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CH. 20: WATER POLLUTION

This case study explores the causes and effects of water pollution, major pollutants, diseases transmitted through contaminated water, testing methods, pollution in streams and lakes, groundwater pollution, ocean pollution, and solutions to combat water pollution. It covers key terms, focuses on prevention, cleanup strategies, and the importance of reducing pollution from various sources. The study emphasizes the need for collective actions to protect and preserve water resources for present and future generations.

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CH. 20: WATER POLLUTION

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  1. CH. 20: WATER POLLUTION By: AlexaTsaganos and Cricket Slattery

  2. Core Case Study: Lake Washington

  3. 20.1 What are the Causes and Efects of Water Pollution? • Key terms: Water pollution, Point sources, non point sources

  4. 20.1 Key Focus • Water pollution causes illness and death in humans and other species and disrupts ecosystems

  5. 20.1 Key Focus • The chief sources of water pollution are agricultural activities, industrial facilities, and mining, but growth in population and resource use makes it increasing worse

  6. Major Water Pollutants and Their Sources • Infectious agents (pathogens)  Human and animal wastes • Oxygen-demanding wastes  sewage, animal feedlots, food processing facilities, pulp mills • Plant nutrients sewage, animal wastes, inorganic fertilizaers • Organic chemicals industry, farms, households • Inorganic chemicalsIndustry, households, surface runoff • Sediments land erosion • Heavy metals unlined landfills, household chemicals, minign refuse, industrila discharges • Thermal electric power and industrial plants

  7. Common Diseases Transmitted to Humans, through contaminated Drinking Water • Bacteria: typhoid fever, cholera, bacterial dysentery, enteritis • Viruses: infectious hepatitis (type B), poliomyelitis • Parasitic protozoa: amoebic dysentery, giardiasis, cryptosporidum • Parasitic worms: schistosomiasis, ancylostomiasis

  8. Science Focus: Testing Water For Pollutants • Indicators of water quality: ½ cup of water must contain no colonies of coliform bacteria (for drinking), level of dissolved oxygen (good: 8-9 ppm at 20 degrees celsius) • Gravely polluted if DO < 4 ppm • Chemical analysis, indicator species, genetic engineering, colorimeters, turbidity

  9. 20.2 What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems in Streams and Lakes? • Key terms: eutrophication, cultural eutrophication

  10. 20.2 What Are the Major Water Pollution Problems in Streams and Lakes? • While streams are extensively polluted worldwide by human activities, they can cleanse themselves of many pollutants if we do not overload them or reduce their flows.

  11. 20.2 Key Focus • Addition of excessive nutrients to lakes from human activities can disrupt lake ecosystems, and prevention of such pollution is more effective and less costly to clean up.

  12. Individuals Matter • John Beal and Hamm Creek

  13. Case Study • India’s Ganges River: Religion, Poverty, Population Growth, and Health

  14. Case Study • Pollution in the Great Lakes

  15. 20.3 What Are the Major Pollution Problems Affecting Groundwater and Other Drinking Water Sources? • Chemicals used in agriculture, industry, transportation, and homes can spill and leak into groundwater and make it undrinkable.

  16. 20.3 Key Focus • There are simple ways and complex ways to purify drinking water, but protecting it through pollution prevention is the least expensive and most effective strategy.

  17. Case Study • A Natural Threat from Arsenic in Groundwater

  18. Case Study • Protecting Watersheds Instead of Building Water Purification Plants

  19. 20.3 Solutions: Groundwater Pollution • Prevention: Find subsitutes for toxic chemicals, keep toxic chemicals out of the environment, install monitorign wells near landfills and underground tanks, require leak detectors on underground tanks, Ban hazardous waste disposal in landfills and injection wells, store harmful tanks with leak detection and collection systems • Cleanup: Pump to surface, clean, and return to aquifer (very expensive), inject microorganisms to clean up contamination (less expensive but still costly), Pump nanoparticles of inorganic compounds to remove polutants (still being devloped)

  20. 20.4 What Are The Major Water Pollution Problems Affecting Oceans? • Key Terms: harmful algae blooms, oxygen-depleted zones, dead zones, crude petroleum, refined petroleum

  21. 20.4 Key Focuses • Ocean pollution originates on land and includes oil and other toxic chemicals and solid wastes, which threaten aquatic species and other wildlife and disrupt marine ecosystems. • The key to protecting the oceans is to reduce the flow of pollutants from land and air and from streams emptying into these waters. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxGLnGN67wo

  22. 20.4 • Ocean pollution is a growing problem • cruise ships • Viruses • Harmful algae blooms • Ocean oil pollution is serious • Exxon Valdez • Prestige • Volatile organic hydrocarbons • Cleanup

  23. Oxygen-depleted Zones

  24. 20.5 How Can We Best Deal with Water Pollution? • Key Terms: septic tank, primary sewage treatment, secondary sewage treatment

  25. 20.5 Key Focuses • Reducing water pollution requires preventing it, working with nature to treat sewage, cutting resource use and waste, reducing poverty, and slowing population growth. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDi0g0msG58

  26. 20.5 • We need to reduce surface water pollution form nonpoint sources • Organic farming techniques • Pesticides • Laws can help reduce water pollution from point sources • Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (later named the Clean Water Act) • 1987 Water Quality Act • Discharge Trading Policy

  27. 20.5 continued • The US experience with reducing point-source pollution • Improvements from the Clean Water Act • Prevention • Sewage treatment reduces water pollution • Septic tank • Primary sewage treatment • Secondary sewage treatment • Advanced or tertiary sewage treatment

  28. Primary and Secondary Sewage Treatment

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