APES 17

What percent of India's water resources are heavily polluted? What country has over half their rivers that are toxic even to touch?

2⁄3 or 66% of India's water resources are heavily polluted. Over half of China's rivers are so polluted and toxic that even touching them can bring harm.

What sort of improvements still need to be made in cleaning up our water?

40% of US streams, lakes, and estuaries are still too polluted for swimming; animal waste runoff still pollutes 70% of US rivers; tens of thousands of gasoline tanks are leaking; water treatment systems have violated the Safe Drinking Water Act; and drugs still in many streams.

What percent of the oil in the oceans comes from natural seeps?

46% of the oil in the oceans comes from natural seeps on the ocean bottom, the rest is humans.

How much municipal sewage from less developed countries ends up in the ocean?

80-90% of the municipal sewage from coastal areas of less developed countries is dumped into oceans without any treatment.

What is a dead zone? How long does it last in the Gulf of Mexico?

A dead zone is a massive volume of water with a low dissolved oxygen content (below 2 parts per million). Dead zones do not contain enough oxygen for marine life and kill animals that can not move to less polluted areas. In the Gulf of Mexico, dead zones last from spring until fall, when storms churn the water and redistribute oxygen.

What is a septic tank system and how does it work?

A septic tank is a component of a small-scale underground sewage treatment system used for homes in rural and suburban areas that do not have connections to municipal sewer lines. Wastewater enters the tank from the home, solids sink to the bottom of the tank, and bacteria begin to decompose the waste before it discharges into a leaching field.

Where is arsenic pollution of groundwater common? What are health impacts of arsenic?

Arsenic pollution of groundwater is common where a well has been drilled into an aquifer because the soil and rocks are naturally rich in arsenic, or when human activities such as mining and ore processing release arsenic into drinking water supplies. Exposure to arsenic can cause cancer of the skin, bladder, and lungs.

How much oil spilled into the Gulf?

As a result of the explosion, 3.1 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf.

What is BOD? What does it mean?

BOD stands for biochemical oxygen demand, the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic material present in a given water sample. BOD indicates how much organic waste is degraded by aerobic bacteria.

What are major types of water pollutants, their sources, and their effects?

Bacteria/parasites from human and animal wastes that result in infectious diseases. Heat from electric and industrial plants that make some species susceptible to disease. Soil/silt from land erosion causes disruption in photosynthesis and food webs. Lead, mercury, and arsenic from landfills, mining, and households result in cancer.

What type of pollution is caused by bottled water?

Because most plastic water bottles are not recycles they either cause plastic pollution on land and water or air pollution if they are incinerated.

How has flood control of the Mississippi River affected what happens in the Gulf of Mexico?

Because of dams along the Mississippi River the amount of nutrient and sediment pollution entering the Gulf of Mexico has increased.

What sort of neighborhood did this effect? Why?

Because officials forgot to consider the lead pipes connecting to the main water line in poor areas, the toxic lead water was supplied to older and poorer neighborhoods.

Do EPA drinking water contamination standards apply to bottled water?

Bottled water is less regulated than tap water and EPA contamination standards do not apply to bottled water.

What can be done to improve our sewage and wastewater treatment processes?

By preventing industries from sending toxic waste to treatment plants and having them remove them at their own expense, the waste that is produced at treatment facilities can be safely used as fertilizer or soil.

What areas of the ocean receive the most pollutants?

Coastal areas, especially wetlands, estuaries, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps, receive the largest inputs of pollutants and wastes because lots of people live near the coast.

What sort of pollutants can get into groundwater?

Common groundwater pollutants include fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, and organic solvents.

What is CERCLA? What other name does it go by?

CERCLA stands for Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act. It is also known as the Superfund Act. CERCLA aims to reduce groundwater pollution.

Do cruise ships generate lots of waste and where do they put it?

Cruise ships can generate as much waste as a small city and many cruises dump this waste in the sea even when it is illegal.

