4/9/2012

HomeworkforNextWeek
http://www.miamidade.gov/wasd/
GototheMiamiDadeWater&SewerDepartment websiteaboveandreadasmuchofthesiteas possible Forextrahomeworkcredit(1pointaddedtothefinal homeworkgrade)PreparetoaskaMiamiDade Water&SewerDepartmentEmployeeaquestion eitherinclassoronthefieldtrip.

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
Point Sources of Pollution come from a single source SepticTanksandCesspoolsthesearedesigned tocollectdomesticwastewater
insubsurface holding tanksabovethewatertable.Mostlyfromhousehold usebut commonlyacontaminant sourceofnitratesandcoliform.Cleaning ofseptictanks hasproduced theintroduction ofTCE,benzene andmethylene chloride into groundwater.

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
Point Sources of Pollution come from a single source WasteInjectionWells designed toinjectwastesbelowthesubsurface,
including hazardous wastes,brinesfromoilwells,agricultural andurban runoff, municipal sewage,etc.Currently usedinMiamiDade countyinaprocesscalled deepwellinjectionwheretreatedmunicipal sewageisinjected intotheFlorida Aquiferatdepthsofabout3000feetbelowthegroundsurface.

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
Point Sources of Pollution come from a single source

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
Point Sources of Pollution come from a single source Landfills historicallyheldnotonlyhouseholdtrashbutindustrialwasteas well.Themajorproblemwithlandfillswastheleachate producedfrom liquidsdisposedinthelandfillaswellasfromrainwaterinfiltratedthe landfill.Theleachate wouldleavethelandfillandcontaminatethe underlyinggroundwater. Landfillsarenowrequiredtobelined,andinsomeplacesdoublelined, withleachate collectionsystems.Furthermore,hazardouswastematerials arenolongerallowedinlandfillsunderRCRA,butmustbetreatedfirst andthendisposedwhennolongerconsideredtobehazardous.

Landapplication oftreatedoruntreatedmunicipalandindustrial
wastewaterisappliedtothelandinanefforttoallowthesoiland microorganismstobreakdowntheorganicmatterinthewastewater. Wastewaterfromindustrialprocessesisoftenkeptinlargestorageponds wherethewatereitherevaporatesorinfiltratesintothegroundleavinga sludgeresiduewhichisthenappliedtotheground(mostcommonlyused ongolfcourses)asafertilizer fertili erorbroughttoalandfill landfill.

South Dade Landfill

4/9/2012

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
Point Sources of Pollution come from a single source UndergroundStorageTanks approximately2.5millionunderground storagetanksexistintheUSforstorageoffueloil,gasoline,andother products.Tanksleakthroughholesinthetanks,butmostlyfromthe associatedpiping.Mosttanksareforholdinggasoline,butmany homeownershavehomeheatingfueltanksaswell.

SourcesofGroundwaterContamination
MiningOperations acidminedrainage(themostprevalent) alkalineminedrainage(thistypicallyoccurswhen calciteordolomiteispresent) metalminedrainage(highlevelsofleadorother metalsdrainfromtheseabandonedmines)

Unregulateddisposalofhazardouswastes(illegal underRCRA) burieddrums,dischargeofwastes intosewers,leakingpipelines.

NonPointSourcesofPollution
Unlikepollutionfromspecificknownareasofdischarge,nonpointsource (NPS)pollutioncomesfrommanydiffusesourcesusuallylandapplications thatbecomemobilizedwithrainfall,runoffintolakes,wetlandsorother surfacewaterbodiesorinfiltratesintothegroundwater. Nonpointsourcepollutioncaninclude: Excessfertilizers,herbicidesandinsecticidesfromagriculturallandsand residentialareas Oil,greaseandtoxicchemicalsfromurbanrunoffandenergyproduction Saltfromroadways Bacteriaandnutrientsfromlivestock,petwastesandfaultysepticsystems Atmosphericdeposition(e.g.mercuryintheEverglades)

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund.
Superfund, was the first comprehensive Federal law designed specifically to deal with the dangers of the nation's abandoned and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. This gave the federal government power in identifying sites harmful to the public and the environment and to force the cleanup of such sites. There is federal money set aside to remediate such sites with the understanding that the parties responsible for the contamination would o ld pay pa the federal go government ernment back three times what the federal government paid for the project.
As part of Superfund, the EPA classifies sites on a National Priorities List (NPL). Over 1200 sites have been included on the NPL since 1980. There are currently 50 sites in Florida with 13 in Miami-Dade County. Most of these are old chemical companies, but also include a landfill and Homestead Airforce Base. Another important act of Congress was the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976. This act mandated the end of unregulated disposal of hazardous wastes.

SouthFloridaNPLSites (NationalPriorityList)