Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Point sources
Located at specific places Easy to identify, monitor, and regulate
Nonpoint sources
Broad, diffuse areas Difficult to identify and control Expensive to clean up
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution
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Water Quality
Good Slightly polluted Moderately polluted
DO (ppm) at 20C
89
6.78
4.56.7
Heavily polluted
Gravely polluted
44.5
Below 4
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What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems in Streams and Lakes?
While streams are extensively polluted worldwide by human activities, they can cleanse themselves of many pollutants if we do not overload them or reduce their flows. Addition of excessive nutrients to lakes from human activities can disrupt lake ecosystems, and prevention of such pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning it up. Dilution Biodegradation of wastes by bacteria takes time Oxygen sag curve
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Point source
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Industrial waste
Indias rivers Chinas rivers
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Girl Sits on the Edge of a Road beside a Stream Loaded with Raw Sewage in Iraq
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Low Water Flow and Too Little Mixing Makes Lakes Vulnerable to Water Pollution
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Cultural Eutrophication
Eutrophication
or more precisely hypertrophication, is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system. One example is the "bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia, the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations. Other species may experience an increase in population that negatively affects other species.
Oligotrophic Lakes
An ecosystem or environment is said to be oligotrophic if it offers little to sustain life. The term is commonly utilized to describe environments of water, ice, air, rock or soil with very low nutrient levels.
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Cultural Eutrophication
Cultural Eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human activity. Due to clearing of land and building of towns and cities, land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays. Extra nutrients are also supplied by treatment plants, golf courses, fertilizers, and farms. During hot weather or droughts
Algal blooms Increased bacteria More nutrients Anaerobic bacteria
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Cultural Eutrophication
Prevent or reduce cultural eutrophication
Remove nitrates and phosphates Diversion of lake water
Clean up lakes
Remove excess weeds Use herbicides and algaecides; down-side? Pump in air
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Polluted air
Pesticides and fertilizers Coal strip mine runoff Deicing road salt Gasoline station Water pumping well Landfill Accidental spills
Pumping well
Waste lagoon
Buried gasoline and solvent tanks Cesspool, septic tank Sewer Leakage from faulty casing Discharge Confined aquifer Groundwater flow
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Leaking tank
Water table Groundwater flow Free gasoline Gasoline leakage plume dissolves in (liquid phase) groundwater (dissolved phase)
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SOLUTIONS
Groundwater Pollution
Prevention
Find substitutes for toxic chemicals
Cleanup
Pump to surface, clean, and return to aquifer (very expensive)
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Bottled water
Some from tap water 40% bacterial contamination Fuel cost to manufacture the plastic bottles Recycling of the plastic
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Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos and smokestacks, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.
Cities Toxic metals and oil from streets and parking lots pollute waters; sewage adds nitrogen and phosphorus.
Urban sprawl Bacteria and viruses from sewers and septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds and close beaches; runoff of fertilizer from lawns adds nitrogen and phosphorus.
Construction sites Sediments are washed into waterways, choking fish and plants, clouding waters, and blocking sunlight.
Farms Runoff of pesticides, manure, and fertilizers adds toxins and excess nitrogen and phosphorus. Red tides Excess nitrogen causes explosive growth of toxic microscopic algae, poisoning fish and marine mammals.
Toxic sediments Chemicals and toxic metals contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish, and accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.
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Oxygen-depleted zone Sedimentation and algae overgrowth reduce sunlight, kill beneficial sea grasses, use up oxygen, and degrade habitat.
Healthy zone Clear, oxygen-rich waters promote growth of plankton and sea grasses, and support fish. 39
A Large Zone of Oxygen-Depleted Water in the Gulf of Mexico Due to Algal Blooms
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Cleanup procedures
Methods of preventing oil spills
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SOLUTIONS
Coastal Water Pollution Prevention
Reduce input of toxic pollutants Separate sewage and storm lines Ban dumping of wastes and sewage by ships in coastal waters Ban ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged material Regulate coastal development, oil drilling, and oil shipping Require double hulls for oil tankers Use nanoparticles on sewage and oil spills to dissolve the oil or sewage (still under development) Require secondary treatment of coastal sewage
Cleanup
Improve oil-spill cleanup capabilities
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We Need to Reduce Surface Water Pollution from Nonpoint Sources (1) Reduce erosion
Keep cropland covered with vegetation
We Need to Reduce Surface Water Pollution from Nonpoint Sources (2) Use pesticides prudently
Control runoff
Tougher pollution regulations for livestock operations Deal better with animal waste
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Developed countries
Developing countries
Little to reduce water pollution China : ambitious plan
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What Can You Do? Water Pollution, Ways to Help Reduce Water Pollution
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THANK YOU!
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