Water abuse Chapters 19

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Water abuseChapters 19 20

• It is taken for granted and severely abused
  renewable natural resource.
• Civilization is total dependent on water
• 90 of world pop. is near water bodies.
• Consumption generally exceeds renewal rates.
• Water continues to be degraded (polluted).
• Global climate change may be compounding the
  problem by altering recharge.

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Major pollutant categories (T 20.1)
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Point and non-point pollution

• Point pollution- source of pollution is a
  specific location (water discharge)
• Mainly Industry discharge
• Non-point pollution- source is broad region or
  unknown (agriculture, urban run-off, acid rain).
• Leading cause of water pollution today

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Oxygen demanding waste

• Fig 20.5
• Sewage decomposition absorbs oxygen from water
• Limits large fish
• Encourages toxic tides

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The abusers

• Agriculture 69 of total consumed water
• Also leading polluters- Fertilizer/Pesticide
  runoff, livestock waste
• Industry 25 of consumed water
• Mainly for cooling
• Affluent residents 5-10
• Toilets, lawns, cars, bathing leaks, personal
  watercraft.

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Ogallala Aquifer

• covering 174,000 square miles. gigantic sponge of
  water
• used to irrigate crops, mainly to feed livestock
• 30 of all U.S. crop water.

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Ogallala Aquifer pollution

• Agricultural source
• FertilizersSalts- from irrigation evaporation
  PesticidesAnimal wastes
• Others
• Landfills, oil wells, nuclear waste sites, mining

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Are we losing the Aquifer?

• Water table is dropping an average of 2 m /year.
• over half the total volume of the Ogallala will
  be gone by the year 2020 (1996)
• Should be able to support pumping for the next
  100 years or more (2001)
• less land being irrigated and more efficient
  irrigation systems available now.
• Local depletion persists in certain locales,
  especially Texas Pan-handle.

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Am I blowing Smoke?

• Was 5 largest freshwater lake, now is is 8th
• Was one of the most prosperous agriculture
  regions worldwide
• It has dropped 16 meters.
• The region now has one of the highest infant
  mortality rates in the world
• anaemia and cancers caused by chemicals blowing
  off the dried sea bed are common.
• Economy is devastated

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Other problems Dams

• Provide water and energy
• Lost land/habitat
• Ecosystem Disruption
• Migratory fish
• Flood regimes
• Increased evaporation
• Salination/mineralization
• Sediment buildup

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Number of Dams built per Decade7,800 total dams
in North America45,000 large dams world wide in
last 100 years
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Dams by country
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Dams The good

• Emissions free energy!
• Reservoirs of water supply.
• Recreation
• Flood control
• Creation of large wetlands.

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Breakdown by Purpose of Dams in North and Central
America Source ICOLD World Register of Dams, 1998
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Dams The bad

• 80 Million people displaced.
• Lost water flow downstream.
• Lost floodplain enrichment.
• Evaporation.
• Sediment build-up.
• Cost

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Dams the ugly

• Lost species diversity
• Extinctions!
• Uncounted lost habitat up stream
• Cut-off of ecosystem flow.
• Increased Disease
• aquatic parasites and diseases

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Why such species loss?

• Fish and other creature are adapted to very
  specific water conditions.
• Clarity, temperature, flow rate, vegetation, etc
• If they change they can no longer live in that
  habitat.
• Migrations- cannot pass dams.
• Introduced species out compete natives.

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Who cares if they go extinct?

• N.W. fishing industry does.
• Keystone species-
• Top Predators- control nuisance organism. Fish
  die after spawning, contribute significantly to
  forest nutrient reload.
• Aesthetics, Morality, responsibility.

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Are floods good or bad?
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Ecosystems depend on floods.

• Floods return nutrients to soils.
• ExampleNile dams have led to 80 reduction in
  crop productivity.
• Solution add fertilizers but!

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Are Dams Emissions Free?

• Recent studies reveal that rotting vegetation in
  reservoir emits carbon dioxide.
• Lost forests means less CO2 uptake.
• Dissolved minerals in soil and rocks can be toxic.

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More Dam problems

• Earthquakes!
• Lake effect climate changes can disrupt local
  ecosystem.
• From 1918-1958 there were 33 major dam failures
  in the USA with 1680 deaths.
• Average life span of dam is 50-100 years.

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Valley of the DammedChinas Three Gorges
Project
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Dam removal efforts?

• Around 500 dams have been removed from U.S.
  rivers in the past few years.
• But Cheneys energy plan calls for increased
  construction.
• A proposal even exists to dam Yosemite!

