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Water Pollution
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
14th Edition
Chapter 22
Key Concepts
 Types, sources, and effects of water pollutants
 Major pollution problems of surface water
 Major pollution problems of groundwater
 Reduction and prevention of water pollution
 Drinking water quality
Refer to Tables 22-1
and 22-2 p. 492 and
493
Types of Water Pollution
INFECTIOUS AGENTS
Examples: Bacteria, viruses, protozoa,
and parasitic worms
Major Human Sources: Human and
animal wastes
Harmful Effects: Disease
INORGANIC CHEMICALS
Examples: Water-soluble 1) acids, (2)
compounds of toxic metals such
as lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and
selenium Se), and (3) salts such
as sodium chloride (NaCl) in ocean
water and fluorides (F–) found in
some soils
OXYGEN-DEMANDING WASTES
Examples: Organic waste such as
animal manure and plant debris that
can be decomposed by aerobic
(oxygen-requiring) bacteria
Major Human Sources: Sewage, animal
feedlots, paper mills, and food
processing facilities
Harmful Effects: Large populations of
bacteria decomposing these wastes
can degrade water quality by
depleting water of dissolved oxygen.
This causes fish and other forms of
oxygen-consuming aquatic life to
die.
Major Human Sources: Surface
runoff, industrial effluents, and
household cleansers
Harmful Effects: Can (1) make fresh
water unusable for drinking or
irrigation, (2) cause skin cancers
and crippling spinal and neck
damage (F–), (3) damage the
nervous system, liver, and kidneys
(Pb and As), (4) harm fish and
other aquatic life, (5) lower crop
yields, and (6) accelerate
corrosion of metals exposed to
such water.
Types of Water Pollution
ORGANIC CHEMICALS
Examples: Oil, gasoline, plastics,
pesticides, cleaning solvents,
detergents
Major Human Sources: Industrial
effluents, household cleansers,
surface runoff from farms and yards
Harmful Effects: Can (1) threaten
human health by causing nervous
system damage (some pesticides),
reproductive disorders (some
solvents), and some cancers
(gasoline, oil, and some solvents)
and (2) harm fish and wildlife.
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
Examples: Radioactive isotopes of
iodine, radon, uranium, cesium, and
thorium
Major Human Sources: Nuclear and
coal-burning power plants, mining
and processing of uranium and
other ores, nuclear weapons
production, natural sources
Harmful Effects: Genetic mutations,
miscarriages, birth defects, and
certain cancers
PLANT NUTRIENTS
Examples: Water-soluble compounds
containing nitrate (NO3 –),
phosphate (PO43–), and
ammonium (NH4+) ions
Major Human Sources: Sewage,
manure, and runoff of agricultural
and urban fertilizers
Harmful Effects: Can cause excessive
growth of algae and other aquatic
plants, which die, decay, deplete
water of dissolved oxygen, and kill
fish. Drinking water with excessive
levels of nitrates lowers the
oxygen-carrying capacity of the
blood and can kill unborn children
and infants (“bluebaby
syndrome”).
Types of Pollution
HEAT (THERMAL POLLUTION)
Examples: Excessive heat
Major Human Sources: Water
cooling of electric power plants
and some types of industrial
plants. Almost half of all water
withdrawn in the United States
each year is for cooling electric
power plants.
Harmful Effects: Lowers dissolved
oxygen levels and makes
aquatic organisms more
vulnerable to disease, parasites,
and toxic chemicals. When a
power plant first opens or shuts
down for repair, fish and other
organisms adapted to a
particular temperature range
can be killed by the abrupt
change in water temperature—
known as thermal shock.
SEDIMENT
Examples: Soil, silt
Major Human Sources: Land erosion
Harmful Effects: Can (1) cloud water
and reduce photosynthesis, (2)
disrupt aquatic food webs, (3)
carry pesticides, bacteria, and
other harmful substances, (4)
settle out and destroy feeding
and spawning grounds of fish,
and (5) clog and fill lakes,
artificial reservoirs, stream
channels, and harbors.
Persistent Organic pollutants (POPs)
The “Dirty Dozen” or “Terrible Twelve”
aldrin1
hexachlorobenzene1,2,3
chlordane1
mirex1
DDT1
toxaphene1
dieldrin1
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)2,3
endrin1
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxins)3
heptachlor1
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (furans)3
1Pesticide
2Industrial
3Byproduct
Chemical
PCBs
Unknown Pollution Threats
PAHs
Pharmaceuticals in the water
supply
Table 22-2
Page 493
Table 22-2 Common Diseases Transmitted to Humans Through Contaminated Drinking Water
Type of Organism
Disease
Effects
Bacteria
Typhoid fever
Diarrhea, severe vomiting, enlarged
spleen, inflamed intestine; often fatal if
untreated
Cholera
Diarrhea, severe vomiting, dehydration;
often fatal if untreated
Bacterial dysentery
Diarrhea; rarely fatal except in infants
without proper treatment
Enteritis
Severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting;
rarely fatal
Viruses
Infectious hepatitis
Fever, severe headache, loss of appetite,
abdominal pain, jaundice, enlarged liver;
rarely fatal but may cause permanent liver
damage
Parasitic protozoa
Amoebic dysentery
Severe diarrhea, headache, abdominal
pain, chills, fever; if not treated can cause
liver abscess, bowel perforation, and death
Giardiasis
Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, flatulence,
belching, fatigue
Parasitic worms
Schistosomiasis
Water Contamination - Milwaukee
Abdominal pain, skin rash, anemia, chronic
fatigue, and chronic general ill health
Pollution Sources and Effects
Nonpoint Sources
Point Sources
Oxygen Sag Curve
Factors that influence
dissolved oxygen in the water
Biological Oxygen demand
Recovery
Hypoxia and Anoxia
Area Most
Effected:
Gulf of Mexico
Long Island
Sound
WHY?
Eutrophication –
Nutrient pollution
Chesapeake Bay
Largest US estuary
Relatively shallow
Slow “flushing” action to
Atlantic Major problems
with dissolved O2
Case Study: The Great Lakes
An Industrial Legacy
Great Lakes
Fig. 22-8 p. 500
Biomagnification
Water
0.000002 ppm
Phytoplankton
0.0025 ppm
Herring gull
124 ppm
Herring gull eggs
124 ppm
Zooplankton
0.123 ppm
Lake trout
4.83 ppm
Rainbow smelt
1.04 ppm
Figure 22-6
Page 498
Groundwater Pollution
Love Canal
Causes:
Low flow rates
Spills
Low oxygen
Landfill leachate
Few bacteria
pesticides /fertilizers
Cold temperatures
waste lagoons
Aquifer cleanup
Ocean Pollution
Message from
the waves
Fig. 22-11 p. 504
Oil Spills

