kamsc webquest water pollution

surface water

includes lakes and rivers, water found on the surface

groundwater

water found underground

aquifer

an underground layer of sand, gravel, or rock that is saturated with groundwater - wells are drilled into it

VOCs, PFAs, lead

Local groundwater pollutants (3)

air stripping

forcing a stream of air into contaminated water in order to remove the pollutants

watershed

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

paper mill industry

source of PCBs in the kalamzoo river

point source pollution

when the source of pollution is known

non point source pollution

when the source of pollution is not known

superfund site

contaminated sites that the government determines as unsafe and in need of cleaning

confined aquifer

impermeable rock on top, usually deeper underground and water in it is under more pressure

unconfined aquifer

water seeps in from the ground surface directly above the aquifer

PFAs

chemicals that have been linked to things like cancer, have been found in the kalamazoo river

PCBs

fluid in carbonless copy paper that was disposed into the kalamzoo river by paper mill industries in the 1950s-1970s

kalamazoo river water spill

july of 2010, talmadge creek, caused by enbridge energy partners and was due to a ruptured pipeline cleaning efforts were put in place by local and federal governments

wellfeild

the area around a well

chlorine, flouride, polyphosphate

kalamzoo city water additives