Water Pollution

point source
non-point source

Point versus non-point

point source pollution

discharge from factories, sewage treatment

plants, mines, power plants
easy to identify, monitor, regulate
we have done a good job controlling, and has
resulted in much improved water quality
(National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System, NPDES)

non-point source

agricultural runoff, storm-water, atmospheric

deposition
broadly scattered, difficult to regulate and
control

Water Pollutants
organic wastes
pathogens
chemical pollutants (metals,
mercury)/ oil
sediments
nutrients
hormone disruptors and drugs

Organic Wastes
known as oxygen demanding wastes
most are biodegradable, but dissolved
O2 used up
measure as BOD, biochemical oxygen
demand (typically 5 day)
raw sewage, paper mill discharge,
food waste, dead animals

Dissolved oxygen versus

temperature

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

amount of oxygen required for
biochemical decomposition process
microbial decomposition

depletes stream O2 concentrations

three zones
pollution zone
active decomposition zone
recovery zone

Organic Waste Added to Stream

Pathogens
outbreaks of waterborne diseases
Milwaukee, WI

Cryptosporidium in 1993, (400,000 people)

Fecal Coliform bacteria (E. coli)

standard measure, indicates fecal material is

present
these bacteria usually harmless
Walkerton, ON example of where cow
manure got into drinking water (5 died, many
more sick)

Sediments
still a major problem despite 75 years of
programs
important water quality problem in Illinois
bare soil and intense rainfall leads to
erosion, and sediments entering streams
smothers organisms
adds oxygen demand
leads to poor aquatic habitats

turbidity

Embarras River - Camargo

Nutrients
eutrophication

enrichment of aquatic system nutrients

leading to growth of plant and
phytoplankton (algal blooms, periphyton,
blue-green algae)

cultural eutrophication

when eutrophication is accelerated by

human processes that add nutrients to a
body of water

Lake
Eutrophication

US EPA TMDLs
EPA want states to address non-point
source pollution
total maximum daily loads - largest amount
of a nutrient a stream can receive without
causing degradation
focused on nitrogen and phosphorus
P usually limiting nutrient to algal growth in
freshwaters
most degradation in US now thought to be
nutrients from agriculture

Nutrient Standards
all states being required to develop, including
Illinois
must show that nutrients cause problems for
aquatic life
in Illinois concentration high nearly everywhere
habitat problems (sediments)
how to demonstrate?

sewage treatment plants versus agriculture

Copper Slough

Sangamon River Fisher

North Fork Salt Creek

Big Ditch Outlet

Jordan Creek

North Fork Vermilion

Common Substrate Study

Phosphorus in detergents
used to be present in all detergents
many states banned in 1970s to 1980s
in hand dish detergent, laundry detergents
still no nationwide ban, but not in any. Why?

was still present in ADDs until July 2010

automatic dishwasher detergents
16 states banned phosphate recently in ADDs
were 3 to 8% P, now < 0.5%

Hormone Disruptors and Drugs

estrogens
phthalates (plasticizers)
Endocrine disruptors?

caffeine to ibuprofen
typically from sewage effluent
now at low concentrations in most
large rivers
long-term exposure effects?

From Kolpin et al.

(2002)
Environmental
Science &
Technology
36:1202-1211

Cited >3100 times

already

Groundwater Pollution
often long-term problem
chemicals/pollutants can
accumulate/move over many years,
difficult to remove
bioremediation one approach
utilizes microorganisms in the ground to
consume or break down pollutants

Water Pollution Today

much better than before Clean Water
Act of 1972
still problems with nutrients and many
new chemicals
easy problems fixed (point sources),
non-point more difficult
sewage treatment has helped
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