Chapter 19 Water Pollution

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Chapter 19Water Pollution
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Types and Sources of Water Pollution

• Water pollution is any chemical, biological or
  physical change in water quality that has a
  harmful effect on living organisms or makes the
  water unsuitable for desired uses.

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Major Types

• - infectious agents bacteria, viruses, protists
  come from human and animal waste
• oxygen-demanding organic wastes waste that can
  be decomposed by aerobic bacteria. Bacterial
  digesting this waste can deplete water of oxygen.
  

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Major Types

• Sediment ie soil, silt from erosion, can cloud
  water, carry pesticides, clog lakes channels.
• Heat can be caused by water used to cool power
  plants (50 percent of water). Lowers dissolved
  oxygen, can shock and kill populations of
  aquatic animals.
• organic/inorganic chemicals From runoff,
  industrial and household chemicals. Can cause
  1. water to be non-usable, 2. skin cancers
  spinal damage (F), 3. damage to nervous system,
  liver kidneys (Pb and As) 4. harm fish, 5.
  lower crop yeilds. 6. cause water to be
  corrosive

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Your book also mentions

• Organic chemicals (like oil, gas, pesticides,
  cleaning solvents, detergent)
• Plant nutrients
• - Drinking water with excessive levels of
  nitrates lowers the oxygen-carrying capacity of
  blood and can kill little babies (blue baby
  syndrome) ?

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Pollution Problems

• Biological Magnification
• Eutrophication (see fig p.483)
• oligotrophic lake is low in nutrients
• eutrophic lake is higher in nutrients
  (phosphates, nitrates)
• What are sources of cultural eutrophication?

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Point vs. Nonpoint Sources

• What are specific points from which pollutants
  are released?
• Sources that cannot be specifically traced are
  called nonpoint sources. These include large
  land areas like farms, clearcut sites, golf
  courses and lawns.

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Which is easier to fix, pollution from a point or
nonpoint source???
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CANADA
Nipigon Bay
Jackfish Bay
Thunder Bay
Silver Bay
St. Marys R.
St. Lawrence R.
Spanish R.
St. Louis R.
MICHIGAN
Penetary Bay
WISCONSIN
Sturgeon Bay
MICHIGAN
Saginaw Bay
NEW YORK
Niagara Falls
Saginaw R. System
Grand R.
MINNESOTA
Niagara R.
St. Clair R.
Thames R.
Buffalo R.
Detroit R. Rouge R. Raisin R.
Ashtabula R.
PENNSYLVANIA
IOWA
Cuyahoga R.
Maumee R.
Rocky R.
Black R.
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
OHIO
Great Lakes drainage basin
Most polluted areas, according to the Great Lakes
Water Quality Board
Hot spots of toxic concentrations in water and
sediments
Eutrophic areas
Fig. 19.7, p. 484
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Industrial pollution
Suffocated fish
Beaches closed
Sewage runoff
Dead algae
Low dissolved oxygen
Decreased fish population
Mercury- tainted fish
Fig. 19.8a, p. 485
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Suburban sprawl
Lower water levels
Clear water
High dissolved oxygen
PCBs in sediment
Thriving fish population
Fig. 19.8b, p. 485
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Positive Notes

• Cuyahoga River (Cleveland) burns in 1959, 1969
  Thames River (England) anaerobic sewer
• Legislation from the 1970s has dramatically
  improved water quality in the United States.
• Clean Water Act of 1972
• U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 set EPA
  maximum standards

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Contaminated Probability
10 to 20 percent
Greater than 20 percent
Fig. 19.10, p. 488
Not tested
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Fig. 19.11, p. 489
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Mississippi River Basin
Ohio River
Missouri River
Mississippi River
LOUISIANA
Mississippi River
Depleted
Oxygen
Fig. 19.12, p. 490
Gulf of Mexico
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Cooperstown
NEW YORK
PENNSYLVANIA
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Harrisburg
NEW JERSEY
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Washington
WEST VIRGINIA
DELAWARE
Richmond
VIRGINIA
Chesapeake Bay
Norfolk
Drainage basin
No oxygen
Low concentrations of oxygen
Fig. 19.13, p. 490
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Waste lagoon, pond, or basin
Hazardous waste injection well
Mining site
Water pumping well
Buried gasoline and solvent tanks
Pumping well
Road salt
Sewer
Landfill
Cesspoll, septic tank
Leakage from faulty casing
Unconfined freshwater aquifer
Groundwater
Confined freshwater aquifer
Groundwater flow
Discharge
Confined aquifer
Fig. 19.9, p. 487
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Septic tank
Nonperforated pipe
Manhole (for cleanout)
Household wastewater
Drain field
Perforated pipe
Gravel or crushed stone
Distribution box (optional)
Vent pipe
Fig. 19.14, p. 494
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Fig. 19.15, p. 494
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Fig. 19.16, p. 495
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Fig. 19.17, p. 497
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Fig. 19.3, p. 479
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Water Quality
Do (ppm) at 20C
Good
8-9
Slightly polluted
6.7-8
Moderately polluted
4.5-6.7
Heavily polluted
Below 4.5
Gravely polluted
Below 4
Fig. 19.2, p. 478
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Cultural Eutrophicaation
Nitrogen compounds produced by cars and factories
Discharge of untreated municipal sewage (nitrates
and phosphates)
Natural runoff (nitrates and phosphates
Discharge of detergents ( phosphates)
Manure runoff From feedlots (nitrates
and Phosphates, ammonia)
Discharge of treated municipal sewage (primary
and secondary treatment nitrates and phosphates)
Runoff from streets, lawns, and construction lots
(nitrates and phosphates)
Lake ecosystem nutrient overload and breakdown
of chemical cycling
Runoff and erosion (from from cultivation, mining,
construction, and poor land use)
Dissolving of nitrogen oxides (from internal
combustion engines and furnaces)
Fig. 19.5, p. 482
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Biological Magnification
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Oligotrohic Lake
Fig. 19.6, p. 483
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Our Chicago River Study Site
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Detailed View of Chicago Rive Site