Is there any practical or affordable way to currently clean up these garbage patches?

Currently, there is no practical or affordable way to clean up the garbage patches

What is the best way to prevent the garbage patch from growing?

Currently, there is no practical or affordable way to clean up the garbage patches.

What happened to it and when?

Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010.

What was the Deepwater Horizon?

Deepwater Horizon was an offshore oil drilling rig owned by British Petroleum(BP) in the Gulf of Mexico.

What can be done to reduce eutrophication?

Eutrophication can be reduced/prevented by implementing more advanced waste-treatment processes, recycling removed nutrients instead of dumping them into waterways, and by banning phosphates in daily use products such as detergents and cleaning agents.

What is eutrophication and cultural eutrophication?

Eutrophication​ : The natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, a coastal area at the mouth of a river, or a slow-moving stream. It is caused mostly by plant nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from land bordering bodies of water. - Cultural Eutrophication​ : The process by which humans increase the input of nitrates and phosphates into bodies of water through the use of inorganic fertilizers or other items in urban areas.

What nutrients flow into the Gulf of Mexico and what is their source? What is the result?

Huge quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus flow into the Gulf of Mexico from farmlands in the US that use these nutrients in fertilizers. This results in a bloom of phytoplankton which eventually die and consume all of the waters dissolved oxygen content resulting in an inhabitable marine area called a "dead zone."

What happened to the Cuyahoga River in 1969? What caused it? What did it result in?

In 1969 the heavily polluted Cuyahoga River was photographed burning as it flowed through the city of Cleveland. The flammability was caused by wastes being dumped into the river. Citizens became outraged and forced elected officials to regulate industry and clean the river. Today, the Cuyahoga river is much cleaner and is used for recreational activities.

What happened to improve the pollution in the Great Lakes in 1972? Why were these measures implemented?

In 1972 the US and Canada signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which is considered to be a model of international cooperation. These measures were implemented to restore the biological integrity of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.

What did ocean researcher Charles Moore discover in 1997?

In 1997, Charles Moore discovered 2 gigantic, slowly rotating masses of mostly plastic with other solid wastes in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. This mass of garbage is called the North Pacific Garbage Patch. The solid waste in the patch is trapped between two gyres, ocean currents.

What happened in Flint, Michigan in 2014?

In 2014, people in the Michigan city of Flint were exposed to dangerous levels of lead in their drinking water.

What city in the US has banned the sale of plastic water bottles?

In 2015, San Francisco became the first city to ban the sale of plastic water bottles.

What percent of children in Flint were affected by this contamination?

In Flint, 15.7% of children were affected by the toxic lead water.

What happens to the area of stream where biodegradable wastes are broken down?

In a flowing stream, the breaking down of biodegradable wastes depletes dissolved oxygen and creates an oxygen sag curve. This reduced or eliminated populations of organisms with high oxygen requirements.

What does the oxygen demand mean for the composition of life in the stream?

In areas affected by certain types of pollution where oxygen levels are low the composition of life will shift to only include organisms that require low oxygen levels.

What advantage does the deep ocean have in effecting pollutants?

In deeper waters, the oceans can dilute, disperse, and degrade large amounts of raw sewage and other types of degradable pollutants.

What sorts of pollutants are more commonly found in streams of less developed countries?

In less developed countries streams are commonly polluted with untreated sewage, industrial wastes, and discarded trash.

In the US, what percent of drinking water is supplied by aquifers?

In the US aquifers provide 50% of the drinking water.

How much more does bottled water cost than tap water in the US?

In the US, bottled water costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water.

Why are lakes and reservoirs less effective at diluting pollutants than rivers and streams?

Lakes and reservoirs less effective at diluting pollutants than rivers and streams for two main reasons; They contain stratified layers that undergo little vertical mixing. They have low flow rates or no flow at all while rivers and streams have constant flow.

What sorts of non-biodegradable contaminants can permanently pollute groundwater?

Non-biodegradable wastes such as toxic lead and arsenic can permanently pollute groundwater.

