Coastal Water Pollution

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Coastal Water Pollution

• Chapter 14 Report of the USCOP

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Eutrophication - Nutrification

• Eutrophication is the 1 water pollution problem
  that we face.
• Sources urban wastewater treatment plants,
  storm runoff, agricultural runoff, animal feeding
  operations
• Impacts nutrient (N, P) inputs, algal blooms,
  decomposition and oxidation of organic material

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Eutrophication - Nutrification

• Additional impacts
• fish kills
• changes and reduction of marine biodiversity
• public health impacts
• decreases in tourism

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Industrial plants, wastewater treatment plants,
  animal feeding operations
• NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
  System. State implemented program with USEPA
  guidance.
• TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load Program. States
  list waters that do not meet water quality
  standards and, subsequently, must calculate TMDLs
  for non-conforming waters. The program reduces
  pollutant loads from various sources.

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Wastewater Treatment Plants
• Primary Treatment removes suspended solids,
  pathogens.
• Secondary Treatment reduces amounts of organic
  materials.
• Tertiary Treatment reduces nutrients (N, P).
  Tertiary treatment costs 25 more than Secondary
  Treatment.

• USCOP recommends Tertiary Treatment for
  nutrient-impaired waters.

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Septic Systems 25 of the U.S. population is
  served by residential septic systems only.
• Septic systems can contaminate groundwater
  supplies and degrade coastal waters.

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Combined Sewer Systems (CSS) capture street
  runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial
  discharges in the same pipes.
• During heavy rains, CSS may discharge directly to
  coastal waters without treatment.

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Combined Sewer Systems

• Combined Sewer Systems create significant
  degradation of coastal water quality during
  periods of heavy rains.

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Animal Feeding Operations 238,000 animal
  feeding operations in the U.S. produce more than
  3 times the sewage that humans produce.
• The largest operations 18,500 Concentrated
  Animal Feeding Operations/CAFOs - will require
  NPDES permits by 2006.

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Point Sources of Pollution

• Recommendations
• Development of Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Long-term investments in improved infrastructure
• Market-based incentives in water pollution
  management (tradable nutrient credits)
• Improved monitoring and enforcement

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Point Sources of Pollution - Solutions
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Non-Point Sources of Pollution

• Sources agrochemicals (fertilizers
  pesticides), livestock and pet waste, urban
  street/stormwater runoff, timber harvesting
  sites, construction sites.
• The cumulative input of pollutants to U.S. waters
  from NPS pollutants is great.
• The multiple, small sources are extremely
  difficult to regulate.

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Non-Point Sources of Pollution

• Problems contamination of drinking water, beach
  closures, bacterial contamination, increased need
  for maintenance dredging, losses of tourism
  revenues

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Non-Point Sources of Pollution

• Potential Solutions
• Establish measurable goals for the reduction of
  non-point source pollutants on a watershed basis.
• Create economic incentives for farmers to reduce
  agricultural runoff, i.e. nutrient credits for
  implementing agricultural BMPs
• If States fail to protect their waters, the
  federal government should withhold financial
  support.

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Coastal Water Pollution