Freshwater and Freshwater Pollutants

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Freshwater and Freshwater Pollutants
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Whats in the Water?

• Dissolved organics and inorganics
• Particulate organics and inorganics
• Gases oxygen and carbon dioxide
• Anthropogenic inputs, effects

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Water Pollution
"any biological, chemical, or physical change in
water quality that has a harmful effect on
living organisms or makes water unsuitable for
desired uses."
44 of lakes, 37 of rives unsafe for recreation
due to toxic water pollutants 32 of estuaries.
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Basic Types of Pollution
1) Biological pathogens 2) Physical pollutants
3) Chemical pollutants
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Pathogens
Typhoid Cholera Dysentery
Bacteria
Hepatitis Polio
Viruses Protozoa Parasites
Schistosomiasis
Amoebic dysentery
Giardiasis
Each year, about 1.5 million Americans become ill
as a result of bacterial contamination in
drinking water
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Physical Pollutants
Sediment
Heat
electric power plants O2, thermal shock
½ of water withdrawn
erosion, deforestation, agriculture
chokes and fills lakes, reservoirs
reduced photosynthesis
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Chemical Pollutants
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Chemical Pollutants
Nutrients
Nitrogen Phosphorus
NO3- NH4
HPO4-2 H2PO-
animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and sewage
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Heavy Metals and Metalloids
Arsenic
Erosion of natural deposits runoff from
orchards, runoff from glass electronics
production wastes, treated lumber, groundwater
Mercury
Erosion of natural deposits discharge from
refineries and factories runoff from landfills,
coal burning
Lead
Corrosion of household plumbing systems erosion
of natural deposits, paint, fuels
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Metal Common Health Effects
Lead behavioral problemshigh blood pressure, anemiakidney damagememory and learning difficultiesmiscarriage, decreased sperm productionreduced IQ
Mercury blindness and deafness brain damagedigestive problemskidney damagelack of coordinationcognitive degeneration
Arsenic breathing problemsdeath if exposed to high levelsdecreased intelligenceknown human carcinogen lung and skin cancernausea, diarrhea, vomitingperipheral nervous system problems
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Mercury, Arsenic, and Lead
Lead found in blood sample from 1 of 10
Washingtonians Arsenic found in urine samples
from 4 of 10 Washingtonians Mercury found in
hair samples from 10 of 10 Washingtonians
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Wonderland
Mercury Nitrate Symptoms included tremors,
emotional instability, insomnia, dementia and
hallucinations
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Chemical Pollutants
Petroleum
three to six million metric tons
Spills account for about 5 of petroleum
entering waterways.
oil changes, bilge cleaning and ship maintenance,
recreational boating.
Exxon Valdez - 300,000 birds and 2,500 otters
were killed
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Outboard Motors
Conventional Outboard Motors 25-30 of their
fuel unburned
2-cycle engines emit 30 times more
hydrocarbons In its exhaust compared to 4 cycle
engines.
75 percent reduction in outboard hydrocarbon
emissions by 2006
Four cycle outboards easily meet the EPAs 2006
emissions standards, and they are also quieter
and up to 40 percent more fuel efficient than
two stroke motors. However, they are also 30
percent more expensive, heavier and more
complex, making maintenance more difficult.
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Organic Chemicals
DDT PCBs TCE /PCE PBDE
Pesticides Industry Solvents/Cleaning Flame
Retardants
Potentially highly toxic Persistent in the
environment
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Where does it come from?
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Population Dynamics
Year Urban Population of Total Population
1790 201, 656 5
1860 6,216,518 20
1920 54, 263, 282 51
1990 187,053,487 75
2000 222,353,453 79
Industrial Revolution
In 1987 the Clean Water Act was reauthorized
with new provisions to address a new source of
pollution, urbanization
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Two Basic Avenues of Water Pollution
Non-point source pollution
Diffuse sources Difficult to trace, regulate
Point source pollution
Specific entry point Industrial discharges Sewage
treatment plants Landfills
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Non-point Source Pollution
Lawns, Gardens Golf Courses Agriculture Urban
Runoff
Fertilizers Pesticides Animal Wastes Oil, gas,
rubber
Golf Courses Agriculture Urban
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Point Source Pollution
Factories/Industry Wastewater Treatment Landfills
Underground Storage Tanks Mines
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Factories and Wastewater treatment
Often located near waterways (pollute
and dilute)

