Introduction to Environmental Science 12:008/159:008

Spring 2002

Ohio
1950s-1970s

Water Pollution

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)

1930 - 1950s 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.

Organic flammable compounds were

commonly disposed in rivers (sewer
systems).
1960 common children pastime was to
set small fires on the water.

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
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
wet homes and
the above

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LOVE CANAL

LOVE CANAL

1978 State identified

numerous toxic and
noxious chemicals
benzene, dioxin,
dichloroethylene,
chloroform

Families (600)
demand state to
relocate them (at
state expense).

LOVE CANAL

LOVE CANAL - Remediation

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.

State and Federal

government buy and
destroy over 200 homes.
By 1990 $275 million spent
in cleanup

LOVE CANAL - What went wrong?

Life of container not known. Integrity of containers
holding chemicals was compromised
Bureaucracy lost track of site history.
Construction practices increased infiltration accelerated
problem.

Love Canal - Benefits

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 ;)

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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 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 dont know we assume it to be hazardous).

Hazardous Substances
Heavy Metals
(neurotoxins)
Lead, Mercury,
Mercury Arsenic,
Arsenic
Cadmium, Tin,
Chromium, Zinc,
Copper

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.

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
Non-biodegradable Synthetic and
Natural Organic Chemicals
Most troublesome are Halogenated
Hydrocarbons. Contain: Chlorine, Fluorine,
Bromine, or Iodine. Chlorinated
hydrocarbons most common.

Arsenic
Skin numbness, thickening,
discoloration, cancer

Developmental problems due

to their ability to mimic
Hormones, or disrupt
metabolic pathways.

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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

Threshold

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

Linear

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

Pollution Sources
Point-source
Smokestack /
industrial effluent
Oil Tanker spill

Non point source

Atmospheric
deposition
Farm field runoff

Hormesis

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

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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.

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Oxygen
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 (preanthropogenic perturbation)
most surface water are:
1. low in nutrients (particularly
phosphorous and nitrogen)
2. well oxygenated
3. have few particulates in the
water column

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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
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.

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.

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.

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Eutrophication in a nutshell
Pollutant

Direct
effect

Blocks
light to
Sediment the
bottom

Nutrients

Chemical
impact

Indirect
effect

Ecological
impact

Kills
benthic
plants

Less
DO falls
photosynthesis BOD
and more
rises
decay of
organic material

Causes Blocks
algae to light to
bloom
the
bottom

Kills benthic
plants and
algae decays

DO falls
BOD
rises

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.

Aggradation

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Acid Mine Drainage

Battery Lemon Vinegar

juice
Cola
acid
0
1
2
3
4

Normal
rain
5

Distilled Baking
water
soda
6

Ammonia
Bleach
10

11

12

13

14

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

pH tolerance of
various organisms

Snails, clams, mussels

Largest variety of animals (trout, mayfly nymphs,

Stonefly nymphs, caddisfly larvae)

Yellowboy

Artificial wetland construction

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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
PCBs and heavy metals
Petroleum

Sewage
Solid waste
Sediment

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Valdez

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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).

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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 MCLs
(Maximum Contaminant Level)

Environmental Legislation
Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA) - 1980. Superfund.
Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA) - 1986.

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