AR151

/ BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 5 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

WATER POLLUTION

Womens and Childrens Issue - responsible for finding and carrying

daily supplies of water
National and Global Security Issue access limited water resources
that they share
Global Health Issue access to water
Economic Issue vital for reducing poverty and producing food and
energy

MOST OF THE EARTHS FRESHWATER IS NOT AVAILABLE TO US

Only a tiny fraction of the planets abundant water supply 0.024%

as liquid freshwater in groundwater deposits and in lakes, rivers,

and streams
salty oceans, In frozen polar ice caps and glaciers, or in deep
underground and inaccessible locations.

HYDROGENIC CYCLE the movement of water in the seas, in the air, and on
land, which is driver by solar energy and gravity
WE GET FRESHWATER FROM GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER
Some precipitation infiltrates the ground and percolates downward through
spaces in soil, gravel, and rock until an impenetrable layer of rock stops it.
The water in these spaces is called GROUNDWATER.

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

WATER TABLE the top of this groundwater zone

*this rises when rainy season, overflows depending rain
Deeper down are geological layers called AQUIFERS: underground caverns
and porous layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock through which groundwater
flows
NATURAL RECHARGE a process where most aquifers are replenished
naturally by precipitation that percolates downward through soil and rock
LATERAL RECHARGE by the nearby streams or rivers, recharged from the
side
*because of so much withdrawal of water, urban developments, recharge is
slow
SURFACE WATER the freshwater from precipitation and snowmelt that
flows across the earths land surface and into lakes, wetlands, streams,
rivers, estuaries, and ultimately to the oceans
SURFACE RUNOFF precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or
return to the atmosphere by evaporation
WATERSHED, or DRAINAGE BASIN the land from which surface water
drains into a particular river, lakes, wetland, or other body of water
Ex: Colorado River drainage basin

*we can consider this as one of the key component of earths natural capital

AQUIFER the earths water found underground ain soil or under rock
structures

The spaces in soil and rock close to the earths surface hold little moisture.
Below a certain depth, in the ZONE OF SATURATION, these spaces are
completely filled with water.

GROUNDWATER POLLUTION is often caused by pesticide contamination

from the soil, this can infect our drinking water and cause huge problems

Groundwater pollution <diagram>

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 5 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

WATER SHORTAGES WILL GROW

LARGE DAMS AND RESERVOIRS HAVE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Main factors that cause water scarcity:

LARGE DAMS structure built across rivers to block some of the flow of
water

dry climate
drought
too many people using a water supply more quickly than it can be
replenished
wasteful use of water

*some say by 2050, many Asian countries will suffer water scarcity and
other than that severe consequences from global warming/climate change
SEVERAL WAYS TO INCREASE FRESHWATER SUPPLIES

provide more water by reducing unnecessary waste of water

Increase water supplies in water-short areas, mostly by withdrawing
groundwater
building dams and reservoirs to stone runoff in rivers for release as
needed
transporting surface water from one area to another
converting saltwater to freshwater (desalination)

RESERVOIRS stores of water collected behind the dams

Main goal of a dam and reservoir system: to capture and store runoff and
release it as needed to control floods, generate electricity (hydroelectricity),
and supply water for irrigation and for towns and cities
Reservoirs provide recreational activities such as swimming, fishing, and
boating
CASE STUDY: THE ARAL SEA DISASTER: A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
The shrinking of the Aral Sea is the result of a large-scale water transfer
project in an area of the former Soviet Union with the driest climate in
central Asia
REMOVING SALT FROM SEAWATER IS COSTLY, KILLS MARINE ORGANISMS,
AND PRODUCES BRINY WASTERWATER

WATER TABLES FALL WHEN GROUNDWATER IS WITHDRAWN FASTER

THAN IT IS REPLENISHED

DESALINATION involves removing dissolved salts from ocean water or grom

brackish (slightly salty) water in aquifers or lakes for domestic use

Groundwater overdrafts near coastal areas, where many of the worlds

largest cities and industrial areas are found, can contaminate groundwater
supplies by pulling saltwater into freshwater aquifers

It is another way to increase supplies of freshwater

The two most widely used methods of desalinating water

DISTILLATION involves heating saltwater until it evaporates (leaving
behind sales in solid form) and condenses as freshwater
REVERSE OSMOSIS (or microfiltration) uses high pressure to force
saltwater through a membrane filter with pores small enough to
remove the salt

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 5 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE USE OF DESALINATION

1. high cost
2. pumping large volumes of seawater through pipes and using chemicals
(which kills algae growth and many marine organisms and also requires
a large input of energy to run the pumps)
3. desalination (improper disposal)
WATER POLLUTION COMES FROM POINT AND NONPOINT SOURCES
WATER POLLUTION is any change in water quality that harms humans or
other living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses

