Water Pollution - Week 10

Point Source: Mineral Processing Plant

Water Pollution: Any chemical, biological, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired use.

Point Source: Specific location (e.g., Factory or drain pipe)

Non-point Source: No single site of discharge (e.g., Roads, lawns, run-off)

• Electricity production can produce radioactive substances, thermal pollution, and inorganic chemicals

• Agriculture can lead to sediment pollution, inorganic plant and algal nutrients, organic and inorganic compounds

Eutrophication:

• Nutrient(mainly nitrate and phosphate) enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary or slow moving stream

  • Cultural eutrophication: Amplified/affected by humans

Increase:

• Nutrients

• Sediment

• Aquatic plant growth

Decrease:

• Oxygen

• Lake depth

• Species diverstiy

Harmful Algal Blooms(HAB): Exponential growth of harmful algae fed by nutrients in sewage and agricultural runoff

• Dilution and decay of degradable, oxygen demanding wastes(and heat)

Pollution of groundwater

• Contaminated with chemicals, more difficult to dilute and disperse pollutants

  • Drinking water for ~50% of the U.S. population and 95% of rural population

• Can take hundreds to thousands of years for degradable wastes in g.w. to break down

  • Non-degradable wastes(toxic lead, arsenic, fluoride) do not break down

  • Rate of degradation can vary