EUTROPHICATION

INTRODUCTION
The word eutrophic comes from the Greek word eutrophos

meaning well-fed. Eutrophication is the process of excessive nutrient enrichment of waters that typically results in problems associated with macrophyte , algal or cyano bacterial(blue-green algae),Nodularia spumigena growth.
Natural eutrophication is the process by which lakes

gradually age and become more productive due to enrichment with nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus). It normally takes thousands of years to progress. However, humans, through their various cultural activities, have greatly accelerated this process in thousands of lakes around the globe.

NATURAL EUTROPHICATION
Lakes originate as oligotrophic having limited

quantities of nutrients depending upon their mode of formation and composition of original sediments.
At this stage lakes have only autochonous

nutrients which recycle in the absence of any outside supply. All the biological production is completely decomposed after death.
As the nutrients from outside start coming in, the

process of eutrophication sets in.

 The buildup of nutrients through this slow mode of entry

gradually starts increasing the growth of algae.[9]

When algae die and decompose, locked nutrients are

made available to the algal growth.

During each cycle, nutrients are progressively increased

in the water body.

With advancement of eutrophication, production-

decomposition equilibrium is lost and an ever increasing organic matter is introduced in the lakes which ultimately gets deposited at the bottom.
Slowly, the thickness of the bottom sediments increases

with time, leading to the formation of marshes and finally extinction of the water body in the long run.

ACCELERATED EUTROPHICATION
The process of eutrophication is greatly

augmented by increased supply of nutrients through various human activities. This triggers the algal growth at a much faster rate, thus, increasing the speed of eutrophication, which otherwise would have been a slow natural phenomenon.

ACCELERATED EUTROPHICATION
The process of eutrophication is greatly

augmented by increased supply of nutrients through various human activities. This triggers the algal growth at a much faster rate, thus, increasing the speed of eutrophication, which otherwise would have been a slow natural phenomenon.

Based on the levels of nutrient supplied to it , a lake is classified according to the trophic state Oligotrophic low in nutrients. Mesotrophic intermediate nutrients. Eutrophic high in nutrients.

Sources of Eutrophication
POINT SOURCES: In point sources nutrient waste travels directly from source to water. Eg. Factories having waste discharge pipes leading directly to a water body can be classified as a point source. Point sources are relatively easy to regulate. They include: 1. Wastewater effluent (municipal and industrial) 2. Runoff from waste disposal system 3. Runoff and infiltration from animal feedlots 4. Runoff from mines, oil fields, unsewered industrial site 5. Overflows of storm and sanitary sewers [10] 6. Runoff from construction sites

 NON- POINT SOURCES: these are ill-defined

and diffuse. Thsy are difficult to regulate and vary spatially and temporally (with season, precipatation and other irregular events). These include: Runoff from agriculture and irrigation Runoff from pasture and range Septic tank leachate Runoff from construction sites< 20,000 sq. mt. Runoff from abandoned mines Atmospheric deposition over a water surface Other land activities generating contaminants.

FACTORS AFFECTING EUTROPHICATION

Land usage :
Human alterations & disturbance Differences in land use patterns Higher nutrients load correlated with

increased urban & agricultural land usage Efficiency of chemical cycling & hydrologic processes In urban streams: impervious surfaces decreased contact time between the runoff water & the soil Factor affecting nutrient & sediment loads: land form, land use intensity, material usage

Geology & physiography of the catchment

area:[4,7]
nutrient supplied to a water body is inversely proportional

to the volume of the lake composition of the underlying rock structure & the type of soil nutrients input is greater in watersheds with steeper slope

Factors related to water bodies

characteristics of the water body modify the effect of

causative factors affect the productivity indirectly:- distribution, availability & utilization of the nutrient inputs

Climate

Annual energy & water input Hydrology of the catchment area Flushing rate of the water body Length of growing season Direction & velocity of the wind Quantity of precipitation The type & patterns of climate

Problems caused by eutrophication

Species diversity decreases and the dominant biota changes Plant and animal biomass increase Turbidity increases Rate of sedimentation increases, shortening the lifespan of the lake. Anoxic conditions may develop Increased vegetation may impede water flow and navigation Treatment of drinking water may be difficult and supply can have an unacceptable taste or odour Decrease in water transparency Disssolved oxygen depletion [1] Fish kills Decrease in perceived aesthetic value of water body

CONTROL OF EUTROPHICATION
Removing nutrients like nitrogen and

phosphorous before discharging the sewage into water bodies i.e. better wastewater treatment.[8,9] Elimination of phosphate from detergents to reduce the contribution of phosphorous in domestic wastewater being discharged into water bodies. [2] Effective disposal of organic matter as sludge and removal of the algal blooms by dredging.[3] Applying solutions of chemicals like copper sulphate (an algicide) and chlorine on the surface of the water bodies susceptible to eutrophication.[5]

References
1.Miguez M.G., Mascarenhas F. (2009),Eutrophication of fresh water and marine ecosystems, ASCE, volume 135, pp. 100-109 2. Wurbs R.A. (2002), A flushing system to clean up coastal lagoons, ASCE, volume 7, pp. 35-42 3. Siviglia A., Stocchino A., Colombini M. (2009), Aerating circulation, ASCE 4. Yeh C.H., Labadie J.W. (1997), Prediction of nutrient concentration in urban storm water, ASCE, volume123, pp.336-343 5. Arega F., Lee J.H.W, Tang H (2008), Retention of sediments and nutrient loads with peak runoff control, ASCE, volume 134, pp.23-33 6. Guo Y. (2001), Nutrient loading estimates for lakes, ASCE, volume 6, pp 472-479 7. Ponce V.M., Osmolski Z, Smutzer D. (1985), Life-cycle assessment of titanium dioxide coatings, ASCE, volume 113, pp. 1467-1471 8. Horn D.R. (1987), Phosphorous removal from lake water by combined dosage of ferrous iron and diatomite, ASCE, volume 113, pp.283-292 9. Slutzman J.E., Smith J.A. (2006),Sedimantary phosphorous and arsenic inactivation in alum treated lake, ASCE, volume 11, pp432-441 10. Islam M.M., Sado K.(1997), Sediment oxygen demand and nutrient fluxes for tropical reservoir in Singapore, volume 7, pp 346-355

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