POINT SOURCES discharge pollutants at specific location through drain

pipes ditches, or sewer lines into bodies of surface water
NONPOINT SOURCES are broad, diffuse areas, rather than points, from
which pollutants enter bodies of surface water or air

CAUSES:
1. AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES leading cause of water pollution.
Sediment eroded from agricultural lands
Fertilizers and pesticides, bacteria from livestock and food
processing wastes, and excess salt from soils of irrigated cropland

2. INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES emit a variety of harmful inorganic and
organic chemicals

3. MINING surface mining disturbs the land by creating major erosion of
sediments and run off of toxic chemicals

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO

STREAMS CAN CLEANSE THEMSELVES OF SOME WASTES, IF WE DO NOT

OVERLOAD THEM
The breakdown of biodegradable wastes by bacteria depletes dissolved
oxygen and creates a OXYGEN SAG CURVE
GROUNDWATER CANNOT CLEANSE ITSELF VERY WELL
When groundwater becomes contaminated, it cannot cleanse itself of
degradable wastes as quickly as flowing surface water does for it flows so
slowly that contaminants are not diluted and dispersed effectively.
POLLUTION PREVENTION IS THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WAY TO PROTECT
GROUNDWATER
Preventing contamination is the least expensive and most effective way to
protect groundwater resources
WAYS TO PURIFY DRINKING WATER

Developed countries usually stored in a reservoir for several days

Cities protecting watersheds that supply their drinking water
Tropical countries lack centralized water treatment systems, purify
drinking water by exposing a clear plastic bottle filled with
contaminated water to intense sunlight

OCEAN POLLUTION IS A GRWING AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD PROBLEM

Municipal sewage from most coastal developing countries and in some

coastal developed countries is dumped into oceans without treatment
One of the worst pollutants of ocean water is oil

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 5 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO


SUSTAINABLE WAYS TO REDUCE AND PREVENT WATER POLLUTION
OCEAN POLLUTJON FROM OIL
How can we avoid producing water pollutants in the first place
Prevent groundwater contamination
CRUDE PETROLEUM (oil as it comes out of the ground)
Reduce nonpoint source runoff
REFINED PETROLEUM (fuel oil, gasoline, and other processed petroleum
Reused treated wastewater for irrigation
products)
Find substitutes for toxic pollutants
Work with nature to treat sewage
The largest source of ocean oil pollution is urban and industrial runoff from
Practice the three r of resources use, reduce reuse recycle
land, (leaks in pipelines and oil-handling facilities)
Reduce air pollution
REDUCING SURFACE WATER POLLUTION FROM NONPOINT SOURCES
Reduce poverty
Slow population growth
WAYS TO REDUCE NONPOINT-SOURCE WATER POLLUTION

Actions you can take to help prevent and reduce water pollution
Farmers can reduce soil erosion by:

keeping cropland covered with vegetation
Reducing water pollution
reduce the amount of fertilizer using slow released fertilizers & planting
Fertilize garden and yard plants with manure or compost instead of
buffer zones of vegetation
commercial inorganic fertilizer
organic farming prevent water pollution caused by nutrient overload
Minimize your use of pesticides, esp. near bodies of water
applying pesticides when need and relying more on integrated pest
Prevent yard wastes from entering storm drains
management
Do not use water fresheners in toilets
farmers can control runoff and infiltration of manure from animal
Do not flush unwanted medicines down the toilet
feedlots
Do not pour pesticides, paints, solvents, oil, antifreeze, or other products
planting buffers and locating feedlots and animal waste sites away from
containing harmful chemicals down the drain or onto the ground
steeply sloped land, surface water, and flood zones


WE CAN USE WATER MORE SUSTAINABLY
SEWAGE TREATMENT REDUCES WATER POLLUTION
Cutting water waste
Sewage from each house usually is discharged into a septic tank with a large
raising water prices
drainage field
slowing population growth; and
Household sewage and wastewater is pumped into a settling tank,
protecting aquifers, forests and other ecosystems that store and
where grease and oil rise to the top and solids fall to the bottom and are
release water
decomposed by bacteria

AR151 / BR3 SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY LECTURE 5 SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Reducing Water Pollution
Preventing it
working with nature (treating sewage)
cutting resource use and waste
reducing poverty; and,
slowing population growth


Next meeting:
after this topic expect Quiz 3
before that Report Group 1 & 2 next meeting
if group report finish early and have time, we will take quiz 3 same
day

ARCH. SHEILA V. ELARDO