Environmental Science Quiz Water Pollution

Intro Environmental Science Test 3

Pollution

The presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and health effects

Pollution Increase Is due to…

Larger human population, more materialistic lifestyles, and greater use of non-biodegradable items (rust resistant metals, plastics, synthetic chemical compounds)

Various Sources of Water Pollution

1. Sedimentation

2. Nutrient Loading

3. Solid wastes

4. Natural compounds and synthetic compounds

5. From air, water, and land: transportation…

5 steps for managing pollutants for safety and sustainability

1. Identify the pollutants

2. Identify the sources

3. Clean up areas already impacted by pollution

4. Develop and implement pollution-control strategies

5. Seek to avoid the pollution altogether

Non-point Source pollution

Exact location not clear or broadly spread. Hard to identify source, regulate, and remediate. Examples: Agricultural excess, surface drainage, air pollution deposition

6 Categories of water pollution

1. Pathogens

2. Organic waste

3. Inorganic pollutants

4. Suspended solids

5. Thermal Pollution

6. Radioactive substances

4 Measures to control pathogens

1. Purification of public water supply

2. Sanitary collection/treatment of human/animal waste

3. Sanitary practices when processing food

4. Instruction in environmental practices?

About ¼ of the world’s population does not have access to managed safe drinking water

True: 6% (almost ½ billion) do not even have piped water, mostly in Africa. Almost ¼ of the world live with inadequate or no sewage system. 6% practice open defecation, again mostly in africa

Most of the world has access to adequate sewage control systems, with only about 4 million still lacking in this area

False: Despite great increases in access to clean water and adequate sanitation, about 1.5 million people die each year due to waterborne diseases.

Low bacterial counts can lead to beach closures

Flase

Organic Wastes

1. Human/animal

2. Plant materials

3. Plastics/Organic Chemicals

DO

Dissolved Oxygen, measured in ppm (parts per million)

Fish prefer a DO of 2ppm

False

Eutrophication

When bacteria and detritus feeders decompose organic material, they reduce the DO leading to Eutrophication

Nutrients

The two common nutrients required by water plants to thrive but that can lead to Eutrophication are: Phosphorus and Nitrogen

Severe Eutrophication can lead to mass die offs

True

Inorganic Chemicals

Heavy metals, acids from mines, road salts, acid rain (all water pollutants)

Organic Chemicals

Petroleum, pesticides, industrial chemicals, (PCBs, detergents) are all water pollutants

Biomagnification

Increase in concentration as you move up in the food chain. Creates greater danger to species higher up on food change.

Having some sediment in streams is part of the natural process of weathering

True

Increased Sediment load of Streams

Caused by human activities, such as agriculture, forestry, mining, construction, (and others)

Photosynthesis is increased by greater turbidity from materials carried in suspension in a steam

False

Sands and silts at the bottom of a stream (bed load) can scrape off and bury living things

True

Reducing Sediment Amounts

We can reduce the amount of sediment that continues downstream is to build retention basins and/or settling ponds

Thermal Pollution

Water that is too warm can come from factories, power plants, water diversions, and water that is too cold can come from the bottom of reservoirs

Wastewater Treatment

The first wastewater treatment plants were in the early 1900s

Before the 1970s much wastewater drained straight to oceans/rivers

True

Clean Water Act

Lack of wastewater treatment led to the 1972 Clean Water Act

Another name for storm drains is sanitary sewers

True

Most of the developing world has moderately successful wastewater treatment facilities

True

Raw sewage (wastewater)

Toilets, sinks, and other drains and is mostly water (99.9%)

Pollutants:Debris and grit

sand, gravel, trash, random objects

Pollutants:Particulate organic material

Fecal matter, food waste, toilet paper

Pollutants:Colloidal and dissolved organic material

Fine organics (urine), bacteria, detergents

Pollutants: Dissolved inorganic material

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients

Other “non standard” types of pollutants

Pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxins

Stages of wastewater treatment: Preliminary-Screen

removes debris (incinerated), grit chamber allows grit to settle to landfill

Stages of wastewater treatment: Primary—Clarifiers

removes 30-50% of organic particulates as sludge.

