Introduction to Environmental Science …inside.mines.edu/~cshorey/NewFiles/Lecture 17 - Water...

16. Water Pollution 1

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

Water Pollution

Ohio1950’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 Winter 1976 -- 77 Heavy rain/snow 77 Heavy rain/snow

–– vegetation dies, rubber disintegratesvegetation dies, rubber disintegrates–– dogs develop soresdogs develop sores–– appearance of puddles of toxic or appearance of puddles of toxic or

noxious substance, basement floodednoxious substance, basement flooded–– claims of miscarriages, birth defects, claims of miscarriages, birth defects,

blood and liver abnormalitiesblood and liver abnormalities–– Beverly Beverly PaigenPaigen does systematic study, does systematic study,

and find link between and find link between ““wetwet”” homes and homes and the abovethe 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.

LOVE CANAL - What went wrong? 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 ;)



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 may1. 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, MercuryMercury, ArsenicArsenic,

Cadmium, Tin, Chromium, Zinc, Copper

••ArsenicArsenic••Skin numbness, thickening, Skin numbness, thickening, discoloration, cancerdiscoloration, 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 dueto their ability to mimicHormones, 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.



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 (pre-

anthropogenic perturbation) most surface water are:

1. low in nutrients (particularly phosphorous and nitrogen)

2. well oxygenated3. 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 fallsBOD rises

Kills benthic plants and algae decays

Blocks light to the bottom

Causes algae to bloom

Nutrients

DO fallsBOD rises

Less photosynthesis and more decay of organic material

Kills benthic plants

Blocks light to the bottom

Sediment

Eutrophication in a nutshellReducing 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



Acid Mine Drainage

01 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14

Batteryacid

Lemonjuice

VinegarCola

Normalrain

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 ofvarious organisms

Yellowboy Artificial wetland construction



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).




• 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)


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

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

Introduction to Environmental Science …inside.mines.edu/~cshorey/NewFiles/Lecture 17 - Water...

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