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Water Quality. What is polluting our water?. Cities require a very large input of freshwater and in turn have a huge impact on freshwater systems. Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment. 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries
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Water Quality What is polluting our water?
Cities require a very large input of freshwater and in turn have a huge impact on freshwater systems. • Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment. • 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries • 789 million in total, lives without access to improved sanitation facilities. • The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a liter of water than their richer neighbors, since they often have to buy their water from private vendors.
30% groundwater • MWD serves 18 million people in Southern California (Colorado River) • State water project
Watershed: an area of land where all water that drains from it goes to the same place What does your watershed look like?
CCHS is located in Ballona Creek Watershed • Concerns in Ballona • Urban runoff • Trash & debris • High nutrients • Bacterial levels • Heavy metals & toxins
Marine Ecosystems Brown Pelican • Concerns in Malibu • Tapia Treatment Plant • Septic discharges • High nutrients • Bacterial levels California least tern Tidewater goby Steelhead Trout
Santa Monica: Concerns in Santa Monica Canyon Channel
Fecal Pollution • Dogs • Livestock • Birds • People • WWTP discharges • Septic systems • Anthropogenic pollution • Surfactants • Nutrients • Oil and grease
Methods : Fecal indicator bacteria • Fecal indicator bacteria are generally not harmful bacteria that reside in the gut of animals • FIB are released into the environment with feces and used to indicate water quality • Limitations: • Method requires 24hr to get a result. • Does not give you information on the source www.idexx.com
Data: Enterococci bacteria • Water quality standards • Enterococci: 104MPN/100mL • E. coli: • 400MPN/100mL • Which beach had highest levels? • Which watershed is most contaminated?
Water Quality and Public Health Swimming related illness • Acute Respiratory disease • Gastrointestinal illness • Diarrhea • Vomiting • Nausea • Fever • Sore throat • Runny nose • Ear or Eye infection • Skin rash Bacteria • Escherichia coli • Salmonella typhi • Vibrio Cholerae • Campylobacter jejunji Viruses • Adenovirus • Enterovirus • Hepatitis A • Rotavirus
Urban Runoff Source:http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/
Stormwater treatment Legacy Park in Malibu
Point-of-use Treatment • Metal salts such as alum and iron sulfate can transform contaminated source waters into clear, safe drinkable water. Turbid river water treated with a flocculant-disinfectant powder in Borneo.