Environmental Chemistry:

Water Pollution
 Definition

 The contamination of streams, lakes, seas,

underground water or oceans by substances which
are harmful for living beings.

 Physical, chemical, biological changes in water

quality that adversely affect living organisms. (i.e.,
degradation)
 Parameters

1. Physical parameters. Color, odor, turbidity,

taste, temperature and electrical conductivity
constitute the physical parameters and are good
indicators of contamination.
2. Chemical parameters: These include the
amount of carbonates, sulphates, chlorides,
fluorides, nitrates, and metal ions  total dissolved
solids in water.
3. Biological parameters: The biological
parameters include matter like algae, fungi,
viruses, protozoa and bacteria.
Sources
 Point and Nonpoint Sources
NONPOINT SOURCES

Rural homes

Urban streets Cropland

Animal feedlot

Suburban POINT
development SOURCES
Factory

Wastewater
treatment
plant
Types
Pathogen

 Monitored by testing for

presence of E. coli in the water
via a fecal coliform test
 Presume if coliform bacteria are
present, infectious pathogens
are also present.
Organic Pollutants: Pesticide
Organic Pollutants
Inorganic Pollutants: Nitrite/Nitrate
Inorganic Pollutants: Mercury
 Radioactive Substances

 Contain atoms of unstable isotopes that

spontaneously emit radiation
 Sources
 Mining
 Processing radioactive materials
 Nuclear power plants
 Natural sources
 Thermal Pollution

 Occurs when heated

water produced during
industrial processes is
released into waterways
 Organisms affected
 Temperature affects
reproductive cycles,
digestion rates, and
respiration rates
 Warm water holds less DO
than cold water
 Sediments

 Excessive amounts of suspended soil particles

 Originates from erosion of agricultural lands, forest
soils exposed by logging, degraded stream banks,
overgrazed rangelands, strip mines, and construction
Problems
 Limits light penetration
 Covers aquatic animals and plants
 Brings insoluble toxins into waterways
 Municipal Sewage Treatment

 Primary treatment
 Removing suspended and floating particles by mechanical
processes
 Secondary treatment
 Treating wastewater biologically to decompose suspended
organic material; reduces BOD
Municipal Sewage Treatment
Global Outlook: Stream Pollution in
Developing Countries

 Water in many of central

China's rivers are
greenish black from
uncontrolled pollution by
thousands of factories.

Figure 20-7
India’s Ganges River: Religion, Poverty, and Health

 Daily, more than 1 million

Hindus in India bathe,
drink from, or carry out
religious ceremonies in
the highly polluted
Ganges River.
 What Can You Do?
Water Pollution

• Fertilize garden and yard plants with manure or compost

instead of commercial inorganic fertilizer.

• Minimize your use of pesticides.

• Do not apply fertilizer or pesticides near a body of water.

• Grow or buy organic foods.

• Do not drink bottled water unless tests show that your tap
water is contaminated. Merely refill and reuse plastic bottles
with tap water.

• Compost your food wastes.

• Do not use water fresheners in toilets.

• Do not flush unwanted medicines down the toilet.

• Do not pour pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze, or other

products containing harmful chemicals down the drain or
onto the ground.
 It is a hard truth to swallow, but nature
does not care if we live or die. We cannot
survive without the oceans, for example,
but they can do just fine without us.
-Roger Rosenblatt