Water Pollution

Prepared By: Prof. Alexis John M. Rubio

Point and Non-Point Sources

Water pollution
is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.1

Point sources
Located at specific places Easy to identify, monitor, and regulate

Nonpoint sources
Broad, diffuse areas Difficult to identify and control Expensive to clean up

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_pollution

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Point and Non-Point Sources

Agriculture activities: leading cause of water pollution
Sediment eroded from the lands Fertilizers and pesticides Bacteria from livestock and food processing wastes

Industrial facilities Mining Other sources of water pollution

Parking lots Human-made materials Climate change due to global warming
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Point Source of Polluted Water in Gargas, France

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Nonpoint Sediment from Unprotected Farmland Flows into Streams

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Major Water Pollutants Have Harmful Effects

Infectious disease organisms: contaminated drinking water NPS pollutants build up on land surfaces during dry weather Atmospheric deposition Fertilizer applications Animal waste Automotive exhaust/fluid leaks Pollutants are washed off land surfaces during precipitation events (storm water runoff) Storm water runoff will flow to lakes and streams

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Major Water Pollutants and Their Sources

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Common Diseases Transmitted to Humans through Contaminated Drinking Water

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Science Focus: Testing Water for Pollutants

Variety of tests to determine water quality: Coliform bacteria: Escherichia coli, significant levels Level of dissolved oxygen (DO) Chemical analysis Indicator species Bacteria and yeast glow in the presence of a particular toxic chemical Color and turbidity of the water
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Water Quality
Good Slightly polluted Moderately polluted

DO (ppm) at 20C
89

6.78

4.56.7

Heavily polluted
Gravely polluted

44.5

Below 4

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10 Fig. 20-A, p. 535

What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems in Streams and Lakes?
While streams are extensively polluted worldwide by human activities, they can cleanse themselves of many pollutants if we do not overload them or reduce their flows. Addition of excessive nutrients to lakes from human activities can disrupt lake ecosystems, and prevention of such pollution is more effective and less costly than cleaning it up. Dilution Biodegradation of wastes by bacteria takes time Oxygen sag curve
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Point source

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12 Fig. 20-5, p. 536

Global Outlook: Stream Pollution in Developing Countries

Half of the worlds 500 rivers are polluted Untreated sewage

Industrial waste
Indias rivers Chinas rivers
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Girl Sits on the Edge of a Road beside a Stream Loaded with Raw Sewage in Iraq

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Natural Capital Degradation: Highly Polluted River in China

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Trash Truck Disposing of Garbage into a River in Peru

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Indias Ganges River

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 Less effective at diluting pollutants than streams

Stratified layers
Little vertical mixing

Low Water Flow and Too Little Mixing Makes Lakes Vulnerable to Water Pollution

Little of no water flow

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Cultural Eutrophication
Eutrophication

or more precisely hypertrophication, is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system. One example is the "bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia, the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations. Other species may experience an increase in population that negatively affects other species.
Oligotrophic Lakes

An ecosystem or environment is said to be oligotrophic if it offers little to sustain life. The term is commonly utilized to describe environments of water, ice, air, rock or soil with very low nutrient levels.

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Cultural Eutrophication
Cultural Eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human activity. Due to clearing of land and building of towns and cities, land runoff is accelerated and more nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate are supplied to lakes and rivers, and then to coastal estuaries and bays. Extra nutrients are also supplied by treatment plants, golf courses, fertilizers, and farms. During hot weather or droughts
Algal blooms Increased bacteria More nutrients Anaerobic bacteria

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Cultural Eutrophication
Prevent or reduce cultural eutrophication
Remove nitrates and phosphates Diversion of lake water

Clean up lakes
Remove excess weeds Use herbicides and algaecides; down-side? Pump in air
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Pollution Problems Affecting Groundwater, Other Water Sources

Chemicals used in agriculture, industry, transportation, and homes can spill and leak into groundwater and make it undrinkable. There are simple ways and complex ways to purify drinking water, but protecting it through pollution prevention is the least expensive and most effective strategy.
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Ground Water Cannot Cleanse Itself Very Well

