apes water pollution
the main problem of grounwater pollution
"out of sight, out of mind"
what are the "pros" of thermal polution
"thermal enrichment" (sarcasm)
how many of 26000 toxic waste ponds/lagoons leak into aquifers
1/3
what is the acceptable level os arsenic
10 ppb
how much toxic waste is injected into deep wells
2/3
what are the acceptabl levels e. coli for swimming
200 colonies per 1000 ml
global water policy project
80-90% of raw sewage is dumped directly into water bodies in developing countries and it is the same water used for bathing, drinking, and washing
in 2006 how many aquifers were polluted or exploited in china
9/10
what percent of US fresh water do the great lakes contain
95%
proof of the success of the laws of the 1970's
Cuyahoga river in ohio, thames (britain river)
MTBE problem
MTBE are common reduction oxygenates added to gasoline. issues of health concerns and growndwater contamination from leaking tanks have caused states to request the phashing out of MTBE
how are the effects of lake pollution more widespread
a hawk can eat a fish
why is there a high health risk in groundwater pollution
a lot of people rely on groundwater for drinking water
what is a BOD measure
a measure of how much waste was present by measuring how much oxygen was used in an amount of time
causes of water pollution
agriculture, industrial facilities, mining
2007 great lakes report
air pollution deposits mercury, toxic chemicals-> 25% fish are not edible, EPA funding has dropped 80% since 1972, flame retardant chemicals, drugs, and personal care products are present, wetland loss and degradation (habitat shrinking for birds/fish), native species declining, fish pop. slowly declining
how are inorganic plant nutrients good for algae, but bad overall
algae will take in the nitrates, but once the nitrates are gone the algae will die. decomposers will then break down the dead algae which depletes the DO
effects of eutrophication
algal bloom
biomagnification
amount in an individual organism increases. Ex: 1 algae absorbs 1 unit of radioactive isotope. a minno eats 12 algae and how has 12 unites of the isotope
pathogen
anything caused by some sort of bacteria
water pollution
anything put in water that threatens life
thermal pollution
anything that gets into a water body and raises the temperature
what needs to be done to help the great lakes
ban chlorine use, incinerators, all discharges, rebuild infrastructure, restore wetlands, cleanup contaminated areas
why is water typically tested for e. coli
because there is e. coli in the water, animal/human waste is present
if a stream is overloaded what happens to the natural recovery
becomes impossible and the pollutants are slowly degradable or not degradable at all
what are water soluble radioactive isotopes linked to
birth defects, cancer
why is it bad to have a high level of tubidity
blocks sunlight, particles stick to fish gills and then they cant get oxygen
bioaccumulation
builds up in organisms
how did the pollution control program help the great lakes
built more and upgraded sewage plants, better treatment/limits on industrial wastes, phosphate ban for detergants
incinerators
burn trash which creates air pollution that ends up in the great lakes
what does arsenic lead to
cancers
why are developing nations still having trouble reducing stream pollution
cant afford
chemical analysys
chemical test kits that help to detect water pollution
what problems remain in the great lakes
combined stormwater and waste water treatment systems, pesticide and fertilizer runoff increased, biologic/genetic pollution
how are most people exposed to disease causing agents/pathogens
contaminated drinking water
how do these wasted demand oxygen
decomposers break down the wastes by using aerobic respiration which requires oxygen
the improvements of the great lakes
decreased algal blooms and increased DO, better fish catches in lake erie, beaches reopened
what happens when oxygen demanding wastes degrade
depletes DO
why is it bad to raise the temperature of water
depletes DO because colder water holds more gas
recovery from oxygen demanding wastes is naturally possible due to what
dilution and bacterial decay
water pollutant class that contains things like e coli or crypto & garidia
disease causing agents/pathogens
clean up of cultural eutrophication
dredge the bottom sediment, remove excess weeds, aerate lakes- gives oxygen to decomposers
what is water typically tested for
e. coli
natural causes of eutrophication
erosion
what is a major source of SPMs
erosion
cultural causes of eutrophication
fertilizer runoff
what are the cons to thermal pollution
fish get stuck in intake screens, lowers DO because water holds more dissolved gas at cooler temps, spawning effect (have to spawn at a later time and the eggs cant survive), thermal shock
bioassay
form of water pollution detection that involves looking at life forms. indicator species & their biotic index
computer models
form of water pollution detection, simulates the effect of a pollutant on water quality
if pathogens are in a water body, where does it come from
human or animal waste
cultural eutrophication
