Water Pollution

Big Idea

The LARGER the population GROWS the greater

the pollution will FLOW and the negative effects
well KNOW.

http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/overviewfs.html

Point Source Pollution

vs.
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Whats the difference?

Point Source Pollution

comes from a specific

source, like a pipe

factories, industry,
municipal treatment
plants

can be monitored and

controlled by a permit
system

What is nonpoint source

pollution?

Nonpoint Source
(NPS) Pollution is
pollution associated
with stormwater or
runoff

NPS pollution cannot

be traced to a direct
discharge point such
as a wastewater
treatment facility

Examples of NPS

oil & grease from cars

fertilizers
animal waste
grass clippings
septic systems

sewage & cleaners from

boats
household cleaning
products
litter

Pollutant Transport
Mechanisms

NPS pollutants build up on land surfaces during dry

weather
Atmospheric deposition
Fertilizer applications
Animal waste
Automotive exhaust/fluid leaks

Pollutants are washed off land surfaces during

precipitation events (stormwater runoff)

Stormwater runoff will flow to lakes and streams

Point or Non-Point Source?

Eroding soil from construction sites
Leachate from landfill
Overflowing hog lagoon
Pesticides
Septic tank leak
Storm water run-off from city streets

Point or Non-Point Source?

Eroding soil from construction sites
NON-POINT
Leachate from landfill POINT
Overflowing hog lagoon
POINT
Pesticides
NON-POINT
Septic tank leak
POINT
Storm water run-off from city streets
NON-POINT

Pollutant build-up and wash off are

affected by land use.

Imperviousness increases runoff

Land use changes impact build

up

Linking Land Use to Water

Quality

More Imperviousness = More Water

What is impervious
cover?

roads, rooftops, parking lots, and other hard

surfaces that do not allow stormwater to soak
into the ground

predominant American vegetation

Impervious Cover

provides a surface
for accumulation of
pollutants

leads to increased
polluted runoff and
flooding

inhibits recharge of
groundwater

Impact of Nonpoint Source

Pollution
fish and wildlife
recreational water
activities
commercial fishing
tourism
drinking water quality

Pollutants Found in Runoff

Sediment
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Soil particles
transported
Oxygen depleting material
Leaves
from their
Organic material
source
Nutrients
Toxics
Various types of materials
Pesticides
Herbicides
that become
dissolved and
Fungicides
suspended in water (commonly
Insecticides
found in fertilizer and plant
material):
Metals (naturally
Nitrogen (N)
occurring in soil,
Phosphorus (P)
automotive emissions/
tires)
Lead
Bacteria/ Pathogens Thermal
Zinc
Stress
Originating from:
Mercury
Heated
Pets
Petroleum
runoff,
Waterfowl
Hydrocarbons
removal of
Failing septic
(automotive exhaust and
streamside
systems
Debrisfuel/oil)
vegetation
Litter and illegal

Potential Sources of Pollutants

Found in Residential Areas

Nutrients: Fertilizers
and septic systems
Pathogens: Pet waste
and septic systems
Sediment:
Construction, road
sand, soil erosion
Toxic: Pesticides,
household products
Debris: Litter and illegal
dumping
Thermal: heated runoff,
removal of streamside
vegetation

Pollutants from Agriculture

Sediment
Nutrients
Pathogens
Pesticides

Why are these pollutants

important?

Sediment reduces light penetration

in stream, clogs gills of fish and
aquatic invertebrates.
Nutrients act as fertilizer for algae &
aquatic plants which can cause
highly varying dissolved oxygen
levels. At low DO levels, the
aquatic life has the potential to be
harmed.
Toxics can impact life and
contaminate drinking water
supplies.
Bacteria/Pathogens are an indicator
of possible viruses present in the
system.

Inefficient Irrigation

Worldwide, the
amount of land under
irrigation has been
increasing.
Whether from
aquifers or surface
bodies of water, the
majority of the
freshwater we use for
irrigation is lost
before it ever reaches
the crops.

Figure 14-15

Inefficient Irrigation

Flood and Furrow Irrigation

Inefficient flood and

furrow irrigation, in which
fields are liberally flooded
with water that may
evaporate from shallow
standing pools, accounts for
90% of irrigation worldwide.
Over-irrigation leads to
waterlogging and
salinization, which affects
1/5 of farmland today and
reduces world farming
income by $11 billion.
Unfortunately, huge
amounts of groundwater are
being used up for little gain;
because of the dry climate
and inefficient irrigation
methods.

We Can Cut Water Waste in

Irrigation

Flood irrigation

Wasteful

Center pivot, low pressure sprinkler

Low-energy, precision application sprinklers

Drip or trickle irrigation, microirrigation

Costly; less water waste

Center pivot
Gravity flow

Drip irrigation

(efficiency 9095%)
(efficiency 60% and 80% with surge valves) Above- or below-ground
Water usually comes from an
pipes or tubes deliver
aqueduct system or a nearby river.
water to individual plant

(efficiency 80% with low-pressure

sprinkler and 9095% with LEPA
sprinkler)
Water usually pumped from
underground and sprayed
from mobile boom with
sprinklers.
Fig. 13-20, p. 335

Solutions: Reducing
Irrigation
Water Waste

Eutrophication

Most nutrients in water come from organic matter

(leaves, waste, etc.)

Nutrients are an essential part of any aquatic

ecosystem, but when slow-moving waters contain
too much, they are eutrophic.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication= build-up of organic matter in

water causing algal blooms

Outcomes:
Decreased sunlight
Decaying matter uses oxygen
Suffocation/Fish Kills

Artificial Eutrophication

Humans act as a catalyst by adding excess

nutrients to the soil
Main culprits= phosphates from fertilizers and
cleaning agents
Human activity can also cause thermal pollution

POLLUTION OF
GROUNDWATER

It can take hundreds to thousand of years

for contaminated groundwater to cleanse
itself of degradable wastes.

Nondegradable wastes (toxic lead, arsenic,

flouride) are there permanently.
Slowly degradable wastes (such as DDT) are
there for decades.
Groundwater has low flow rates, few bacteria, &
cold temps - all slow down recovery time
Avg. recycling time for groundwater = 1400
years

Leaking
tank

Aqu
ifer
Bed
roc
Water
k
table

Groundwater
flow
Free gasoline
dissolves in
Gasoline
leakage plumegroundwater
(liquid phase) (dissolved
phase)

Migrating
vapor phase

Contaminant plume movesWater well

with the groundwater

Fig. 21-8, p. 502

Surface water vs.

Groundwater

Which is generally more polluted?

~ Surface Water

Which is harder to clean up?

~ Groundwater

Groundwater pollution sticks

around...

Very cold, no bacterial breakdown

Very slow water movement: recharge can

take 100s or 1000s of years

Pollutants can stick to rocks in aquifer and

pollute new water

What Pollutes Groundwater?

Sources of Groundwater
pollution...
landfills
leaky underground storage tanks
mines
septic tanks
hazardous waste - deep well injection
any pollutant in runoff that percolates

Laws

Clean Water Act surface water

1972 make water swimmable and fishable by

regulating point sources
1977 and 1987 storm water runoff
Section 404 requires permit for draining,
dredging, filling wetlands

Mitigation banking

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) monitors

levels of contaminants in groundwater