Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants and either does not
support a human use, such as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its constituent
biotic communities, such as sh. Natural phenomena
such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms, and earthquakes
also cause major changes in water quality and the ecological status of water.
2 Categories
Although interrelated, surface water and groundwater
have often been studied and managed as separate
resources.[8] Surface water seeps through the soil and becomes groundwater. Conversely, groundwater can also
feed surface water sources. Sources of surface water pollution are generally grouped into two categories based on
1
CAUSES
their origin.
2.1
Point sources
2.2
classied as surface water pollution.[8] By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are susceptible to contamination from sources that may not directly aect surface
water bodies, and the distinction of point vs. non-point
source may be irrelevant. A spill or ongoing release of
chemical or radionuclide contaminants into soil (located
away from a surface water body) may not create point
or non-point source pollution but can contaminate the
aquifer below, creating a toxic plume. The movement
of the plume, called a plume front, may be analyzed
through a hydrological transport model or groundwater
model. Analysis of groundwater contamination may focus on soil characteristics and site geology, hydrogeology,
hydrology, and the nature of the contaminants.
Non-point sources
3 Causes
The specic contaminants leading to pollution in water
include a wide spectrum of chemicals, pathogens, and
physical changes such as elevated temperature and discoloration. While many of the chemicals and substances
that are regulated may be naturally occurring (calcium,
sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration is often
the key in determining what is a natural component of
water and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of
naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts
on aquatic ora and fauna.
3.2
3.1
Pathogens
cause of disease, are commonly used as a bacterial indicator of water pollution. Other microorganisms sometimes
found in surface waters that have caused human health
problems include:
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Cryptosporidium parvum
Giardia lamblia
Salmonella
Norovirus and other viruses
Parasitic worms including the Schistosoma type
[14][15]
Poster to teach people in South Asia about human activities leading to the pollution of water sources
CAUSES
5
ported, because toxins climb the food chain after small
sh consume copepods, then large sh eat smaller sh,
etc. Each successive step up the food chain causes a cumulative concentration of pollutants such as heavy metals
(e.g. mercury) and persistent organic pollutants such as
DDT. This is known as bio-magnication, which is occasionally used interchangeably with bio-accumulation.
3.3
Thermal pollution
Measurement
MEASUREMENT
Physical testing
drinking
water,
see
6.3
Control of pollution
6.1
Sewage treatment
sewage that can be treated by municipal facilities. Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of
conventional pollutants (e.g. oil and grease), toxic pollutants (e.g. heavy metals, volatile organic compounds)
or other non-conventional pollutants such as ammonia,
need specialized treatment systems. Some of these facilities can install a pre-treatment system to remove the
toxic components, and then send the partially treated
wastewater to the municipal system. Industries generating large volumes of wastewater typically operate their
own complete on-site treatment systems. Some industries
have been successful at redesigning their manufacturing
processes to reduce or eliminate pollutants, through a proDeer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant serving Boston, Mas- cess called pollution prevention.
sachusetts and vicinity.
Heated water generated by power plants or manufacturing
plants may be controlled with:
is typically treated by centralized sewage treatment
plants. Well-designed and operated systems (i.e., sec cooling ponds, man-made bodies of water designed
ondary treatment or better) can remove 90 percent or
for cooling by evaporation, convection, and radiation
more of the pollutant load in sewage. Some plants have
additional systems to remove nutrients and pathogens.
cooling towers, which transfer waste heat to the
atmosphere through evaporation and/or heat transCities with sanitary sewer overows or combined sewer
fer
overows employ one or more engineering approaches to
reduce discharges of untreated sewage, including:
repair and replacement of leaking and malfunction- Main article: Agricultural wastewater treatment
ing equipment[17]
increasing overall hydraulic capacity of the sewage Non point source controls
Sediment (loose soil) washed o elds is the largest
collection system (often a very expensive option).
source of agricultural pollution in the United States.[12]
Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runo
A household or business not served by a municipal treat- ows and retain soil on their elds. Common techment plant may have an individual septic tank, which pre- niques include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotreats the wastewater on site and inltrates it into the soil. tation, planting perennial crops and installing riparian
buers.[30][31]:pp. 4-954-96
6.2
CONTROL OF POLLUTION
residues, irrigation water, wildlife, and atmospheric de- Sediment from construction sites is managed by installaposition.[31]:p. 29 Farmers can develop and implement tion of:
nutrient management plans to reduce excess application
of nutrients[30][31]:pp. 4-374-38 and reduce the potential for
erosion controls, such as mulching and
nutrient pollution.
hydroseeding, and
To minimize pesticide impacts, farmers may use
sediment controls, such as sediment basins and silt
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques (which
fences.[35]
can include biological pest control) to maintain control
over pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, and
Discharge of toxic chemicals such as motor fuels and conprotect water quality.[32]
crete washout is prevented by use of:
spill prevention and control plans, and
specially designed containers (e.g. for concrete
washout) and structures such as overow controls
and diversion berms.[36]
9 References
[1] Pink, Daniel H. (April 19, 2006). Investing in Tomorrows Liquid Gold. Yahoo. Archived from the original
on April 23, 2006.