What has been done to help with the problem? What problems remain?

So far, Flint officials have switched their water supply to back to Lake Huron. However, funding to monitor lead levels in children remains needed.

What is the problem once a pollutant contaminates groundwater? How fast does groundwater flow?

Once a pollutant contaminates groundwater, it fills the aquifer's porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock. Because groundwater flows very slowly(1 foot per day), the pollutants are not dispersed throughout the aquifer.

What does the plastic eventually break down into and what effects does this have?

Overtime, plastic breaks down into microplastics which contain toxic chemicals that are unknowingly consumed by marine animals that are then consumed by humans.

What can people in less developed countries do to purify their water?

People in less developed countries can purify their water by filling a plastic bottle with dirty water and exposing it to intense sunlight for UV rays to decontaminate the water.

What are examples of point and nonpoint sources of water pollution? What is the leading cause of water pollution? What sort of pollution results from discarded plastic?

Point Sources​ : Discharge pollutants into bodies of surface water at specific locations. Examples include factories and sewage-treatment plants. - Nonpoint Sources ​: Broad areas where rainfall or snowmelt washes pollutants off the land into bodies of surface water. Examples include runoff from croplands and streets. The leading cause of water pollution is agricultural activities. When people discard plasti into the environment it lasts for thousands of years in lakes, rivers, and eventually oceans.

What are the steps in sewage treatment (primary, secondary, tertiary)?

Primary Sewage Treatment​ : A physical process that uses screens and a grit tank to remove large floating objects and to allow solids such as sand and rock to settle out. Secondary Sewage Treatment​ : A biological process in which oxygen is added to the sewage in an aeration tank to encourage aerobic bacteria to decompose as much as 90% of biodegradable organic wastes. Advanced/Tertiary Sewage Treatment :​ Uses a series of specialized chemical and physical processes to remove specific pollutants left in the water after primary and secondary treatment. Most commonly removes nitrates and phosphates.

What are the principal sources of groundwater pollution?

Principal sources of groundwater pollution include coal strip mine runoff, deicing road salt, gasoline station, pesticides/fertilizers, hazardous waste injection well, polluted air, and landfills.

How can we reduce pollution from agricultural sources?

Reduce soil erosion and fertilizer runoff by keeping farmland covered with vegetation, use fertilizers that release nutrients slowly, do not use fertilizer on sloped land, and use more sustainable food production.

What do San Diego and Los Angeles do with some of their wastewater?

San Diego and Los Angeles purify waste water to the point where it is fit to drink and putting this water into underlying aquifers, thereby reducing their reliance on imported water.

How can we prevent coastal water pollution?

Separate sewage and stormwater lines, require secondary treatment of coastal sewage, use natural methods to treat sewage, ban dumping of wastes by ships, regulate coastal industries, require double hulls for oil tankers.

What are ways to clean up small oil spills? How effective are these measures?

Small oil spills can be partially cleaned up by mechanical means, including floating booms, skimmer boats, and absorbing devices such as giant pillows filled with feathers. However, these measures are not very effective and only remove 15% of the oil from a spill.

What impact do ocean oil spills have on wildlife that is exposed to them?

Spills that contain hydrocarbons can kill marine organisms on contact. Other chemicals stay on the feathers or fur of organisms can can destroy their natural heat insulation and buoyancy causing them to die from doweling or loss of body heat. Ingesting oil can also kill animals.

What is the Clean Water Act(1977)? What improvements did it lead to?

The Clean Water Act of 1977 led to more safe streams, lakes, and estuaries; better sewage treatment; and less annual losses of water-purifying wetlands.

What percent of headwaters in the western watersheds are polluted and by what?

The EPA estimates that mining wastes pollute 40% of the headwaters of western watersheds.

What percent of all surface freshwater do the Great Lakes account for in the US? How long can it take for pollutants to flush from the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes account for 95% of the freshwater in the US. It takes 19 years for pollutants to flush from the largest lake(Superior). 3 years from the smallest lake(Erie).