Sources: offshore
wells, tankers,
pipelines and storage
tanks

Effects: death of
organisms, loss of
animal insulation and
buoyancy,
smothering

Significant economic
impacts

Mechanical cleanup
methods: skimmers and
blotters

Chemical cleanup
methods: coagulants and
dispersing agents
Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Surface Water
Pollution
Nonpoint Sources

Reduce runoff


Buffer zone vegetation
Reduce soil erosion
Point Sources

Clean Water Act (1972)

Water Quality Act (1965):
Established water purity
standards with states
retaining initial responsibility
for water purity.
Water Laws:
• Clean Water Act (1972): Established the basic structure for regulating discharges of
pollutants into the waters of the United States. It gave the EPA the authority to
implement pollution control programs such as setting waste-water standards for
industry.
•
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1948): Created comprehensive programs for
eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate water and improving the sanitary
condition of surface and underground water supplies.
•
Safe Drinking Water Act (1974): Established standards for safe drinking water in
the United States.
•
Ocean Dumping Ban Act (1988): Made it unlawful for any person to dump or
transport for the purpose of dumping sewage, sludge, or industrial wastes into the
ocean.
•
Oil Spill Prevention and Liability Act (1990): Strengthened the EPA's ability to
prevent and respond to catastrophic oil spills.
•
Source Water Assessment Program—SWAP (1996): Required states to identify
sources of public drinking water supplies and assess susceptibility to
contamination.
•
Source Water Protection Program—SWPP (1996): Encouraged states to adopt a
community-based approach to preventing water pollution.
•
Surface Water Treatment Rule—SWTR (1996): Addressed control of microbial
pathogens, including cryptosporidium.
Technological Approach: Septic
Systems

Require suitable soils and
maintenance
Technological Approach: Sewage
Treatment

Physical and biological treatment
Fig. 22-15 p. 510
•Advanced Tertiary Treatment
•Uses physical and chemical processes
•Removes nitrate and phosphate
•Expensive
•Not widely used
Wastewater treatment High-Tech v. Low-Tech
Hyperion Wastewater Treatment
Plant – Los Angeles
Solar Aquatic
Waste Treatment
Treating mining
wastewater
Wetlands treating sewage
Drinking Water Quality

Purification of urban drinking water

Protection from terrorism

Purification of rural drinking water

Safe Drinking Water Act

Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs)

Bottled water
Water Video Clips
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Composting Toilets & Z-weed
Drinking Water from a Contaminated Aquifer
Desalinization
Drugs in water