Introduction to Environmental Science 12:008/159:008 Spring 2002 pptx

Water Pollution• Pollutant – Any substance that does not belong in the natural system and disrupts the natural balance • Water Pollution – Degradation of water quality in a manner that

Water Pollution

1950’s-1970’s

• Organic flammable compounds were commonly disposed in rivers (sewer systems).

• 1960’ common children pastime was to set small fires on the water.

• 1968 Cuyahoga River, flowing

through Cleveland set on fire

destroying seven bridges

• Many areas of the Great Lakes

(rivers, channels, bays) heavily

polluted as the Cuyahoga.

LOVE CANAL (Niagara Falls, NY)

• Canal excavated in 1892

by W T Love for commercial purposes

Canal not completed.

• Served as a recreation

area after failure.

LOVE CANAL

(Niagara Falls, NY)

• 1930 - 1950’s Hooker Chemical (Occidental)

used ditch to dump chemical wastes in barrels

(over 80 different chemicals, 20,000 tons)

• 1953 Land sold to city for $1

• City develops area, builds schools and houses

around area, playgrounds over the site.

LOVE CANAL

• Winter 1976 - 77 Heavy rain/snow – vegetation dies, rubber disintegrates – dogs develop sores

– appearance of puddles of toxic or noxious substance, basement flooded – claims of miscarriages, birth defects, blood and liver abnormalities

– Beverly Paigen does systematic study, and find link between “wet” homes and the above

LOVE CANAL

• 1978 State identified

numerous toxic and

noxious chemicals

– benzene, dioxin,

dichloroethylene,

chloroform

• 1978 State identified

numerous toxic and

noxious chemicals

– benzene, dioxin,

dichloroethylene,

chloroform

LOVE CANAL

• Families (600)

demand state to relocate them (at state expense).

LOVE CANAL

• State and Federal

government buy and destroy over 200 homes.

• By 1990 $275 million spent

in cleanup

• Site lined with thick plastic and covered with impermeable clays Barriers to prevent groundwater movement built around site

• Contaminated soil and sediment removed and treated

• Area considered clean Homes back in the market

• Area being monitored permanently

LOVE CANAL - Remediation

• Life of container not known Integrity of containers

holding chemicals was compromised

• Bureaucracy lost track of site history

• Construction practices increased infiltration accelerated

problem

• Raised citizen awareness about hazardous waste

• Triggered or aided critical environmental legislation (superfund sites - CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act)

• Brought attention to the numerous potential problem sites and need for sound and safe waste management practices

• You can now buy a house there for a really cheap price ;)

Water Pollution

• Pollutant

– Any substance that does not belong in

the natural system and disrupts the

natural balance

• Water Pollution

– Degradation of water quality in a manner

that disrupts/prevents its intended or

original use

• Surface Water

• Groundwater

HAZARDOUS WASTE

1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

• A waste/combination of wastes, which b/c of its concentration, quantity, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may

1 Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness, or

2 Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

-HAZMAT

• Listed waste

(recognized as hazardous by prior legislation/testing.)

• Characteristic waste that exhibits one or more of

the following:

– FLAMABLE

– EXPLOSIVE

– IRRITANT OR SENSITIZER

– ACIDIC OR CAUSTIC

– TOXIC

• Mixture of nonhazardous and hazardous waste

• Not specifically excluded from regulation

(i.e if we don’t know we assume it to be hazardous).

TOXIC MATERIALS

• A material is said to be toxic if it is in one

of the following categories:

– Allergens and immune system depressants – Neurotoxins

– Mutagens – Teratogens – Carcinogens

• Ricin, a protein found in castor beans, is the most toxic substance known

Hazardous Substances

• Heavy Metals

(neurotoxins)

– Lead, Mercury, Arsenic,

Cadmium, Tin,

Chromium, Zinc,

Copper

•Arsenic

•Skin numbness, thickening,

discoloration, cancer

Hazardous Substances

• Non-biodegradable Synthetic and Natural Organic Chemicals

– Most troublesome are Halogenated Hydrocarbons Contain: Chlorine, Fluorine, Bromine, or Iodine Chlorinated

hydrocarbons most common

•Developmental problems due

to their ability to mimic Hormones, or disrupt metabolic pathways

Water pollution contaminant types

• Infectious agents

• Oxygen-demanding Wastes

• Plant nutrients and cultural

eutrophication

• Toxic tides

• Inorganic Pollutants

– Metals, nonmetallic salts, acids and

bases

• Organic Chemicals

• Sediment

• Thermal Pollution and thermal shocks

MCL and secondary MCL

• MCL=Maximum Contaminant Level

– The highest concentration of a pollutant

allowed in drinking water by law

– Concentration above which adverse

health affects are believed to occur

• Secondary MCL

– Concentration of a pollutant above which

the water is unpleasant in odor or taste

– May not be hazardous to your health at

that level

Hormesis

Threshold

Linear

Pollution Sources

• Point-source

– Smokestack /

industrial effluent

– Oil Tanker spill

• Non point source

– Atmospheric

deposition

– Farm field runoff

Surface Water

• Sustains numerous ecosystems that fulfill important roles in biogeochemical cycles and the water cycle

• Source (major?) of food.

• Major source of drinking water.

• Recreational/aesthetic value

Surface Water

• Photosynthetic organisms (light is

essential).

– Phytoplankton - microscopic,

floaters.

