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Nonpoint sources
(diffused and intermittent)
influenced by land use,
climate, hydrology etc.
e.g. urban runoff from street,
from fields these sources
are more difficult to monitor
and control
Agricultural Effluent
• chemicals applied to soil that finds its way into
water courses.
• pesticides: ideally should either break down
quickly or be retained by the soil.
• soil erosion (runoff enters lakes, rivers
• changing physical attributes: sedimentation,
susceptibility to flooding, etc.
Agricultural
• Fertilizers: readily dissolve in
water
• Biological waste (E.g. cow
and pig manure, excess feed,
etc.)
• Over fertilization =
eutrophication (more organic
matter is produced in greater
amounts than can be
consumed) --> creating a
suffocation of the ecosystem.
I.e. blue-green algae
eutrophication:
increase in the
concentration of
chemical elements
required for living
things
e.g. phosphorus (K),
nitrogen (N)
• Increase in the
concentration of the
chemical elements
required for living things
• leads to sudden
proliferation of algae
over water surfaces
• Bacterial decomposition
uses up oxygen
reducing dissolved
oxygen levels.
• Same results for excess
fertilizer or animal waste
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): amount of oxygen
necessary to decompose organic material water.
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/photos/ships/ships.html
Evaporation
Other pollutants - Disease
• disease causing agents
• especially where raw
sewage is introduced
into rivers, and in areas
where there is reduced
water flow)
• cholera, typhoid,
dysentery, increased
levels of coliform
bacteria.
Other pollutants - Heavy metals
• e.g. mercury - highly toxic –
inorganic mercury becomes
organic methyl –mercury
through bacterial action
• Industrial sources, and
burning fossil fuel Minamata Japan
• atmospheric deposition
• Leached from native rock in
new reserviors
• leads to nerve damage
Grassy Narrows and White Dog, ON
Common sources include
Construction sites
Agricultural land
Water clarity
Covers plants and stream and river bottom habitats
Fills lakes, reservoirs and harbors
Dredging
• rivers are used for transportation
• scraping out riverbeds for shipping
• strong effect on the environment
(resuspension of pollutants, dumping of
dredging materials)
• also changes river flow patterns
Groundwater Use
• 1 in 4 Canadians depends on
groundwater for domestic supply
• in the USA half population rely on
groundwater
• 85% of water consumed by livestock is
from the ground
Ground water monitoring
station near landfill
Sludge goes on to
sludge digestion
– Winnipeg
Also creates gas that is
highly combustible
(stored and burnt).
Secondary treatment:
• Biological processing (bacterial
degradation of dissolved organic
matter)
• water after sedimentation enters an
aeration tank
• air and some sludge from the final
sedimentation tank are added to this
water to promote decomposition
Final Sedimentation
• sludge settles out (some is
recycled for secondary treatment)
• methane may be produced as a
result of biological decomposition
(used for heating)
Tertiary treatment:
• Chemical processing and filters remove
nutrients, heavy metals, etc (e.g.
chlorine)
• advanced treatment may remove 95% of
pollutants
• then this material is discharged back
into rivers and water courses.
• Either UV radiation or natural sunlight is
used to kill pathogens - Winnipeg
Solving Water Pollution Problems
• needs broad planning mechanisms
• many of the components of the hydro system are
large I.e. river basins.
• 40% human population live in 21 river or lake
basins.
• Contaminated water sources can cross international
boundaries.
• ground water also must be protected -- depletion of
aquifers.