• 40 of river pollution
• 1968 80 of river pollution

1972 Passage of the Clean Water Act
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Landfills
Prior to the 1970s
Dissolved pollutants leachate
Paint, solvents, oil, cleaning agents
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Underground Storage Tanks
Gasoline, solvents
Steel corrosion - Leaking
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Gainesville
Butler Plaza was formerly the location of the
Stengal Airfield, which was an old US Army Air
Corps pilot training center that was founded in
1942. An oil house with underground storage tanks
(USTs) included a 10,000 gallon tank and a 4,000
gallon tank containing 90-octane fuel. After
World War II, the training center was closed.
Butler Plaza was built on top of the old hanger
area in 1974. In 1985, the DEP Northeast
District requested that the Operation Response
Section conduct a groundwater contamination
source identification study for volatile organic
contamination (VOC) found in two private wells in
a residential area. They were contaminated with
trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene
(PCE). The supply wells were shut down and all
areas were hooked to city water. Evaluation of
groundwater monitoring data indicated that the
Floridan aquifer had been impacted by VOC
contamination in two areas. According to the
groundwater investigation reports, the primary
source of the chlorinated solvent-related
groundwater contamination is in the vicinity of
one of the old airfield hangers formerly located
at a spot covered by the Butler Plaza.
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Two Basic Avenues of Water Pollution
Non-point source pollution
Diffuse sources Difficult to trace, regulate
Point source pollution
Specific entry point Industrial discharges Sewage
treatment plants Industry Landfills USTs
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Example
Point and Non-Point Pollution
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Superior
Huron
Ontario
Michigan
Erie
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Shallowest of the Great Lakes
average depth 62 feet
agriculture
Most populated
Largest population density of Great Lakes
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Point and Non-Point Source Pollution
Industrial Chemicals
Heavy Metals
Petroleum
Nutrients and Pesticides
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Non-point Source Pollution
Nitrogen and Phosphorus
Blue-green algae phytoplankton
O2
A Dead Lake?
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Point Sources
lip papillomas
petroleum, PCBs, PAHs
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Petrochemicals
Cuyahoga River Fire (1969)
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Clean Water Act 1972
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End of Lecture 22
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Determining Water Quality
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Basic Water Quality Parameters
Biological Metals Nutrients Organic
Chemicals Turbidity Temperature/Dissolved O2 pH
Salinity
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Turbidity and Biological Contaminants
Often related to dissolved or suspended organic
materials
Higher turbidity levels are often associated with
higher levels of disease-causing microorganisms
such as viruses, parasites and some bacteria.
Organic materials are consumed by heterotrophic
microorganisms
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Biological Oxygen Demand
Due to microbial breakdown of organic materials
in water
BOD measures the rate of oxygen uptake by
micro-organisms in a sample of water at a fixed
temperature (20C) and over a given period of
time in the dark.
pristine rivers will have a 5-day BOD below 1
mg/l.
Moderately polluted rivers BOD values in the
range of 2 to 8 mg/l.
efficiently treated municipal sewage has a value
of 20 mg/l.
Untreated sewage varies, but average around 600
mg/l in Europe and as low as 200 mg/l in the U.S
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pH, Temperature, Oxygen, and Salinity
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pH
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pH (hydrogen)
H
Acid any substance which increases the hydrogen
ion concentration in water.
Low pH High H
pH 8 0.00000001 g H/ L
pH 2 0.01 g H/ L
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Availability and Form of Nutrients or Metals
pH
H2PO4- HPO42-
High pH
Low pH
low H conc.
High H conc.
Fe, Zn, Mg, Mn, Cu, Al, S, N, Mo
Micronutrients and metals generally more
available at lower pH
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Availability and Form of Metals
Cr2O3 6H 2Cr3 3H2O
soluble In water
Insoluble In water
Dissolution of metal oxides increases their
mobility
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Temperature
municipal
industrial
Industrial Cooling asphalt and concrete pavement
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Temperature
Cooling Water billions of m3 () Electric
Power 153.7 81.23 Primary Metals 12.8
6.76 Chemical and Products 11.8 6.24
Petroleum and Coal 4.6 2.43 Paper and Products
2.30 1.21 Food 1.48 0.78 Machinery
0.620 0.34 Rubber and Plastics 0.484
0.26 Transportation 0.386 0.21 All Other
1.03 0.54 Totals 189.2 100,0
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Temperature
Poikilothermic Organisms
Fish, insects, zooplankton, phytoplankton,
bacteria
Changes in the growth rates of cold-blooded
aquatic organisms and many biochemical reaction
rates can often be approximated by a rule which
predicts that growth rates will double if
temperature increases by 10C (18F) within their
"preferred" range
Increased temperature, however, impacts dissolved
oxygen contents.
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Temperature and Oxygen
The solubility of oxygen in water is highly
temperature dependent.
Oxygen
10.1 mg/L
8.3 mg/L
15oC
25oC
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Oxygen is water soluble, but its solubility is
temperature-dependent.
                                                                     
Cold water species 5 mg/L Trout Cool water
species 4 mg/L Pike Warm water species 2-3
mg/L Bass, Catfish, Bluegill
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Stirring and agitation increases oxygen content
Cooler Water
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Still Ponds
O2
NO3-
SO4-2
SO4-2 HS-
C6H12O6 3SO42- 3H 6HCO3- 3HS-
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Oxygen
Oxygen is water soluble, but its solubility is
temperature-dependent.
In the atmosphere, about one out of 5 molecules
is oxygen in water, about one out of every
100,000 molecules is oxygen.
Oxygen enters the water body from the
atmosphere and from photosynthesis near the
surface
Oxygen leaves the water column principally by
organism respiration.
Oxygen contents of water bodies generally is
higher at the surface than at depth.
Stirring and agitation increases waters oxygen
content