Chap 21-22 test Flashcards
Water pollution
any biological or chemical change that has a negative effect on living organisms that makes the water unusable for its intended purpose
Point source pollution
Pollution from a specific location (drain pipes, sewer lines, etc)
Nonpoint source pollution
Cannot be placed at a specific site of discharge (atmospheric deposition, agricultural or industrial runoff)
BOD
the amount of oxygen a body of water uses to break down biological matter (ex: algae).
What does it mean when something has a low BOD level?
Lower pollution, more oxygen available for aquatic life
What does BOD stand for?
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Examples of contaminants
Lead, arsenic, mercury, acids, chemical runoff, sediments
Source of Arsenic
Natural contaminant from bedrock via well
Source of Mercury
coal fired power plants
Source of Lead
Lead pipes
Potential problem of pyrite
turns water acidic, leaches metals out of sediments
What are Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOCs)
Pesticides, pharmaceuticals
What are POPs?
persistent organic pollutants
What are the Dirty Dozen?
Alderane, Chlordane, Dieldren, Endrin, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzine (HCB), Mirex, Toxaphene, DDT, PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, Dioxins
Problems of pesticide
not target specific, disrupts eco community, inert ingredients may have their own effects
DO
Dissolved Oxygen Content
Which do you want to be high, DO or BOD
DO
How are rivers and streams cleaning themselves?
Dilution and decay
Which kind of polluton have developed countries sharply reduced?
Point source
Which kind of pollution is a problem in developed countries
stream pollution (sewage + industrial waste)
What can cause severe pollution of a water source?
A culture heavily relying on the water source
Which continent has the most Arsenic contamination
Asia
How many of the estuaries are impaired or threatened
4/5
What is cultural eutrophication
humans accelerating input of plant nutrients into the water
what are some fo the inputs in a body of water
nitrate, phosphate based effluences
how does arsenic get into groundwater
naturally occurring in soil and rocks w/ high arsenic content
what is depleting oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico
harmful algae blooms (HAB)
What happens in the event of a harmful algae bloom
“dead areas”
How does most oceanic oil pollution occur
Human activities on land
what occurred with the Exxon Valdez in 1989?
11 million gallons of crude oil dumped into the ocean
What occurred with the BP spillage in the gulf of mexico
200 million gallons of oil dumped
What is the largest source of oil pollution
urban and industrial runoff
What laws are put in place to prevent surface water pollution
Clean Water Act (‘72), discharge trading policy (in experiment currently)
Where is organic matter broken down in an on-site septic disposal system
Bacteria in the tank and field
What is the difference between primary and secondary sewage treatment
Primary: physical (screens to filter), Secondary: Biological (aerobic bacteria)
What are the layers of a sewage tank
Sludge, wastewater, scum
What happens when nutrients from sewage treatment still reach lakes and rivers
Algae growth and unwanted bacteria
What’s the difference between on site and municipal sewage treatment
On site has organic matter break down in both the tank and the field, municipal only has matter break down in the secondary treatment area
What is a CSO
Combined Sewer Overflows
When are CSOs used
When there’s heavy rainfall, you put the raw untreated waste into a nearby river (“lesser of two evils”)
Where was heavy rainfall and CSOs a large problem
The rouge river
How is a manure lagoon different from discharging waste into a body of water
Manure lagoons are man made ponds
Why are manure lagoons lined with rubber
To prevent manure from leaking into the groundwater
What happens after manure is broken down by bacteria in a manure lagoon
Manure used as fertilizer
What does primary sewage treatment involve
Bar screen, grit chamber, settling tank
What does secondary treatment involve
Aeration tank, settling tank, chlorine disinfection tank
What is advanced treatment for sewage
Used chemical and physical processes to remove specific pollutants
What pollutants is advanced treatment for sewage meant to remove
Nitrates and phosphates
What is disinfection treatment for sewage
Chlorinating water to remove coloration, disease carrying bacteria, and some viruses
What is the concentration of nutrients in sewage based fertilizer
6 2 0
What sorts of chemicals are in sewage based fertilizer
N K P
What ecological system can be used to treat sewage
Natural and artificial wetlands
What is the farmers’ and developers’ argument against the CWA (clean water act)?
