APES - Unit 11 - Water Resources and Water Pollution

Hydrologic Cycle

the movement of water through the biosphere

evaporate

the change from a liquid to a gas

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

Infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

freshwater

Does not contain any saltwater and can be rivers, lakes, streams,ponds, and wetlands

marine water

salt water

water withdrawal

total amount of water taken from a water body

water consumption

measures only water that is permanently removed from a source

water scarcity

the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a region

Groundwater

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

zone of saturation

The lower zone where water accumilates between small rock particles.

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.

confined aquifer

an aquifer surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay that impedes water flow

recharge zones are where

aquifers are regularly recharged by rainfall on ground surface

Ogallala Aquifer

World's largest aquifer; under parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (the Midwest). Holds enough water to cover the U.S. with 1.5 feet of water. Being depleted for agricultural and urban use.

cone of depression

Excessive water withdrawal can cause a lowering of the water table

saltwater intrusion

an infiltration of salt water in an area where groundwater pressure has been reduced from extensive drilling of wells

subsidence

the gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land.

Desalination

the removal of salt from seawater to make it usable for drinking and farming

Safe Drinking Water Act

(SDWA, 1974) set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health

water pollution

the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water

Nutrient Pollution (Eutrophication)

The process where too many nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, are added to bodies of water and can act like fertilizer, causing excessive growth of algae.

dead zones (in oceans)

hypoxic (low-oxygen) areas in the world's oceans and large lakes, caused by "excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water.

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose biological wastes into carbon dioxide, water, and minerals.

nonpoint source pollution

pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single, specific site

point source pollution

pollution that comes from a specific site

Watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

Clean Water Act of 1972

Establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.

sediment pollution

Excessive amounts of soil particles that enter the water as a result of erosion

industrial waste

Waste from production of consumer goods, mining, agriculture and petroleum extraction and refining

persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

persistent toxicants that bioaccumulate in organisms and travel through air and water to contaminate sites far from their source

endocrine disruptors

chemicals that interfere with the normal functioning of hormones in an animal's body

thermal pollution

a temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life

major ocean pollutants

oil and plastics

Oil spills

a release of liquid petroleum into the environment due to human activity; a form of pollution

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Major tanker accident in Alaska in 1989, that resulted in a major oil spill in Prince William Sound.

Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Enacted a year after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, this law streamlines federal response to oil spills by requiring oil storage facilities and vessels to prepare spill-response plans and provide for their rapid implementation. The law also increases polluters' liability for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources and imposes measures -- including a phaseout of single-hulled tankers -- designed to improve tanker safety and prevent spills.

Deep Water Horizon

April 20, 2010 - Gulf of Mexico; offshore oil rig exploded, burned, and sank -> 11 million workers killed; not capped until July 15, 2010; 210 million gal. of oil, largest spill in US history

how to clean oil spills

booms, skimming, bioremediation, chemical dispersion, burning, vacuums, sorbents

Northern Pacific Trash Vortex

largest collection of plastic pollution in the ocean

wastewater treatment plant

A Facility That Cleans Used Water In Order To Make It Safe To Put Back Into The Public Waterways (Rivers)

primary treatment of sewage

a mechanical process in which large solids are removed by screening and some suspended solids are removed by settlement (sedimentation)

secondary treatment sewage

a biological oxidation process in which the levels of suspended and dissolved organic materials are reduced, i.e. the sewage is decomposed by means of bacteria which use the nutrients from the sewage together with oxygen from the air to break down the sewage

tertiary treatment of sewage

a process involving the removal of phosphorus compounds by precipitation and the removal of nitrogen compounds by biological and ion-exchange methods

Sewer overflow

If a flood, snow melt, or other excess water event occurs, the capacity of a waste water system can be overwhelmed

- Raw sewage may be dumped directly into the nearby water body.​

- Occurs approximately 40,000 times a year in the US​