Water Pollution

Pollution Characteristics
of Typical Industries
&
Suggested Treatments

What is water pollution?

Water pollution occurs when water is contaminated with chemicals and foreign
substances that are harmful to humans, plants and animals. Water pollutants include
chemical contamination from waste sites, chemical wastes from industrial discharges,
heavy metals such as mercury and lead, sewage waste, food processing waste, fertilizers
and pesticides.
Water pollution is a serious ecological threat. Drinking contaminated water is hazardous
to human and animal health. When toxic substances dissolve in bodies of water, such as
oceans, rivers and lakes, the water becomes polluted. Pollutants tend to lie suspended in
the water or deposited on the bed. They degrade the quality of water over time. This
results in disastrous effects to aquatic ecosystems. Pollutants even contaminate the
groundwater, which poses a serious threat to households that use the contaminated
water.
Pollutants are classified into different types, including organic, inorganic and radioactive.
Human activities are the main causes of pollution. The major sources of water pollution
are industrial waste discharge and city sewage. These are disease-causing agents that
carry bacteria, viruses and parasitic worms. Some pollutants are oxygen-demanding
wastes that deplete oxygen and cause organisms in the water to die. There are also
contaminants that mix with the water supply from soils and groundwater systems that
contain agricultural residues and industrial wastes that are disposed of improperly.
Contaminants from the atmosphere also enter groundwater systems through rainfall.

Hydrologic Cycle
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The hydrologic cycle describes the

mechanisms by which water moves
throughout the Earth.
Heat from the sun
causes water to
evaporate from
rivers, lakes,
oceans, or the soil.
Plant roots extract
water from the soil
and release some of
it into the
atmosphere through
their leaves, a process
called transpiration.

As the evaporated water moves up

into the atmosphere, it loses heat
and condenses into clouds.
The water then returns to the Earth
as precipitation; rain, snow, or ice.

Some of that water will form

runof, moving towards lower
elevations and collecting
into another body of surface
water.
The rest of the water soaks
into the soil, a process called
infiltration.

At any given time, only

about 3% of the worlds
water supply is
freshwater. The rest is in
the oceans.
The majority of
freshwater is frozen
within land ice
(glaciers).
Another 20% is
underground.
Only 1% of freshwater
is available at the
surface.

Water Usage

Water use is measured in two ways:

Water withdrawal measures the total
amount diverted or withdrawn from
a source.
Example: Coolant water
withdrawn by a power plant, then
returned to the river.
Water consumption measures water
permanently removed from a source.
Example: Water is sprayed on
crops for irrigation, then
evaporates or transpires into the
atmosphere.

Agriculture makes up the majority of both

water withdrawal and consumption.

Overview
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Types of Water Pollution

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Sewage
Disease-causing agents
Sediment pollution
Inorganic plant and algal nutrients
Organic compounds
Inorganic chemicals
Thermal pollution

Water Quality Today

Improving Water Quality
Laws Controlling Water Pollution

Types of Water Pollution

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Water pollution

Major water pollution issue globally

Any physical or chemical change in water

that adversely affects the health of humans
and other organisms
Varies in magnitude by location
Lack of disease-free water

Eight categories

Sewage, disease-causing agents, sediment

pollution, inorganic plant and algal nutrients,
organic compounds, inorganic chemicals,
radioactive substances, and thermal pollution

Sewage
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The release of wastewater from drains or

sewers

Includes human wastes, soaps, and detergents

Causes 2 serious environmental problems:

Enrichment

Fertilization of a body of water by high levels of

plant and algal nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)

Increase in Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to

decompose biological wastes
As BOD increases Dissolve Oxygen (DO) decreases

Sewage

Sewage- Eutrophication
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Oligotrophic

Unenriched, clear water that supports

small populations of aquatic organisms

Sewage- Eutrophication
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Eutrophic

Slow-flowing stream, lake or estuary

enriched by inorganic plant and algal
nutrients such as phosphorus
Often due to fertilizer or sewage runoff

Disease-causing Agents
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Infectious organisms
that cause diseases

Originate in the
wastes of infected
individuals

Common bacterial or
viral diseases:

Typhoid, cholera,
bacterial dysentery,
polio, and infectious
hepatitis

Disease-causing Agents
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Monitored by testing for presence of E.

coli in the water via a fecal coliform
test

Indicates the presence of pathogenic

organisms

Sediment Pollution
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Excessive amounts of suspended soil

particles

Originates from erosion of agricultural

lands, forest soils exposed by logging,
degraded stream banks, overgrazed
rangelands, strip mines, and construction

Problems

Limits light penetration

Covers aquatic animals and plants
Brings insoluble toxins into waterways

Inorganic Plant and Algal

Nutrients
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Chemicals such as nitrogen and

phosphorus that stimulate the growth of
plants and algae

Sources:

Harmful in large concentrations

Human and animal wastes, plant residues,
atmospheric deposition, and fertilizer runoff

Causes:

Enrichment, bad odors, and a high BOD

The Great Pacific

Patch of Garbage

Organic Compounds
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Chemicals that contain carbon atoms

Natural examples: sugars, amino acids, and oils

Human-made examples: pesticides, solvents,
industrial chemicals, and plastics

Inorganic Chemicals
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Contaminants that contain elements

other than carbon

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Do not degrade easily

Lead

Examples: acids, salts, and heavy metals

Found in old paint, industrial pollutants,

leaded gasoline

Mercury

Mercury bioaccumulates in the muscles of

top predators of the open ocean

Radioactive Substances
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Contain atoms of unstable isotopes that

spontaneously emit radiation
Sources

Mining
Processing radioactive materials
Nuclear power plants
Natural sources

Thermal Pollution
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Occurs when heated

water produced
during industrial
processes is released
into waterways
Organisms affected

