Water Quality Exam 1

What lakes did Dr. North study?

Laurentian, African

5 factors for future water demand

Population growth

Increasing urbanization

Climate change

Business growth

Agricultural advancement

Hannibal: Who

Citizens were concerned about Chloramine

Chloramine

Less volatile: stays in water longer

Reduce TTHM by adding ammonia

Accused of causing Legionnaires disease

Chlorine

Hannibal: What

Chloramines

Hannibal: When

Switched treatment to using chloramine September 2015

April 2016: civil ordinance/referendum filed against ammonia. MDNR refused to comply without a proper alternative treatment plan

2017 public works filed lawsuit against city because prop 1 interferes with state law

Hannibal: Why

Exceedance of Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids

not updating water treatment system, leading to buildup of OM, which combines with chlorine to make DBP

TTHM risks

Liver, kidney, central nervous system problems

increase risk of cancer

Hannibal: How

Hannibal: Current status

Granular activated carbon

Use: FINISH

Flint: What

Didn’t account for change in pH and alkalinity when switching to Flint river water from Lake water

This corroded the already old lead pipes, 40% had exceedances

Correlated with Legionaries disease, but not equal to causation

Flint: When

Switched sources in April 2014

State of emergency in December

Flint: Why

Switched from Lake Huron to Flint River due to economic decline after downsizing GM factory

Huge cover up from elected officials and scientists

How many people use desalinized water

300 million

Fate of land water

about 60% evaporates

3:1 ratio of evaporation:runoff

Fate of ocean water

Receives more rain

Missouri Summer

Wettest

Missouri winter

Driest

Monsoon season

Asia receives 80% of precipitation during this period

Australia extreme

Receives 5-15 inches, 70% in a three month period

6 countries contributing to 50% of global runoff

Brazil, Russia, China, United States, India, Canada

28 largest lakes

Make up 85% of freshwater lake volume

Water quality definition

Fundamental bio, physical, and chemical properties

Suitability for use by humans

Recreational water quality

Free of harmful microbes and toxic chemicals

Fish/wildlife water quality

ideal temperature, nutrients, DO, low levels of harmful/man-made agents

Irrigation water quality

Free of herbicides, heavy metal, bad microbes

Industrial water quality

Good temperature, turbidity, mineral content

Most common US water use

Thermoelectric power, irrigation, public supply

• 86% withdrawls freshwater

  • 78% of this is surface water

Withdrawal decline since 2010

9% in US

All categories except irrigation, mining, and livestock

Criteria

Determined by scientists

Law

Determined by policymakers based off of criteria1

1st significant water quality legislation

1956 Federal water pollution control act

established network to collect water quality data

Water quality act (1965)

Required states to submit water quality standards

Provided more funding

Federal Water pollution control act (1972)

Funds the MU Limnology lab

8 sections talked about in class

covers agricultural and intrastate waters

Section 101

aims to restore/maintain the integrity of national waters

No discharge into navigable waters goal

Prohibits discharge of toxic pollutants

Section 303

Water Quality Standards and Implementation Plans (completed)

States must submit standards that meet/exceed federal standards to EPA

Anti-degradation for streams better than the standards, continuous planning

Section 304

Information and guidelines

EPA supplies states with guidelines regarding non-point source pollutants

Establishes methods to control pollution from NPSP (ag, forestry, mining)

Section 402

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

• Permits required for pollutant discharge

• states develop programs approved by EPA

  • states submit permit applications/recommendations to EPA

Section 404

Permits for Dredge and Fill Materials

• wetland protection

Section 208

Area-wide Waste Treatment Management

• designate problem areas

  • Planning/finding for NPSP control

Section 315

Clean Lakes: States must:

• biennial submission of public lake classification to EPA

• describe pollution control procedures

• list impaired lakes

• assess water quality trends

Section 319

NPS Management program (BMPs)

• More federal power

• addresses NPSP

• Modified many times as science advances