• green algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria

– Benthic Plants

• Submerged (plant fully under water)

– pond weed, muskgrass

• Emergent (plants partial above water)

– water lilies, cattails

Surface Water

• Non photosynthetic organism -consumers Includes floating, swimmers, benthic.

– Zooplankton - microscopic, floaters – Fish, Amphibians (froggies ), Reptiles (Crocs, Turtles, Snakes)

– Mollusks (snails, clams), Crustaceans (crayfish)

– Birds (ducks, geese, swans, etc.) – Mammals (otters, raccoons, muskrats …)

Essentials

• Light - essential for primary

producers.

• Oxygen - essential for all

consumers.

• Nutrients - in balanced quantities

to maintain equilibrium between populations.

Light

• Photic or Euphotic Zone

–Depth to which adequate light for photosynthesis can penetrate.

–Controlled by amount of particulate matter (sediment, plankton, and organic debris) in the water column.

• Dissolved Oxygen – DO

– Amount of oxygen available in the water

– Oxygen in water maintained by

• exchange with the atmosphere

• Production of oxygen by photosynthetic organisms

(vegetation)

• Circulation of water (essential to maintain oxygen

levels in deeper portions)

– Oxygen consumed by decaying organic

matter and oxygen breathing organism

BOD

• Biochemical Oxygen Demand

–Measure of the amount of oxygen required for the aerobic degradation

of organic and non-organic compounds in the water.

–Highly polluted waters have very high BOD implying that oxygen is consumed rapidly.

Note: this diagram is specifically for a point source on a stream

Nutrients

• Supplied by

–Recycled internally through

decay of the organic matter.

–Sediments and particulate

matter from land sources.

Oligotrophic Condition

• Under normal conditions (pre-anthropogenic perturbation) most surface water are:

1 low in nutrients (particularly phosphorous and nitrogen)

2 well oxygenated

3 have few particulates in the water column

Pollution Effects

• Excess suspended sediments and

particulate matter, and nutrient rich

runoff (rich in phosphorous and

nitrogen) upset balance of surface

water.

• Suspended sediments and particulate

matter cutoff light to benthic

photosynthetic plants and diminish

oxygen production at depth.

Pollution Effects

• Excess nutrients in runoff and incoming water stimulates high production of plankton Turbidity of water increases further decreasing light penetration Benthic plants die and epiphytic algae are the only bottom plant.

• Plankton productivity results in excess accumulation of organic matter at the bottom.

Pollution Effects

• Oxygen is not replenished and

oxygen breathing organism die off.

• Excess organic matter in the bottom

causes bacteria population to

increase further limiting oxygen

availability.

• Water is only capable of sustaining

phytoplankton/algae, bacteria and few

organism which do not require

oxygen or light.

Eutrophic Condition

• Caused by the excess nutrient and sediments (sequence of event outlined

in prior slides).

• Major cause is the use of fertilizers, excess erosion from farmland or nutrient rich soils (deforestation), and disposal of phosphate bearing

compounds (many detergents) through sewer systems.

Chemical impact

Ecological impact

Indirect effect

Direct

effect

Pollutant

DO falls BOD rises

Kills benthic plants and algae decays

Blocks light to the bottom

Causes

algae to

bloom

Nutrients

DO falls BOD rises

Less photosynthesis and more decay of organic material

Kills benthic plants

Blocks

light to

the

bottom

Sediment

Eutrophication in a nutshell

Reducing Eutrophication

• Reduce nutrients and sediments

• Chemical Treatment

• Aeration

• Harvesting plants

• Dredging

Sediment Pollution

• Sediment carried at bottom of rivers

(bedload) and deposited in bottom of

water bodies greatly modify bottom

characteristics.

• High bedloads or high sedimentation

rates prevent a diverse bottom dwelling

fauna and flora.

• Sediment pollution is the major

environmental problem in rivers and

lakes.

Acid Mine Drainage

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Battery acid Lemonjuice

Vinegar Cola

Normal rain Distilledwater Bakingsoda Ammonia Bleach

Largest variety of animals (trout, mayfly nymphs, Stonefly nymphs, caddisfly larvae)

Snails, clams, mussels

Bass, bluegill, crappie Carp, suckers, catfish, some instects

Bacteria

pH tolerance of various organisms

Water Color

• Clear may or may not be of high quality, but other colors may indicate certain conditions

• Brown usually due to eroded soil

• Green often indicates lots of algae

• Oily Sheen can be caused by petroleum or chemical pollution

• Reddish or orange usually due to iron oxides often in areas of historic acid mine drainage

• Blackish may look bad, but is common in the fall with leaf fall Leached pigments from leaf packs can make the water look murky

• Chalky usually caused by salts or detergents in the water

Ocean pollutants

• Toxins

–PCB’s and heavy metals

–Petroleum

• Sewage

• Solid waste

• Sediment

Valdez

Groundwater pollutant types

• Aqueous dissolved pollutants

• DNAPL

– Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid

• LNAPL

– Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid

Environmental Legislation

• Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)- 1965

Regulate municipal waste, protect health, reduce waste

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

of 1969 Creates NEQ council, and later EPA

• Ports and Waterways Safety Act (1972)

• Clean Water Act (1985 Amendment to SDWA).

Environmental Legislation

• Occupational Safety and Health Act

(OSHA) - 1970 Protection of health

and safety of employees in the

workplace.

• Clean Air Act (CAA) - 1963 (amended in

70, 77, 90).

• Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

-1974, amended in 1986 Sets MCL’s

(Maximum Contaminant Level)

Environmental Legislation

• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) - 1980 Superfund.

• Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) - 1986.