Sludge

Can be composted, digested, pasteurized, or used in next step. Sludge can be applied to fields, but some dangers

Stages of wastewater treatment: Secondary

Biologically active sludge with air decomposes organics. Produces CO2, nutrients, and water. Output is either disinfected and released or treated more

Stages of wastewater treatment: Tertiary—BNR

Remove Biological Nutrients—In some cases, remove heavy metals and other toxins. Future: remove pharmaceuticals and hormones? Only about ¼ cities/towns go this far

Stages of wastewater treatment: After treatment

Secondary treated water can be used for irrigation water, nutrient rich

Water that has been through secondary treatment can be nutrient rich and used for irrigation water

true

Tertiary treated water

Low in BOD and nutrients, can help improve water quality in some streams/lakes

Tertiary treated water since it is low in BOD and nutrients can help improve water quality on release into streams/lakes

False

Due to stringent laws enacted in the 1970s, no wastewater that has only had primary treatment is release into the ocean

True

Septic Systems in US homes

25% percent of US households are NOT hooked up to sewage systems, using septic instead

Septic Tank

Collects solids that biodegrade, occasionally needs to be pumped out. Requires adequate space, correct soil types, and maintenance

Leech Field

Colloidal and dissolved material, percolates down through soil, soil bacteria breaks down organics

Some wetlands have nutrient utilization capacity

True

Wetlands for Natural Treatment

After secondary treatment, wastewater can enter wetlands. In some cases wetlands used for unprocessed wastewater. These can be existing or newly created wetlands. key is to keep balance (don’t allow nutrient overloading. Can also be used for storm water. Examples: Arcata, CA, Orlando FL

The Gates Foundation

Self Contained Sanitation: Pods or local units to handle human waste. Waste becomes fertilizer, can use reclaimed water. Useful in remote locations and in the developing world

CWA

The Clean Water Act, first enacted into law in 1972

6 Issues Related to Water Quality (“Problems being dealt with and Progress to be made?”

1. Dealing with non-points sources

2. Construction of wastewater plants

3. Storm discharges

4. Combine storm/wastewater systems

5. Wetlands protection

6. Dealing with animal feedlots

4 issues that may affect whether or not a former landfill site would be suitable for a golf course

1. Enough land

2. Too hilly

3. Methane venting

4. Settling

What does Municipal Solid Waste contain (MSW)

MSW is regulated by local and state governments with EPA oversight. Industrial Non-Hazardous waste includes demolition and construction waste

Increase in MSW

An increase in the amount of MSW generated can be attributed to an increase in population but even more so to an increase in waste output per person (such as disposable items and product packaging)

Since 1960 the amount of MSW almost double but in recent times has leveled off

True

2 Factors affecting the type of items we throw away

1. Type of consumer

2. Time of year

What category of MSW is greatest in the US

paper/paperboard

What categories are roughly tied for 2nd in the US

Food, plastics, yard waste

Prior to 1960 how was US MSW disposed

burned in local, open dumps, then we moved to incinerators, then managed landfills

1 of 3 things done to US MSW

1. Landfill (about 50%)

2. Recycled (about 38%)

3. Burned (about 12%)

Landfills

Early landfills did not consider environmental effects. When dump full, covered and ignored. Much trash not in or “falls our of” the waste disposal “stream”…Leads to litter build up which impacts ecosystems including in the oceans (garbage patches in gyres)

4 problems that have to be considered when designing modern landfills

1. Leachate and Groundwater

2. Methane ProductionInc

3. Incomplete Decomposition

4. Settling Pollution

5 Design elements incorporated in modern landfills to deal with the problems above

1. On high ground well above water table

2. Geologically stable

3. Pyramid shape to contain runoff and cells to contain trash

4. Each day’s waste is covered with 6” or more of earth

5. Leachate control

Since 1980 the number of active landfill has gone way down, but existing landfill tend to be bigger than in the past

True

NIMBY

Acronym used for people who don’t want landfills in their “backyard”

When landfills are sited far from the MSW generation area, what are two issues that come up