Temperature affects
reproductive cycles,
digestion rates, and
respiration rates
Warm water holds less
DO than cold water

Water Quality Today

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Two Types of Water Pollution

-Point Source Pollution

water pollution that can be traced to a

specific origin
Discharge via pipes, sewage, and ditches

-Non-point Source Pollution

Pollutants that enter bodies of water over

large areas rather than being concentrated
at a single point of entry
Diffuse, but its cumulative effect is very large
Ex: runoff from agricultural fields or parking
lots

Water Pollution from

Agriculture
o

Agriculture is leading source of water

pollution in India

Animal wastes and plants residues have

high BOD
Chemical pesticides can leach into
groundwater

Almost all streams and rivers are

polluted with agricultural pesticides

Municipal Water Pollution

Industrial Wastes in Water

Different industries generate different

pollutants

Food processing plants- high BOD

Paper mills- High BOD and toxic compounds

Many industries recover toxins before they go

into the waste stream

Case-In-Point Green Chemistry

Accessing Groundwater
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Groundwater is located in a region of soil called

the zone of saturation, where all of the spaces
between soil particles are filled with water.

The top of this region is called the water table.

Aquifers are underground regions of soil or

porous rock that are saturated with water.

If the aquifer is physically separated from the

groundwater, it is called a confined aquifer.

Regions where the water can infiltrate the

soil and reach the aquifer are called recharge
zones.

Overconsumption

Excessive water withdrawal can cause a lowering of

the water table, called a cone of depression.
This may cause nearby, shallower wells to run dry.
Wells located near the ocean can experience
saltwater intrusion as the ocean water mixes with the

groundwater.

Groundwater Pollution

Water Pollution in Other

Countries
Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

10,000 oil wells tap lake bottom

Leak oil into lake

Agricultural
wastes from
local fields
Unit recently
raw human
waste polluted
the lake

Water Pollution in Other

Countries
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Po River, Italy

Similar to Mississippi River

Pollutants: Sewage, industrial wastes,
sediment
>16 million Italians depend on the river for
drinking water
Pollution is high

Swimming and fishing prohibited

Cleanup will require a national

management plan and may take decades

Water Pollution in India

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Ganges River, India

Used for bathing and

washing clothing
Sewage and industrial
waste discharged into
river
Ganga Action Plan
initiated by government

Construction of 29
sewage treatment plants

Improving Water QualityPurification of Drinking Water

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In US most
municipal
water supplies
are treated
Collected from
water or
reservoir
Treated

Improving Water QualityPurification of Drinking Water

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Treated water
distributed to
customers
Sewer lines bring
sewage to
treatment plant
Sewage treated at
sewage treatment
plant

Purification of Drinking Water

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Chlorine Dilemma

Chlorine kills disease

causing organisms
Chlorine byproducts are
linked to numerous
cancers, miscarriages and
birth defects
Peru stopped using
chlorine

1991- huge cholera epidemic

that infected 300,000 people

Fluoridation

Prevents tooth decay

Linked to cancer, kidney
disease

Municipal Sewage Treatment

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Primary treatment

Removing suspended and floating particles by

mechanical processes

Secondary treatment

Treating wastewater biologically to decompose

suspended organic material; reduces BOD

Municipal Sewage Treatment

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Sewage Sludge

Solids remaining after primary and

secondary sewage treatment has been
completed

Tertiary treatment

Advanced wastewater treatment methods

that are sometimes employed after primary
and secondary treatments
Reduce phosphorus and nitrogen

Municipal Sewage Treatment

Individual Septic System-Septic

Tank

Individual Septic System-Drain

Field

Ceramic Membrane based High Capacity

Modules for pretreatment of turbid water
and
polishing of
iron & arsenic
contaminated water using micro-filtration
technique

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Laws Controlling Water

Pollution
Citizen Watchdogs to Monitor Pollution

Citizen Watchdogs to Monitor Pollution

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)
Set uniform federal standards for
drinking water
Maximum contaminant level
Clean Water Act (1972)
EPA sets up and monitors National
Emissions Limitations
Safe Drinking Water Act
Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act
Efectively improved water quality from
point sources

Artesian water From a

confined aquifer.

Distilled Water has

been boiled and
recollected. Contains no
minerals.

Glaceau

Purified water Water

(probably tap) that has
been filtered by
deionization or reverse
osmosis.

Fiji

Aquafina, Dasani

Spring From an
underground formation
that naturally flows to
the surface.

Evian

Aquafina labels used to

say P.W.S. instead of
public water supply,
giving the impression
that it was spring water.

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Q:What Are the Treatments forPollutedWater?

A:Bioremediation uses microbiota, bacteria and fungi, to
degrade or transformpollutantsinto less harmful byproducts. Bioremediation can be used to treat soil,
groundwater, sediments and sludge. The bacteria and fungi
eat thepollutants; the process
Q:How to ReduceWaterPollution
A:1 Use fewer chemicals to clean your home. It's an easy
switch that makes a big diference. Using toxic chemicals like
bleach and ammonia to clean your home is not only bad for
the watersupply, it's not necessary. Natural cleaners are just
Q:What are the preventions ofwaterpollution?
A:not wastingwater.
Q:Where thewaterpollutioncame?
A:from our houses.
Q:What is the function ofwaterpollution?
A:There are many forms ofwaterpollution. Most natural. A
deer that urinates into a stream has pollutedit. Most people
only consider man inducedwaterpollutionthough when they
refer to this subject though, as this is the worst form
ofpollution.