Water Resources and Pollution

Importance of water
About 71% of the earths surface
is water
All organisms are made of mostly
water
Water plays a key role in
sculpting the earths surface,
moderating climate, and diluting
pollutants

Some important properties of water

Exists as a liquid over a wide range of temperatures
Changes temperature very slowly
It takes a lot of heat to evaporate water
Can dissolve a variety of compounds
High surface tension and wetting ability
Expands when it freezes

How much freshwater is available?

About 97% of the earths water is found in

the oceans. Only ~ 0.024% of the earths
water is easily available to us as freshwater
As we know, this water is recycled, purified, and
distributed via the hydrological cycle

Freshwater resources in the US

Not evenly distributed and most is polluted by agriculture
and industry
Largest uses of water in the East = energy facilities
cooling and manufacturing
Largest uses of water in the West = irrigation

Freshwater resources in the US

Problems in the eastern
US include flooding,
occasional urban
shortages, and pollution
Problems in the western
US include water
shortages as a result of
low precipitation, high
evaporation, and
recurring drought

Main causes of freshwater

shortages
Dry climate
Drought
Water stress

Advantages of dams and reservoirs

Controls floods
May produce hydroelectric power
Supply water for irrigation, towns, and
cities (increases the annual runoff
available for human use by ~1/3)
Provides for recreational activities such as
swimming, fishing, and boating

Disadvantages of dams and reservoirs

Can reduce downstream flow to a trickle (mostly
semiarid to arid areas) and prevents it from
reaching the sea
Habitat destruction and species extinctions
Makes land unavailable for other uses
Displaces people

Water transfers
Uses Tunnels, aqueducts,
dams, and pumps to
transfer water
For example, The
California Water Project

Advantages of withdrawing groundwater

Water can be removed
year round
Not lost by evaporation
Often cheaper to develop
than surface systems
Provide drinking water to
1/3 of the worlds people

Disadvantages of withdrawing
groundwater
Water table lowering
Land subsidence
Intrusion of chemical
contamination or saltwater
Reduced stream flow

Ways to prevent or slow

groundwater depletion
Charge for all water use
Taxes on water pumped from wells
Set and enforce minimum stream flow
levels
Divert surface water to recharge aquifers

How useful is desalination?

Two widely used methods:
Distillation
Reverse osmosis

Where are most desalination

plants?
What are some disadvantages
to desalination?

Wasting water
Most water is lost through evaporation and
leaks
Major causes of water waste:
Low costs to water users and supply projects
Lack of subsidies for water efficiency

Wasting less water I

Flood irrigation is the least efficient. Low pressure
pivot and drip systems are the most efficient
Reducing water waste irrigation

Line canals
Irrigate at night
Adding water only when/where necessary
Polyculture cropping and organic farming
Using water efficient crops
Irrigating with treated wastewater
Importing some crops and meats!?

Wasting less water II

Reducing water waste in industries, homes, and
businesses

Redesign manufacturing processes

Landscape with water efficient plants
Use drip irrigation
Raise water prices
Fix leaks
Require water conservation
Use water saving toilets, showerheads, etc.
Purify and reuse water

Floodplains and floods

Some areas have too little water, while
others sometimes have too much
Floodplains have fertile soil, water for
irrigation, flat land, and availability of
water for transportation and recreation
Benefits of floods:
Deposition of nutrient-rich silt
Recharge groundwater
Refill wetlands

Three ways in which humans

increase the severity of floods
Removing water
absorbing vegetation
Draining wetlands
Living on floodplains
and urbanization

How can we reduce flood risks?

Straightening and
deepening streams
Building levees
Building dams
Preserving and restoring
wetlands

What is water pollution?

Any change in water quality that 1) has a
harmful effect on living organisms and/or
2) makes the water unsuitable for desired
uses
Sources of pollution:
Point sources discharge at specific locations
Nonpoint sources cannot be traced to any single
site of discharge

Categories of water pollutants

Infectious agents (pathogens)
Oxygen-demanding wastes
Inorganic chemicals
Organic chemicals
Plant nutrients
Sediments
Radioactive materials
Heat (thermal)
Prescription drugs

How do we measure water quality?

