Botkin & Keller: Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet- 8th Ed.

APES- Chapter #19- Water Pollution and Treatment- Guided Reading Name: ______Chau Vu_________________________ Learning Objectives: Degradation of our surface-water and groundwater resources is a serious problem. After reading this chapter, you should understand the following: * What constitutes water pollution and what the major categories of pollution are * Why the lack of disease-free drinking water is the primary water-pollution problem in many locations around the world * How point and non-point sources of water pollution differ * What biochemical oxygen demand is, and why it is important * What eutrophication is, why it is an ecosystem effect, and how human activity causes it * Why sediment pollution is a serious problem * What acid mine drainage is, and why it is a problem * How urban processes can cause shallow-aquifer pollution * What the various methods of wastewater treatment are, and why some are environmentally preferable to others * Which environmental laws protect water resources and ecosystems Read: Case Study: Americas First River: A Success Story Summarize the story of the Hudson River and PCBs: In 1929, the Monsanto Corporation began manufacturing an amber oily fluid formed of two bound carbon rings bristling with chlorine atoms. The new fluid was called polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB. Its chemistry is similar to other members of the organ chlorine family, such as dioxins and furans, among the most potent toxins known. Soon, the General Electric Corporation was heavily invested in a line of products based on PCBs. Since then, over one million pounds of PCBs have been discharged into the Hudson River. G.E. maintains that these discharges were legal. Water Pollution 1: How is water pollution defined? -> Water pollution refers to degradation of water quality. In defining pollution, we generally look at the intended use of the water, how far the water departs from the norm, its effects on public health, or its ecological impacts. 2: What are some of the common water pollutants?

-> Water pollutants include heavy metals, sediment, certain radioactive isotopes, heat, fecal coliform bacteria, phosphorus, nitrogen, sodium, and other useful (even necessary) elements, as well as certain pathogenic bacteria and viruses. 3: What is the primary water pollution problem in the world today? -> Today, the worlds primary water-pollution problem is a lack of clean, disease-free drinking water. 4: How many people are exposed to waterborne diseases worldwide? -> Every year, several billion people are exposed to waterborne diseases. 5: Name 3 sources of Surface Water and 3 sources of Groundwater Pollution from the chart (19.1) -> Surface water: Urban runoff (oil, chemicals, organic matter, etc.), Agricultural runoff (oil, metals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.), and Accidental spills of chemicals including oil. -> Ground Water: Leaks from waste-disposal sites, Leaks from buried tanks and pipes, seepage from agricultural activities. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) 1: What is BOD and what are some sources of it? -> The amount of oxygen required for biochemical decomposition processes is called the biological or biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). BOD is commonly used in water-quality management. 2: Where does approximately 33% of all BOD in streams come from? -> Agricultural activities. 3: What about in urban areas (BOD)? -> Urban areas, particularly those with older, combined sewer systems (in which storm water runoff and urban sewage share the same line), also considerably increase BOD in streams. 4: What is the relationship between BOD and dissolved oxygen levels? (What happens when BOD is high?) -> When BOD is high, as suggested earlier, the dissolved oxygen content of the water may become too low to support life in the water 5: Explain the 3 zones of BOD: * Pollution Zone: where a high BOD exists. As waste decomposes, microorganisms use the oxygen, decreasing the dissolved oxygen content of the water. * Active Decomposition Zone: where the dissolved oxygen reaches a minimum owing to rapid biochemical decomposition y microorganisms as the organic waste is transported downstream. * Recovery Zone: Where dissolved oxygen increases and BOD is reduced because most of the oxygen demanding organic waste from the input of sewage has

decomposed and natural stream processes are replenishing the waters dissolved oxygen. For example, in quickly moving water, the water at the surface mixes with air, and oxygen enters the water. Waterborne Disease 1: What is Fecal Coliform Bacteria and where does it come from? -> Because it is difficult to monitor disease-carrying organisms directly, we use the count fecal coliform bacteria as a standard measure and indicator of disease potential. Nutrients 1: How do urban streams get high concentrations of Nitrogen and Phosphorus? -> Because of fertilizers, detergents, and products of sewage treatment plants. Eutrophication 1: Define Eutrophication: the process by which a body of water develops a high concentration of nutrients, such as nutrients and phosphorus (in the form of nitrates and phosphates). 2: What is the solution to artificial or cultural eutrophication? -> The solution to artificial eutrophication is fairly straightforward and involves ensuring that high concentrations of nutrients from human sources do not enter lakes and other bodies of water. This can be accomplished by using phosphate-free detergents, controlling nitrogen-rich runoff from agricultural and urban lands, disposing of or reusing treated wastewater, and using more advanced water treatment methods, such as special filters and chemical treatments that remove more of the nutrients. A Closer Look 19.2: Cultural Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico What is a dead zone and how is it created? -> "Dead zone" is a more common term for hypoxia, which refers to a reduced level of oxygen in the water. Less oxygen dissolved in the water is often referred to as a dead zone because most marine life either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts. Hypoxic zones can occur naturally, but scientists are concerned about the areas created or enhanced by human activity. There are many physical, chemical, and biological factors that combine to create dead zones, but nutrient pollution is the primary cause of those zones created by humans. Excess nutrients that run off land or are piped as wastewater into rivers and coasts can stimulate an overgrowth of algae, which then sinks and decomposes in the water. The decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life. Dead zones occur in many areas of the country, particularly along the East Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, but there is no part of the country or the world that is immune. The second largest dead zone in the world is located in the U.S., in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Oil