President George W. Bush Speaks at Safe Harbor
Project.
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What does Cheneys Plan include

• Besides building more dams current dams will not
  be required to update facilities to modern
  environmental regulations.
• These new permits will be good for an additional
  50 years (400 permits are expected to be
  renewed).
• Reasoning is that environmental regulation limit
  energy production of dams.
• According to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  (FERC)- these regulations reduce energy
  consumption by only 1.6 while reducing company
  profits much more.
• Energy companies contributed 2.8 M to Bushs
  campaign..

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Grand Canyon and the Colorado River

• Several Dams exist on the Colorado
• Provides power to 25 million Americans
• Less than 1 of the river reaches the Gulf of
  Mexico.
• Irrigation and urban use (Vegas, L.A., Salt lake,
  and Phoenix)

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Where ya at?

• Over 1400 mi.
• 5 states
• 7th longest river.

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The Colorado brings life and

• More than 1.4 million acres of irrigated land
  produce about 15 percent of the nation's crops,
  13 percent of its livestock, and agricultural
  benefits of 1.5 billion/yr

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Claims of a prospering Colorado River

• Riparian habitat along the Colorado has
  increased, while declining in most others-
  Truebut is it natural?
• Trout populations in the river are some of the
  most productive- True, but are they native?

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The lost of species in the Grand Canyon.

• Eight fish were native to the Canyon waters
• 3 species are gone in the Canyon
• 3 more are endangered
• 2 are stable
• These fish need sandbars not choking riparian
  vegetation.

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Is the river cutting the Grand Canyon or filling
it?

• Since completion of the Glen canyon dam, lack of
  flooding have resulted in deposition of sand and
  silt in river bed.

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Controlled Flood

• In 1996 Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt
  ordered a controlled flood to help restore
  downstream ecosystem health.
• There is even talk of draining Lake Powell What
  do you think?

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Other problems Wetland loss

• 50 of U.S. wetland are gone.
• Biodiversity
• Groundwater filtration and recharge
• Flood control
• Pest control
• Recreation

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Other problems Coral Reefs

• Entire system is living- even the substrate
• Highly sensitive to water clarity, pollution and
  temperature.
• High biodiversity
• Key spawning grounds for fisheries.
• Lost 10 of world reefs in 1998 alone.
• Global warming, turbidity, pollution

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Other problems You and Me

• Lawn fertilizer and pesticides account for more
  pollution per acre than agriculture.
• Over consumption
• Lawns
• Toilets
• Cars

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Other problems Autos

• Leading air polluter
• But have you thought about
• Pavement leads to poor ground water recharge
  pollution run-off. Lost space.
• Highways are deadly barriers to wildlife.
• Key contributor to urban sprawl.

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Success Story Lake Erie

• 1960s considered a dead lake
• Polluted by industry and agriculture run-off
• Over-fishing
• Regulations reduced pollution
• Zebra muscles
• Living water filter
• But invasive species
• Today most productive fisheries in Great Lakes..
  But?

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The Clean Water Act (1972)

• Goal to return all U.S. water-ways to fishable
  swimmable condition.
• Regulates discharge from point sources
• Sets limits on concentrations of pollutants
• Largely fails to address non-point sources
• Regulates water treatment procedures, agriculture
  land use policy, Funds clean up.
• Wetland protection No net loss of wetland
• Enforced by E.P.A.
• 1960s 1/3 safe and today 2/3 are safe but
  wetland loss still continues 70-90,000 acres
  annually (EPA)

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Water remediation

• Preserve wetlands
• Use in waste water treatment (P.G.R.)
• Less chemicals, Less land area.
• Maintain natural habitat for countless organisms.

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Water Remediation

• Duckweed can absorb excess nutrient load from
  water.
• Harvested for fertilizer livestock feed, fuel.
• Highly cost effective

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Watershed protection

• Catskills example
• NYCPlan to build 8 B plant w/ 500 M /yr
• Or protect upstream watershed
• Initially opposed by farmer
• Incentive based water protection
• Cost 50 M
• Protection is cheaper!!

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What can you do?

• Toilets Use water efficient models.
• If its yellow let it mellow if its brown flush
  it down.
• Lawns Avoid watering- drought resist
  grass/native plants water at night.
• Avoid fertilizers, pesticides, use a mulch mower.
• Recycle lawn clippings in compost.
• Car wax it, will reduce washing and protect.
• Short shower, brushing teeth, dishes.
• gray water usage collect waste water gutter
  water for usage.
• Spread the word!