Number of coliform bacteria

Dissolved oxygen (DO)
Biological oxygen demand (BOD)
Chemical analyses
Indicator species

Lakes, reservoirs, and ponds

versus rivers and streams
Flowing water (lotic systems) can
recover from low to moderate levels of
pollution through dilution and
biodegradation
Stagnant water (lentic systems) has
minimal flow, mixing, and flushing

Lakes, reservoirs, and ponds:

Eutrophication
Eutrophication is the nutrient
enrichment of lakes, streams, and
estuaries
Cultural eutrophication represents
human acceleration of nutrient
inputs to lakes, streams, and ponds
What are some problems associated
with the nutrient enrichment of
water?

Preventing eutrophication
Ways to prevent or reduce cultural
eutrophication
Advanced waste treatment
Bans or limits on phosphates
Soil conservation and land-use control

Clean up methods
Weed removal
Plant control with herbicides and algicides
Pumping air into the water

Case study: Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay watershed
64,000 sq miles
150 major rivers and streams from six states
Problems with phosphates and nitrates from
point and nonpoint sources
Harvests of oysters, crabs, and some fish
have declined
The Chesapeake Bay Program (1983) has
facilitated improvements in water quality in the
bay

Ground water pollution

Can not cleanse itself as flowing surface
water can
Slow flow
Smaller populations of bacteria
Cold temperatures

Can be polluted by chemicals such as

gas, oil, and even nitrates and nitrites
On a human time scale, many wastes are
there permanently

Coastal areas and ocean pollution

About 40% of the worlds
population lives on or near
the coast
Sewage and agricultural
wastes runoff into coastal
waters resulting in algae
blooms

Oil and Oceans: How oil gets in the ocean

Tanker accidents and offshore blowouts
get most of the publicity
Most ocean oil pollution comes from
activities on land
Burned, dumped, spilled, or leaked onto land
or into sewers

Oil and Oceans: Mechanical methods

Floating booms
Skimmer boats
Absorbent pads or
mesh pillows

Oil and Oceans: Chemical methods

Coagulating agents
Dispersal agents
Fire

Some ways to prevent water pollution

Reduce fertilizer runoff to surface water
and leaching into aquifers
Plant buffer zones
Reduce pesticide runoff
Control runoff of animal wastes
Reduce soil erosion and flooding

Federal water pollution control

Federal Water Pollution Control Act of
1972 (Clean Water Act, 1977)
Sets standards for levels of water pollutants
and requires permits to pollute
A discharge trading policy (EPA 1995) is
designed to use market forces to reduce
water pollution

Some good news resulting from the Clean Water Act

Percentage of fishable and swimmable

rivers and lakes increased
Proportion of US population served by
sewage treatment plants increased
Decrease in annual wetland loss

Some bad news under the Clean Water Act

Many US lakes, and rivers are still unsafe for
fishing and swimming
Hog, poultry, and cattle farms pollute 70% of US
rivers
Large quantities of industrial wastes are dumped
illegally in US rivers
Fish from many water ways are unsafe to eat
Wetlands are still continuing to be lost

Technological approaches to the

control of water pollution

Septic tank systems

Trap greases and solids and
discharge remaining wastes over a
drainage field

Wastewater treatment systems

include:
Primary sewage treatment
(mechanical process)
Secondary sewage treatment
(biological process)
Bleaching and disinfection

Ecologically friendly purification: Composting toilets

Ecologically friendly purification: Living machines

1. sewageopen tanks with algae,
microorganisms, and aquatic plants
2. Waterartificial marsh or sand, gravel,
and plants
3. Wateraquarium tankssecond
artificial marsh
Can we drink it now?
Example: The living machine, Oberlin College

Ecologically friendly purification: Wetland-based

Natural and artificial wetlands

Often called waste water gardens

Drinking water
Ground water may need little to no treatment
Treating (city) water is similar to wastewater
treatment
Waterreservoirpurification plant

Bottled water
Much more expensive than tap water
Bacteria and fungi contaminate ~40% of US
bottled water
The manufacturing of plastic bottles releases toxic
gases, liquids, and greenhouse gases
Many bottles end up in the landfill
Bottles are often transported long distances (lots
of fossil fuels used)