Source of drinking water Common pollutants
Fertilizers and pesticides Gasoline Organic solvents

Pollutants dispersed in a widening plume Slower chemical reactions in groundwater due to

Slow flow: contaminants not diluted Less dissolved oxygen Fewer decomposing bacteria
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Polluted air

Pesticides and fertilizers Coal strip mine runoff Deicing road salt Gasoline station Water pumping well Landfill Accidental spills

Hazardous waste injection well

Pumping well
Waste lagoon

Buried gasoline and solvent tanks Cesspool, septic tank Sewer Leakage from faulty casing Discharge Confined aquifer Groundwater flow

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Leaking tank

Water table Groundwater flow Free gasoline Gasoline leakage plume dissolves in (liquid phase) groundwater (dissolved phase)
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Migrating vapor phase

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Water well Contaminant plume moves with the groundwater

Groundwater Pollution Is a Serious Threat

China: many contaminated or overexploited aquifers

U.S.: FDA reports of toxins found in many aquifers

What about leaking underground storage tanks:

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Gasoline Oil Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) Nitrate ions

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Case Study: A Natural Threat from Arsenic in Groundwater

Source of As in the groundwater

Human health hazards: cancer

Skin Lungs Bladder

2006 research: Rice University, TX, U.S.

Purification system to remove As
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Pollution Prevention Is the Only Effective Way to Protect Groundwater

Prevent contamination of groundwater

Cleanup: expensive and time consuming

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SOLUTIONS
Groundwater Pollution
Prevention
Find substitutes for toxic chemicals

Cleanup
Pump to surface, clean, and return to aquifer (very expensive)

Keep toxic chemicals out of the environment

Install monitoring wells near landfills and underground tanks Require leak detectors on underground tanks Ban hazardous waste disposal in landfills and injection wells Store harmful liquids in aboveground tanks with leak detection and collection systems
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Inject microorganisms to clean up contamination (less expensive but still costly)

Pump nanoparticles of inorganic compounds to remove pollutants (still being developed)

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There Are Many Ways to Purify Drinking Water

Reservoirs and purification plants Process sewer water to drinking water

Expose clear plastic containers to sunlight (UV)

Nanofilters The LifeStraw
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The LifeStraw: Personal Water Purification Device

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 New York City water

Case Study: Protecting Watersheds Instead of Building Water Purification Plants

Reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains

Protect the watershed instead of water purification plants

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Using Laws to Protect Drinking Water Quality

1974: U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act
Sets maximum contaminant levels for any pollutants that affect human health

Health scientists: strengthen the law

Water-polluting companies: weaken the law

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Is Bottled Water the Answer?

U.S.: some of the cleanest drinking water

Bottled water
Some from tap water 40% bacterial contamination Fuel cost to manufacture the plastic bottles Recycling of the plastic

Growing back-to-the-tap movement

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What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems Affecting Oceans?

The great majority of ocean pollution originates on land and includes oil and other toxic chemicals and solid wastes, which threaten aquatic species and other wildlife and disrupt marine ecosystems. The key to protecting the oceans is to reduce the flow of pollutants from land and air and from streams emptying into these waters.
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Ocean Pollution Is a Growing and Poorly Understood Problem (1)

2006: State of the Marine Environment
80% of marine pollution originates on land Sewage Coastal areas most affected

Deeper ocean waters

Dilution Dispersion Degradation
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Ocean Pollution Is a Growing and Poorly Understood Problem (2)

Cruise line pollution: what is being dumped?

U.S. coastal waters

Raw sewage Sewage and agricultural runoff: NO3- and PO43 Harmful algal blooms Oxygen-depleted zones

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Industry Nitrogen oxides from autos and smokestacks, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals in effluents flow into bays and estuaries.

Cities Toxic metals and oil from streets and parking lots pollute waters; sewage adds nitrogen and phosphorus.

Urban sprawl Bacteria and viruses from sewers and septic tanks contaminate shellfish beds and close beaches; runoff of fertilizer from lawns adds nitrogen and phosphorus.