How does the Gulf of Mexico dead zone affect food webs in the area?

The Gulf of Mexico dead zone affects surrounding food webs because it leads to the deaths of seabirds and marine mammals that rely on the dying fish for food.

What is the LifeStraw and where is primarily used?

The LifeStraw is an inexpensive, portable water filter that eliminates many viruses and parasites from water that is drawn through it. It has been very useful in Africa.

What major river/river basin flows into the Gulf of Mexico?

The Mississippi River Basin flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

What is the problem with the algae that can form in the Ohio River?

The Ohio River is the most polluted river in the US. The toxic blue-green algae that forms in this river as a result of nitrogen and phosphorus can kill animals that drink from the water and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and liver damage to humans that ingest this water.

What was the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 in response to and what did it require?

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was in response to the 1988 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Act required all new oil tankers to have double hulls and stricter safety inspection. Also, it requires citizens and businesses on coastal areas to prevent even small leaks and spills.

What is the US Safe Drinking Water Act of 1975?

The US Safe Drinking Water Act of 1975 requires the EPA to establish national drinking water standards, called maximum contaminant levels, for any pollutants that could have adverse effects on human health. Currently strictly limits the levels of 91 contaminants.

What country has some of the world's cleanest drinking water?

The US has some of the world's cleanest drinking water.

What is the largest source of human related ocean oil pollution?

The largest source of human related ocean oil pollution is urban and industrial runoff from land. Most of this comes from leaks in pipelines, oil facilities, and discarded oil products.

What are other environmental downsides to bottled water?

The manufacturing and transportation of bottled water uses lots of energy, bottled water is responsible for lots of greenhouse gas emission, and it helps to depleting aquifers.

What sort of human industry impacts did this have?

The spill disrupted the livelihoods of people who relied on the Gulf for jobs.

How many dead zones are there throughout the world and how many are in the US? What cycle does this disrupt?

There are 400 dead zones around the world, with 200 of them in the US. Oxygen-depleted dead zones disrupt the nitrogen cycle because fertilizers add nitrogen to marine areas faster than the nitrogen cycle can remove them.

Where do the toxic chemicals entering the Great Lakes come from? What impact does the pulp and paper industry have?

Toxic chemicals entering the Great Lakes come from pesticides and mercury from coal plants. The pulp and paper industry use toxic chlorine compounds such as bleach for their products. These chemical wastes are very toxic to marine ecosystems.

What sorts of pollutants can enter our wastewater system that current treatment plants can not handle?

Wastewater treatment plants cannot handle heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.

Why do we not know much about the extent of groundwater pollution?

We do not know much about the extent of groundwater pollution because few countries worldwide go through the costly process of locating, tracking, and testing their aquifers.

Science Focus - Testing for Pollutants

What are coliform bacteria and where do they come from? What level is safe for drinking? Swimming? What level is found in raw sewage?Coliform bacteria are agents such as E. Coli which live in the colons of humans and other animals and are therefore present in feces. Most strains are not dangerous but their presence indicates that the body of water has been exposed to human or animal wastes that are likely to contain disease causing agents. Drinking water samples should contain NO coliform bacteria, swimming water samples should not contain more than 200 colonies of coliform bacteria. Sewage water samples contain several million colonies of coliform bacteria. How else do scientists determine pollution levels of water? What else do they test for? Scientists also use dissolved oxygen(DO) tests to measure the amount of dissolved oxygen in the waster, chemical analysis tests to measure the concentration of certain chemicals, monitor indicator species for a change in health, and evaporate sample water to measure the amount of sediment left over.

What caused the accident? What happened as a result of the accident?

he accident was caused by failure of equipment that could have detected the leak, a faulty blowout preventer, failure of safety valves, and poor decisions made by workers and managers. Since the accident the US Department of the Interior(DOI) has stepped up oversight and developed new standards for offshore drilling.