CWA limits their rights to fill in wetlands
What does thermal pollution in waterways cause?
Oxygen reduction
What are ways for city dwellers in developing countries to have water treatment?
UV Ray exposure, centralized water treatment plants, watershed protection
What are MCLs?
Maximum contamination Limits
Fecal Coliform and Giardia MCL
0
Arsenic MCL
10
What law did love canal result in
Superfund law, a cleanup law
Solid waste
Any unwanted/discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or gas
Where does MSW (municipal solid waste) come from?
Homes
Where does industrial solid waste come from?
Industries that supply goods n services
Hazardous (toxic) waste
Waste that threatens human health because it’s toxic, chemically active, corrosive, or flammable
Has MSW increased or decreased in the last 50 years
Increased
How much of the world’s solid waste does the Us produce?
1/3
What percentage of waste is industrial?
98.5%
What does most of industrial waste consist of?
Solid waste from mining
How much of the US’s MSW is recycled or composted?
30%
Had the MSW per capita (per person) increased or decreased in the past 50 years
It’s flattened more than anything else
By composition, what is the most MSW?
Paper (31%)
By source, what is the most MSW?
Containers and packaging (31%)
How much of MSW is organic material/potentially compostable?
64%
How much of MSW is recycled?
33%
What does E-waste consist of
Toxic and hazardous waste such as PCV, Lead, mercury, and cadmium
What is the first priority in integrated waste management
Changing the process so that waste isn’t being produced in the first place
What is the second priority of integrated waste manahement
“Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse”
What is the last priority of integrated waste management
Treating waste properly
What does “refuse” mean in the context of reducing solid waste?
Refusal to buy items you really don’t need
What are some downsides to reusing
Can be hazardous to poor people who scavenge in open dumps
What are some benefits to refilling and reusing containers?
Uses fewer resources, less energy, produces less waste, saves money, and makes jobs
What is more expensive, a recyclable used can or an aluminum can (used once)?
Aluminum can
What is primary (closed loop) recycling
Materials turned into new products of the same type
What is secondary recycling
Materials are converted into different products (ex: tires shredded and converted into rubberized road surfaces)
Benefits of recycling
Composting biodegradable paper mimics nature and recycling paper has environmental and economic benefits
How hot is an incinerator
2000 * C
What are some ways to convert hazardous waste to less hazardous substances
Incineration and plasma torches
Open dumps
Fields or holes in the ground where garbage is dumped and sometimes covered in soil
Sanitary landfills
Solid wasted spread out in layers n compacted between layers of clay/plastic foam
What are sanitary landfills designed for?
Gathering leachate for usage
What do you want in a landfill site generally
Soil rich in clay, away from waterways and high population
Problems with landfills
Leaching, methane production (explosion hazard)
What does RCRA stand for
Resource conservation and recovery act
What is the RCRA
“Cradle to grave”, you produce it, you’re responsible for it
What does CERCLA stand for
Comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act
What does CERCLA do/also known as
Superfund act, puts most of polluters funds into cleaning up their messes (30% gov funded)
What is the open dumping act
Prohibits dumping waste into territorial ocean waters
What is a brownfield
Contaminated industrial/commercial sites that require cleanup before they can be redeveloped or expanded
Bioremediation
Bacteria or enzymes help destroy hazardous waste/convert them to more benign substances
Phytoremediation
Involves using natural or genetically engineered plants to absorb, filter, and remove contaminants from polluted soil and water
What location practices phytoremediation
Henry Ford
What is Deep well disposal
Liquid hazardous waste pumped into dry porous rock far beneath aquifers
Surface impoundments
Excavated depressions such as ponds, pits, or lagoons into which liners are placed and liquid hazardous wastes are stored
How many commercial hazardous waste landfills are there in the us?
23
How is mercury released into the environment
Burning coal and incinerating wastes
Where is lead used
Leaded gasoline
Who is lead poisoning especially harmful to
Children
What is the acronym for cradle to grave
RECRA