1. Requires greater transportation cost

2. Air pollution

In the developing world, open dumps, despite the health and environmental dangers often serve as a source of income for local peoples who pick over the trash

True

US State with the highest importer of MSW

Pennsylvania (highest exporter New York)

Our Regional Landfill

And only active one is the Toland Road Sanitary Landfill but you are expected to take your trash to a waste station

Combustion

Difficulty in siting new landfills, leads to more recycling and more combustion. Which is waste reduction and not disposal. Waste combustion (in incinerators) can produce energy. This is known as WTE which stands for Waste to Energy

Advantages of waste combustion

Greatly reduces weight and volume, extending life of landfill

Hazardous substance concentrated in ash, easier to deal with than original MSW

Non-toxic ash can be used in construction

Same collection mechanism as landfill

Most combustion facilities also generate energy

Prior to combustion

The disadvantages of waste combustion

Air pollution and offensive odors (through stringent emissions controls have helped air quality

Expensive to build

NIMBY siting concerns

Combustion ash can be full of metals, need proper disposal

Needs continuous supply of MSW so locks municipalities in

Despite electrical generating income, still law energy efficiency

The 6 R’s

Source Reduction—Refuse & Reduce & Repair

Recycling—Reuse & Repurpose & Recycling

Examples of Source Reduction

New materials and methods mean less material required

Electronic media age means less paper needed

Appliance, furniture, and other durable goods can be reused (garage sales, thrift stores)

Improved product life

Get off bulk mailing lists

Problem associated with MSW

While electronic communications may save paper, what MSW produces e-life, and thus e-waste

Difference between primary and secondary recycling

Primary is the original waste material being remade to the same material, while secondary is the original waste being made into something new

What percent of the MSW stream is currently recycled 

32%

Since 1960 the amount of recycling has increase over 500%

True

2 key reasons to recycle

Saves energy and resources and decreases pollution. Also, economic factors. Recycled is “cool” but can be part of a circular economy

7 types of recyclable items

1. Paper and paperboard

2. Yard Waste

3. Aluminum

4. Glass

5. Certain plastics

6. Old tires

   1. Textiles

3 regions of the country highest in recycling

West coast, upper midwest, northeast

Making recycling mandatory creates backlash and ends up reducing the recycling rate

True

Recycling rates as high as 75% are possible if the following conditions are met

1. Mandatory

2. Easy to do

3. Incentives

4. Political and industrial support

Environmental Toxicology

The effect of chemicals on human and environmental health

Difference between Acute and Chronic Toxicity

Acute: effect of concentrated exposure (like ingestion)

Chronic: effect of long term exposure

Threshold level

Level below which no ill effects are observed from chemical exposure. Above the threshold level negative health effects depend on concentration and duration of exposure

4 characteristics that may identify a HAZMAT substance

1. Ignitability: Will it catch fire

2. Corrosivity: Will it eat through

3. Reactivity: Chemical Instability

4. Toxicity: Will it make me sick

2 types of toxic chemicals that do not biodegrade

Heavy metals and chemical compounds

Halogen

A hydrocarbon with hydrogen replaced by iodine, chlorine, bromine, fluorine. PCB’s, Dioxin, and DDT are all examples of a type of organic pollutant known as persistent organic pollutants (POP)

Disposal of toxic chemicals in 3 ways

Deep well injection

Surface impoundment

Landfills

2 ways toxic waste can be prepared for safer disposal

biodegradation, high heat incineration

disposal problems

1. midnight dumping

2. orphan sites

3. love canal

4. cosmalia resources

5 site remediation measures that can be taken for toxic chemical waste

1. Groundwater cleanup (remediation)

2. Soil cleanup

3. Bioremediation (let microbes help)

4. phytoremediation (let plants help)

5. Plasma arc (use high intensity light energy to neutralize waste)

1976 Federal Act

Began the regulation of the full life cycle of these chemicals RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act). Disproportionate number of poor and minorities have TRI sites in their areas

Pollution prevention is an end of pipe solution that doesn’t take enough advantage of modern technology.

False.

Green Chemistry

Finding benign (not harmful substances to accomplish same outcomes as more toxic chemicals