers to maintain shipping channels.

Minamata Case Study

Minamata is known due to Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. The disease was discovered in 1956.[1] A local chemical plant was blamed for causing the disease by emitting untreated wastewater to the Minamata Bay. The sickness causes ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma, and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms. A congenital form of the disease can also affect fetuses in the womb.

Disadvantages of seperate sewage/rainwater runoff pipes

Needs a reliable supply of piped water Difficult to construct in high-density areas, difficult and costly to maintain High capital costs, more expensive than combined sewer system (two networks are necessary) Unsuitability for self-help, requires skilled engineers and operators Need for pumping on flat ground Problems associated with blockages and breakdown of pumping equipment Adequate treatment and/or disposal required for a large point source discharge Higher risk of water pollution by accidents (e.g. oil, chemicals, etc.)

Cultural Eutrophication

Overnourishment of aquatic ecosystems with plant nutrients (mostly nitrates and phosphates) because of human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and discharges from industrial plants and sewage treatment plants. Treatment includes minimizing fertilizer use and spillage into water bodies. Can control it through water reuse as well.

Biomagnificaton

Pollutant gets put into the environment it effects organisms at the top of the food chain more than at the bottom of the food chain (essentially magnifies as you go up the food chain)

Point source pollution

Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (ex. pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types).

Valdez Oil Spill

Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled 11 to 38 million US gallons of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters. Oil still persists in the sand today, and the deaths of 100,000 to as many as 250,000 seabirds, at least 2,800 sea otters, approximately 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles, and 22 orcas, and an unknown number of salmon and herring have been recorded.

Discharge trading policy

Program that uses market forces to reduce water pollution in the US; water pollution source is allowed to pollute at high levels higher than allowed in its permit if it buys credits from permit holders with pollution levels below what they are allowed.

US Clean Water Act

Regulate release of pollutants from their point sources to waters in the US, restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters by preventing point and non-point pollution sources, providing assistance to publicly owned treatment works for the improvement of waste-water treatment, and maintaining the integrity of wetlands. - Enacted by the EPA; 1972, ational

Best soil test to decide where to put a septic tank

Scientists test for fecal coliform in water (feces) as well as dissolved oxygen levels through chemical analysis of the concentration of organic chemicals

Secondary sewage treatment

Second step is a biological process in which aerobic bacteria remove as much as 90% of dissolved and biodegradable, oxygen-demanding organic wastes.

Activated sludge

Sludge particles produced in raw or settled wastewater (primary effluent) by the growth of organisms (including zoogleal bacteria) in aeration tanks in the presence of dissolved oxygen. the term "activated" comes from the fact that the particles are teeming with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Activated sludge is different from primary sludge in that the sludge particles contain many living organisms which can feed on the incoming waste water.

Tertiary sewage treatment

Specialized chemical and physical processes that reduce the amount of specific pollutants (ex. nitrates from fertilizers) left in waste water after primary and secondary treatments; usually inexpensive.

Indicator species

Species that serve as early warnings that a community or ecosystem is being degraded. ex. trout

Advantages of seperate sewage/rainwater runoff pipes

Surface run-off, greywater and blackwater can be managed separately (no contamination of surface run-off by sewage) Limited or no risk of sewage overflow Convenience (minimal intervention by users) Low health risk No nuisance from smells, mosquitoes or flies No problems related to discharging industrial wastewater Moderate operation costs Surface run-off and rainwater can be reused (e.g. for landscaping or agriculture) after a simplified treatment

Water quality tests

Test regularly for temperature, pH, turbidity, trace minerals, salinity, nitrogenous waste, coliforms, total organic compounds. Allows people/researchers to locate ideal locations for things like septic tanks, industrial plants, and also measure the impact these devices have on the surrounding water. Additionally, these tests can be indications of water purity, which can help us decide what water to utilize and which needs purifying.

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism.

Great Lakes case study

The initiative is the largest reinvestment plan for the Great Lakes in two decades. The plan targets five focus areas: toxic substances and areas of concern; invasive species; near-shore health and nonpoint source pollution; habitat and wildlife protection and restoration; accountability, education, monitoring, evaluation communication and partnerships.

US Safe Drinking Water Act

The principal federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Sets maximum contaminant levels for any pollutants that affect human health. - enacted by the EPA; 1974, national (every public water system in the US)

Ozonation

The process of contacting water, waste water, or air with ozone for purposes of disinfection, oxidation, or odor control.

Disadvantages of combined sewage/rainwater runoff pipes

Very high capital costs; high operation and maintenance costs A minimum velocity must be maintained to prevent the deposition of solids in the sewer Requires deep excavations Difficult and costly to extend as a community changes and grows Difficult to construct in high-density areas, difficult and costly to maintain Recycling of nutrients and energy becomes difficult Requires expert design, construction and maintenance Leakages pose a risk of wastewater exfiltration and groundwater infiltration and are difficult to identify

Non point source pollution

Water pollution that does not have a specific point of origin (ex. chemicals added to road surfaces ( salt and other de-icing agents ), water runoff from cities and streets, fertilizers, soil runoff, oil and gasoline from boats ect)

Oxygen sag curve

When DO increases, BOD levels also increase

Thermal shock

When a source of thermal pollution first starts of stops, fish and other organisms adapted to particular temperature range can be killed by the abrupt change in water temperature.