Construction sites Sediments are washed into waterways, choking fish and plants, clouding waters, and blocking sunlight.
Farms Runoff of pesticides, manure, and fertilizers adds toxins and excess nitrogen and phosphorus. Red tides Excess nitrogen causes explosive growth of toxic microscopic algae, poisoning fish and marine mammals.

Closed beach Oxygen-depleted zone

Closed shellfish beds

Toxic sediments Chemicals and toxic metals contaminate shellfish beds, kill spawning fish, and accumulate in the tissues of bottom feeders.

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Oxygen-depleted zone Sedimentation and algae overgrowth reduce sunlight, kill beneficial sea grasses, use up oxygen, and degrade habitat.

Healthy zone Clear, oxygen-rich waters promote growth of plankton and sea grasses, and support fish. 39

A Large Zone of Oxygen-Depleted Water in the Gulf of Mexico Due to Algal Blooms

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Ocean Oil Pollution Is a Serious Problem (1)

Crude and refined petroleum
Highly disruptive pollutants

Largest source of ocean oil pollution

Urban and industrial runoff from land

1989: Exxon Valdez, oil tanker 2002: Prestige, oil tanker

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Ocean Oil Pollution Is a Serious Problem (2)

Volatile organic hydrocarbons
Kill many aquatic organisms

Tar-like globs on the oceans surface

Coat animals

Heavy oil components sink

Affect the bottom dwellers
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Ocean Oil Pollution Is a Serious Problem (3)

Faster recovery from crude oil than refined oil

Cleanup procedures
Methods of preventing oil spills

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SOLUTIONS
Coastal Water Pollution Prevention
Reduce input of toxic pollutants Separate sewage and storm lines Ban dumping of wastes and sewage by ships in coastal waters Ban ocean dumping of sludge and hazardous dredged material Regulate coastal development, oil drilling, and oil shipping Require double hulls for oil tankers Use nanoparticles on sewage and oil spills to dissolve the oil or sewage (still under development) Require secondary treatment of coastal sewage

Cleanup
Improve oil-spill cleanup capabilities

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Use wetlands, solaraquatic, or other methods to treat sewage

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We Need to Reduce Surface Water Pollution from Nonpoint Sources (1) Reduce erosion
Keep cropland covered with vegetation

Reduce the amount of fertilizers

Plant buffer zones of vegetation

Use organic farming techniques
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We Need to Reduce Surface Water Pollution from Nonpoint Sources (2) Use pesticides prudently
Control runoff
Tougher pollution regulations for livestock operations Deal better with animal waste
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Laws Can Help Reduce Water Pollution from Point Sources

1972: Clean Water Act

EPA: experimenting with a discharge trading policy

Could this allow pollutants to build up?

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Sewage Treatment Reduces Water Pollution

Septic tank system

Wastewater or sewage treatment plants

Primary sewage treatment
Physical process

Secondary sewage treatment

Biological process

Tertiary or advance sewage treatment

Bleaching, chlorination

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Sewage Treatment Reduces Water Pollution

Should there be separate pipes for sewage and storm runoff? Health risks of swimming in water with blended sewage wastes

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Solutions: Septic Tank System

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Solutions: Primary and Secondary Sewage Treatment

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We Can Improve Conventional Sewage Treatment

Peter Montague: environmental scientist
Remove toxic wastes before water goes to the municipal sewage treatment plants Reduce or eliminate use and waste of toxic chemicals Use composting toilet systems

Wetland-based sewage treatment systems

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Science Focus: Treating Sewage by Working with Nature

John Todd: biologist

Natural water purification system

Sewer water flows into a passive greenhouse Solar energy and natural processes remove and recycle nutrients Diversity of organisms used

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Solutions: Ecological Wastewater Purification by a Living Machine, RI, U.S.

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 Developed countries

There Are Sustainable Ways to Reduce and Prevent Water Pollution

Bottom-up political pressure to pass laws

Developing countries
Little to reduce water pollution China : ambitious plan

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What Can You Do? Water Pollution, Ways to Help Reduce Water Pollution

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THANK YOU!

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