1: Which Environmental Act was created after the Exxon Valdez disaster? -> The Oil Pollution Act was created. Sediment 1: Why is sediment pollution considered to be a two-fold problem? -> Because it results from erosion, which depletes a land resource (soil) at its site of origin, and it reduces the quality of the water resource it enters. 2: What are some of the techniques employed by a sediment control program? -> Techniques employed by a sediment control programs is to minimize on-site erosion control. Acid Mine Drainage 1: Define Acid Mine Drainage and explain how it occurs: water with a high concentration of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that drains from mines- mostly coal mines but also metal mines (copper, lead, and zinc). 2: What is the general equation for acid mine drainage? -> 4FeS2 + 15O2 + 14H2O 4Fe(OH)3 + 8H2SO4 3: What site was once designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the nations worst hazardous waste site? -> Tar Creek in Oklahoma was once designated by the EPA as nation's worst hazardous waste site. Surface Water Pollution 1: What are some point sources of surface water pollution? -> Pipes from industrial and municipal sites that empty into streams or rivers. 2: What are some non-point sources of surface water pollution? -> Runoff, land use, climate, hydrology, topography, native vegetation, and geology. 3: What are the 2 approaches to dealing with surface water pollution? -> To reduce the sources and to treat the water to remove pollutants or convert them to forms that can be disposed of safety. Groundwater Pollution 1: ___75____% of the 175,000 known waste disposal sites in the United States may be producing plumes of hazardous chemicals that are migrating into groundwater resources. 2: What is bioremediation? -> A method of treating groundwater pollution problems that utilizes microorganisms in the ground to consume or break down pollutant.

3: What are the 5 important points about groundwater pollution? -> 5 important points about groundwater pollution are: Pollutants are lighter than water, so they float Pollutants have multiple phases: liquid, vapor and dissolved Pollutants are heavier than water and sink to the ground Method used to treat water pollutant must take into account the physical and chemical properties of the pollutants Emphasis of environmental damage should be on preventing pollutants from entering the groundwater in the first place 4: What is saltwater intrusion of well water? -> Saltwater intrusion is where subsurface salty water migrates to wells being pumped. Wastewater Treatment 1: Summarize how Septic Tank Sewage Disposal Systems work. -> Sewer line from house leads to underground septic tank. The tank separates solids from liquids and store organic matter through a period of detention. It allows all clean water to discharge into the drain field from a piping system where sewage seeps into the surrounding soil. Wastewater moves through soil, is further treated by natural processes of oxidation and filtering. 2: What happens during primary treatment of sewage? -> In primary treatment, sewage enters municipal sewer line and passes through a series of screens to remove large floating organic material. It enters a girt chamber and goes through a primary sedimentation tank where matter forms sludge. It is removed and transported to a digester. 3: What happens during secondary treatment of sewage? -> Wastewater from primary sedimentation tanks enters aeration tank, where it is mixed with air. The sludge consumes BOD in the waste. 4: When is advanced wastewater treatment used? -> When it is particularly important to maintain good water quality. 5: What are some of the risks associated with Chlorine treatment of wastewater that is later discharged? -> There are risks of cancer and other health effects. The degree of risk is controversial and is being debated. Land Application of Wastewater 1: Explain the process of wastewater renovation and conservation cycle. -> When wastewater moves through gardens which is eventually discharged into the environment. Wastewater and Wetlands 1: How can applying treated sewage to wetlands be helpful to the wetland ecosystem?

-> Wetlands can be effective in treating municipal wastewater, storm water runoff, industrial wastewater, agricultural wastewater, mining waters and groundwater seeping from landfills. Water Reuse 1: What is the difference between indirect and direct water reuse? -> Indirect water reuse is a planned endeavor. Direct water reuse refers to use of treated wastewater that is piped directly from a treatment plant to the next user. Environmental Laws Make sure to memorize the following laws: Clean Water Act Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Water Quality Act Read, Is Water Pollution from Pig Farms Unavoidable and answer the following: 1: Why was pig farming such a controversy in North Carolina during this time? -> Because after the flood, the carcasses rot and the bacteria would leak into groundwater and surface water. 2: What did pig farmers do with the pig waste? Why was this allowed? -> Pig farmers put the pig waste in a pit, it was allowed because there wasn't enough incinerators to burn carcasses. 3: What is the lesson learned from North Carolinas Bay of Pigs? -> We are vulnerable to environmental catastrophes caused by large-scale industrial culture. 4: What legislation has been created as a result of this catastrophe? -> The legislation created was to ban construction or expansion of new waste lagoons and encouraged pig farms to treat pig waste. Study Questions: 1: Do you think outbreaks of waterborne diseases will be more common or less common in the future? Why? Where are outbreaks most likely to occur? -> I think outbreaks of waterborne disease will be less common because there would be better technology in the future to treat the water. It most likely occurs in third countries. 2: How does water that drains from coalmines become contaminated with sulfuric acid? Why is this an important environmental problem?

-> Water that drains from coal mines become contaminated with sulfuric acid by water mixed with coal runoff. This is an important environmental problem because if adds on to eutrophication. 3: Do you think our water supply is vulnerable to terrorist attacks? Why? Why not? How could potential threats be minimized? -> Yes, because water is something that is used by everyone, so if terrorists aim for water, it can harm all the people. 4: How would you design a system to capture runoff where you live before it enters a storm drain? -> I would use a system that filters out the heavy metals, pollutants and toxins. I would also use chlorine to get rid of the pathogens that are responsible for outbreaks and plants that would get rid of the rest of the bacteria and pollutants.