Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 20
Lake Washington
Puget Sound
Industrial facilities
Mining
Water Quality
DO (ppm) at 20C
Good
89
Slightly polluted
6.78
Moderately polluted
4.56.7
Heavily polluted
44.5
Gravely polluted
Below 4
Point source
Types of
organisms
Dissolved
oxygen
(ppm)
isms
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ical
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Case Study: Indias Ganges River: Religion, Poverty, Population Growth, and Health
(2)
Global warming
Gangotri Glacier
Cultural eutrophication
Algal blooms
Increased bacteria
More nutrients
Anaerobic bacteria
Then what?
Clean up lakes
Remove excess weeds
Use herbicides and algaecides; down-side?
Pump in air
Raw sewage
Nonpoint runoff of pesticides and fertilizers
Biological pollution
Atmospheric deposition of pesticides and Hg
Nondegradable wastes
E.g., Pb and As
Polluted air
Hazardous waste
injection well
Pesticides
and fertilizers
Coal strip
mine runoff
Buried gasoline
and solvent tanks
Cesspool, septic tank
Gasoline station
Pumping well
Water pumping well
Waste lagoon
Sewer
Landfill
Leakage
from faulty
casing
Accidental spills
s
f re
hw
r
ate
ned
r
i
f
n
at e
o
c
w
h
Un
r es
f
ned
i
f
n
Co
aq u
ifer
i f er
u
q
a
Discharge
Confined aquifer
Groundwater flow
Leaking tank
Aqui
fer
Bed
rock
Water table
Groundwater flow
Gasoline leakage Free gasoline
plume (liquid phase)dissolves in
groundwater
(dissolved phase)
Migrating
vapor phase
Water well
Contaminant plume moves
with the groundwater
Groundwater Pollution Is a
Serious Threat
China: many contaminated or overexploited
aquifers
U.S.: FDA reports of toxins found in many
aquifers
What about leaking underground storage tanks:
Gasoline
Oil
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)
Nitrate ions
SOLUTIONS
Groundwater Pollution
Prevention
Cleanup
Inject microorganisms
to clean up
contamination (less
expensive but still
costly)
Pump nanoparticles of
inorganic compounds
to remove pollutants
(still being developed)
Fig. 20-13, p. 545
Raw sewage
Sewage and agricultural runoff: NO3- and PO43Harmful algal blooms
Oxygen-depleted zones
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.
Closed beach
Oxygen-depleted
zone
Toxic sediments
Chemicals and toxic
metals contaminate
shellfish beds, kill
spawning fish, and
accumulate in the tissues
of bottom feeders.
Oxygen-depleted zone
Sedimentation and algae
overgrowth reduce
sunlight, kill beneficial sea
grasses, use up oxygen,
and degrade habitat.
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.
Healthy zone
Clear, oxygen-rich waters
promote growth of plankton
and sea grasses, and
support fish.
Fig. 20-15, p. 548
A Red Tide
Missouri River
Mississippi
River Basin
Ohio River
Mississippi River
LA
MS
TX
LOUISIANA
Mississippi River
Depleted oxygen
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
Fig. 20-B, p. 550
SOLUTIONS
Cleanup
Improve oil-spill
cleanup capabilities
Use nanoparticles on
sewage and oil spills to
dissolve the oil or
sewage (still under
development)
Require secondary
treatment of coastal
sewage
Use wetlands, solaraquatic, or other
methods to treat sewage
Fig. 20-17, p. 551
Manhole cover
(for cleanout)
Septic tank
Gas
Distribution box
Scum
Wastewater
Sludge
Drain field
(gravel or crushed
stone)
Vent pipe
Perforated pipe
Primary
Bar screen
Raw sewage
from sewers
Grit chamber
Secondary
Settling tank
Sludge
Aeration tank
Settling tank
Activated sludge
Chlorine
disinfection tank
(kills bacteria)
To river,
lake,
or ocean
Air pump
Sludge
digester
Disposed of in
landfill or ocean
or applied to
cropland,
pasture, or
rangeland
Stepped Art
Fig. 20-19, p. 554
Developing countries
Little to reduce water pollution
China : ambitious plan