[2] West, Larry (2006-03-26). World Water Day: A
Billion People Worldwide Lack Safe Drinking Water.
About.com.
[3] An overview of diarrhea, symptoms, diagnosis and the
costs of morbidity (PDF). CHNRI. 2010. Archived from
the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013.
Pollution prevention practices include low-impact development techniques, installation of green roofs and improved chemical handling (e.g. management of motor
fuels & oil, fertilizers and pesticides).[38] Runo mitigation systems include inltration basins, bioretention systems, constructed wetlands, retention basins and similar
devices.[39][40]
Thermal pollution from runo can be controlled by storm
water management facilities that absorb the runo or direct it into groundwater, such as bioretention systems
and inltration basins. Retention basins tend to be less
eective at reducing temperature, as the water may be
heated by the sun before being discharged to a receiving
stream.[37]:p. 558
[4] "China says water pollution so severe that cities could lack
safe supplies". Chinadaily.com.cn. June 7, 2005.
[5] Kahn, Joseph; Yardley, Jim (2007-08-26). As China
Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes. New York
Times.
[6] Fact Sheet: 2004 National Water Quality Inventory Report to Congress (Report). Washington, D.C.: United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). January
2009. EPA 841-F-08-003.
[7] Wachman, Richard (2007-12-09). Water becomes the
new oil as world runs dry. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
[8] United States Geological Survey (USGS), Denver, CO
(1998). Ground Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource. Circular 1139.
[9] United States. Clean Water Act, section 502(14), 33
U.S.C. 1362 (14).
[10] U.S. CWA section 402(p), 33 U.S.C. 1342(p)
See also
Environmental impact of pesticides#Water
Aquatic toxicology
Cultural eutrophication
Nutrient pollution
Trophic state index (water quality indicator for
lakes)
Watershed Central
10
[18] G. Allen Burton, Jr., Robert Pitt (2001). Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers. New York: CRC/Lewis Publishers.
ISBN 0-87371-924-7. Chapter 2.
[19] Schueler, Thomas R. Cars Are Leading Source of Metal
Loads in California. Reprinted in The Practice of Watershed Protection. 2000. Center for Watershed Protection.
Ellicott City, MD.
[20] Goel, P.K. (2006). Water Pollution - Causes, Eects and
Control. New Delhi: New Age International. p. 179.
ISBN 978-81-224-1839-2.
[21] Kennish, Michael J. (1992). Ecology of Estuaries: Anthropogenic Eects. Marine Science Series. Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press. pp. 41517. ISBN 978-0-8493-8041-9.
[22] Laws, Edward A. (2000). Aquatic Pollution: An Introductory Text. New York: John Wiley and Sons. p. 430. ISBN
978-0-471-34875-7.
[23] Zaikab, Gwyneth Dickey (2011-03-28).
Marine microbes digest plastic. Nature. Macmillan.
doi:10.1038/news.2011.191. ISSN 0028-0836.
[24] For example, see Baird, Rodger B.; Clesceri, Leonore S.;
Eaton, Andrew D.; et al., eds. (2012). Standard Methods
for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (22nd ed.).
Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.
ISBN 978-0875530130. (subscription required (help)).
[25] Newton, David (2008). Chemistry of the Environment.
Checkmark Books. ISBN 0-8160-7747-9.
[26] Karr, James R. (1981).
Assessment of
biotic
integrity
using
sh
communities.
Fisheries.
6:
2127.
doi:10.1577/15488446(1981)006<0021:AOBIUF>2.0.CO;2.
ISSN
1548-8446.
[27] Di Luzio, Frank C. (January 1967). Water Pollution
Control: An American Must. Journal (Water Pollution
Control Federation). Water Environment Federation. 39
(1): 17. JSTOR 25035710.
[28] Case Study: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Green Infrastructure Case Studies (Report). EPA. August 2010. pp.
4951. EPA-841-F-10-004.
[29] Prole of the Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation Industry (Report). EPA. September 1997. p. 24. EPA/310R-97-007.
[30] U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Washington, DC. National Conservation Practice Standards. National Handbook of Conservation Practices.
Accessed 2015-10-02.
[31] National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint
Source Pollution from Agriculture (Report). EPA. July
2003. EPA-841-B-03-004.
[32] Integrated Pest Management Principles. Pest Control
and Pesticide Safety for Consumers. EPA. 2015.
[33] Animal Feeding Operations. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. EPA. 2016.
10
EXTERNAL LINKS
10 External links
Overview Information
Troubled Waters - video from Strange Days on
Planet Earth by National Geographic & PBS (US)
Issues: Water Guides, news and reports from US
Natural Resources Defense Council
Analytical Tools and Other Specialized Resources
EUGRIS portal for Soil and Water Management
in Europe
Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information
System (CADDIS) - EPA guide for identifying pollution problems; stressor identication
Ecotoxicology and Models - Eawag: Swiss Federal
Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology
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11.2
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11.3
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