ENVS Ch 11 Water Pollution

The Cuyahoga River catches fire in 1952

one of many instances where the polluted, oil-filled waterway was set ablaze.

An aerial photo from 1967

shows plumes of industrial waste flowing in the Cuyahoga River and emptying into Lake Erie.

On February 13, 1981, a series of explosions destroyed more than 13 miles (21 km) of sewer lines and streets in the center of Louisville in Kentucky, United States.

The explosions resulted in extensive damage to property and infrastructure; there were no fatalities, but four people were injured.

Ohio River

Again tops list for industrial pollution

Point source pollution

Comes from a single location such as a drainpipe, ditch or sewer outfall

Reports: Water toxic

Near many Indiana power plants

Thermal pollution

From power plants and other industries alters water temperatures and can adversely impact water quality and aquatic life

The most serious water pollutants in terms of human health worldwide are

Pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms

Coliform Bacteria

Are any of many types of bacteria that live in the colon, or intestines, of humans and other animals

Clean zone

Trout, perch, bass, Mayfly, stone fly and caddis fly larvae

Decomposition zone

Rough fish leeches

Septic zone

Fish absent, sludge worms, midge and mosquito larvae

Recovery zone

Rough fish leeches, isopods

Adding organic materials, such as sewage or paper pulp, to water stimulates activity and oxygen consumption by decomposers.

Consequently, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), or the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms, is another standard measure of water contamination.

Sources of nitrate

Agricultural sources, nitrogen-based fertilizers, natural/atmospheric, sewage/septic waste, animal manure

Nonpoint sources (things that cause runoff)

City streets, suburban development, wastewater treatment plant, rural homes, cropland, animal feedlot, factory

1. Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria produce ammonia or ammonium, 80 Tg

2. Nitrification

Nitrifying bacteria oxidize ammonia to nitrate ions

3. Assimilation

Plants absorb NH3, NH4, or NO3, to make organic compounds

4. Ammonification

Biological process-where microorganisms (bacteria & fungi) break down organic nitrogen-containing compounds from dead plants, dead animals, and animal waste into ammonia or ammonium

5. Denitrification

Dentrifying bacteria produce N2, natural biological process—soil or water bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gases that escape into the air

Louisville Sewage Spills

Between Feb 19 & March 2, 2018, over 38 million gallons of sewage spilled from sewers into the streets and waterways of Louisville.

Fertilizers from agricultural operations across the vast Mississippi River watershed is carried along with sediment by the mighty waterway and deposited into the Gulf of Mexico.

Nutrients in the fertilizer fuel algae blooms, that create a vast, oxygen-free “dead zone” that threatens fish and other marine life

12 leading causes of surface-water pollution in the U.S.

Pathogens, mercury, other metals, nutrients, sediment, oxygen depletion, pH changes, impaired biota, PCBs, temperature, turbidity, pesticides

Pollutants of poverty

sanitation-related bacteria, trash and litter in waterways

80% of the world’s wastewater is

released to the environment without treatment

Pollutants of growing prosperity

Chemicals and waste from industry; agricultural fertilizers and pesticides

The use of nitrogen as a fertilizer

Has increased by more than 700% since 1960 with nearly all of that growth occurring in Asia

Emerging pollutants

Micro-and Nano-plastics, pharmaceutical drugs

Microplastics have proliferated throughout the world’s freshwater sources

in surface water, groundwater, and even rainwater

Sources of groundwater pollution

Septic systems, landfills, and industrial activities on aquifer recharge zones leach contaminants into aquifers.

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is one of a group of related chemicals known as perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS). These are also called perfluorochemicals (PFCs).

This group of chemicals is commonly used in a wide range of industrial processes and is found in many consumer products.

‘Forever chemicals’

Found in Louisville Drinking Water

EPA to limit

‘forever chemicals’ in water

Fish with ‘forever chemicals’

are harmful to eat

EPA: 70M in US have PFAS-tainted water

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are a growing concern

High levels of ‘forever chemicals’ detected in Ohio River

McGarvey, citing spike in PFAS, requests EPA action

Louisville Water pulls the groundwater into treatment plant through a process

called Riverbank Filtration where sand and gravel in

the earth naturally filter the water.

Louisville Water constructed an underground

tunnel and well system to collect the water

from the aquifer.

In fact, Louisville Water is the

first utility in the world to combine a gravity

tunnel with wells as a source for drinking

water.

The tunnel is a mile-and-a-half long some

150-feet below the surface and parallel to the

Ohio River.

Above the tunnel, four wells collect

the filtered water then send the water to the

tunnel. An above ground pump station pulls

the water to the surface to the treatment plant.

Eighty percent of water bottles purchased in the U.S. end up in a landfill.

• It takes 3-5 times as much water to make the bottles as they hold.

• Making plastic bottles pollutes the air and water.

The global bottled water market is expected to grow at a rate of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030, reaching a value of USD 283.01 billion in 2021.

• 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day.

• Tap water is required to be tested

every hour for up to 25 different

chemicals and pathogens.

• Bottled water is not.

About 25% of bottled water is tap

water.

• A recent survey of bottled water in

China found two-thirds of the

samples had dangerous levels of

pathogens and toxins.

Less than 1 percent of fresh water, and less than .02 percent of all water

is fresh, liquid water on which terrestrial life depends.

By 2050, far more people could be facing water shortages

depending both on population projections and scenarios for water supplies, based on global warming and consumption patterns.

Water stress can be measured

as the ratio of water withdrawals to supply.

How to save water

Use the half flush reservoir of the toilet and fill the bathtub halfway

How to save water

Reduce time taken in the shower and repair leaks in the water systems

How to save water

Use filled sinks and use a glass of water when brushing your teeth