humans adding overload of nutrients into a water body
prevention of cultural eutrophication
improved sewage treatment, phosphate bans, erosion control- plant life
what effect do spms have on water
increases turbidity
what is still a problem in developed countries as well as developing
industry discharge
genetic pollution
introduction of non-native species
why are developed countries encouraged to withdraw drinking water from own city, downstream
it forces cities to reduce pollution for better water quality
what bullshit excuses do people say to make up for thermal pollution
it makes the fishing season later because water won't get cold, can pump beneath roads to prevent ice
what do water soluble inorganic chemicals do
kill fish & bioaccumulate
stratification
lakes cannot recover quickly because of the layers
how does global warming contribut to water pollution
makes the temperatures warmer- no flushing and creates drought
why is prevention always better than cleanup
more cost efficient in the long run, if you dont have to clean it up the problem isnt there in the first place
what types of things would be found in the water pollutant class, inorganic plant nutrients
nitrates and phosphates
why are lakes more vulnerable to eutrophication
no flow
what does it mean that groundwater cannot cleanse itself
no further percolation or natural filtering because it is already at the lowest point, there is slow flow, few bacteria, and has too low DO for decomposition.. cold slows decomposition
stagnation
not flowing, sitting still- reason why lakes cannot recover
what are the acceptable drinking levels of water with e. coli
o colonies per 1000 ml
what types of things can be found in the water pollutant class organic chemicals
oils, detergents, pesticides
what types of things are found in the water pollutant class, oxygen demanding wastes
organic wastes such as human or animal sewage
2007 chinese report
over half the population had no sewage treatment and 300 million had no access to drinkable water
purdue 2007 study
parking lots are a major nonpoint source of grease, toxic metals, sediments that collect on surface
what is the greatest threat to the great lakes
pesticide and fertilizer runoff
what specific native species is declining in the great lakes
plankton
how are class I species in relation to pollution
pollution sensitive
how are class III species in relation to pollution
pollution tolerant
what is the primary source of thermal pollution
power plant
2 largest drugs found in water bodies
prosaic and viagra, come out in pee
permeable concrete
rainwater goes through to soil, doesn't reduce pollution but helps flooding
ganges river
river in india that had no to little sewage treatment due to religious practices (cremation)
causes of cultural eutrophication
runoff and dumping
why type of things would be found in the water pollutant class, soluble inorganic chemicals
salts, acids, rock salt runoff
what has been done to help the great lakes?
since 1972, US and Canada spent 20 billion on pollution control program
why is the percent of polluted groundwater higher in new jersey
sits on a big aquifer
what are lake pollution problems
stagnation and stratifcation, widespread effects, biomagnification, eutrophication
SPMs
suspended particulate matter
what happened in chile when the northern area had high levels of arsenic in water
the cancer rate went up
what happens when sewage plants overflow
the industry discharges. sewage plants have pipes that go into the ocean and rather than having the pipes overflow plants pump raw sewage into the ocean
what happens as groundwater flows
the plume widens
what is an example of genetic pollution
the zebra muscle
why isnt dilution a potential fix to lake pollution problems
there is now flow
what happened to the great lakes in 1960s
there was severe cultural eutrophication, toxic wastes, and fish kills
how are nitrates and nitrites from fertilizer harmful
they are leached into groundwater from fertilizer, converted into cancer causing agents, related to blue baby syndrome
why are great lakes vulnerable to pollution
they are surrounded by towns and farms, also have low flow out, takes 100 years
how are the laws of the 1970's good news
they improved the number and quality of wastewater treatment plants and reduced industry discharges
what is the primary method of introduction of non-native species in aquatic water bodies
through cargo and shipping industry
sources that pollute groundwater
underground tanks (main), landfill seepage, hazardous waste dumps, toxic chemical and livestock waste lagoons
how to reduce thermal pollution
use less- waste less energy, how water discharge controls(temp regulations), discharge in less impacted areas, cooling towers, cooling basins
what do oxygen sag curves depend on
velocity, flow rate, temperature, pH, volume of waste
how does arsenic get into water
when a well is drilled through soil/rock naturally rich in arsenic, naturally into rivers from arsenic rich springs, mining and ore processing
when are radioactive isotopes considered water pollution
when something causes the radioactive isotopes to enter water
can polluted groundwater be cleaned up
yes