Lecture 12: Water Quality Concepts Flashcards
What are some sources of nonpoint source pollution?
Soil erosion and sedimentation; Construction activities; Animal feed lots; Urban runoff; Acid mine drainage; Fallout of atmospheric pollutants; and Pesticide and fertilizer runoff
What are some characteristics of Point Source Pollution?
Localized and Confined area; Concentrated Pollutants; and Easy to monitor, treat & control
What are some characteristics for Non point Source Pollution?
Widespread and dispersed area; Diluted Pollutants Concentration but high volume; and More Difficult to monitor, treat and control
List some water quality laws
Clean Water Act
National Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems
What does the NPDES regulate?
In Stream Waste Reduction; (2)Waste Recycling; (3) NPS Pollution – voluntary including Best Management Practices (BMPs) and Stormwater Ponds; and (4)Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Estimates
What are all under the Water Quality Criteria
Biological Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen, turbidity, pH, Temperature, Nutrient Levels (Ph and N); Coliform Bacteria; and Chlorine Levels
What are some BOD sources?
Raw sewrage, Cannery Waste, Paper Mill Effluent and Wool Scouring Plant
What is the BOD EPA standard for sewrage treatment plants?
30 mg/l
Is COD greater than BOD?
Yes
If we have a watershed with a volume of 100L, and a DO level of 10 mg/l, What is the mg/l of oxygen?
1000
If our waste has a BOD of 100 mg/l and 10 liters of wast is discharged what is the DO level?
0 mg/l
What is waste load allocation (Q10’s)?
don’t allow DO level to fall below 25% of ambient conditions during low flow, minimal oxygen conditions
What are some impacts of the Charleston harbour NPDES permit impacts?
Westvaco & Bayer - were in compliance with NPDES permit 85% of the time and only minor excursions > permit limits were observed; (2) Maccalloy - never in compliance & exceeded Chromium levels by 70X permit levels. Discharge site at Shipyard Creek has 2-3 parts per thousand (highest levels in the world) levels of Cd in sediments, requiring a closure of the area for seafood consumption.
What place has the 6th highest level of cancer risk inthe US and which has the 4th?
The Charleston Harbour is 6th, Savannah River has 4th.
Explain the 3 zones of BOD impacts
High DO & Low BOD (above discharge) with bass, crayfish, perch, clam, stone fly nymphs; sediments have detritus overlaying sand, silt, & clay; (2) Low Oxygen Tolerant Zone (Zone 2)
- DO is partially reduced and a thin layer of sludge resides over detritus/sediments
with Garr, carp, catfish = O2 Tolerant Species; and (3) Pollution Tolerant Zone (Zone 3) - Zone of maximum impact with Bacteria , fungi, & sludge worms
along with a thick layer of sludge over bottom sediments with no benthos other than microbes and sludge worms; DO levels < 1 mg/L
What type of animals is Total coliform for?
Warm blooded animals
What type of animals is Fecal Coliform for?
More Human Specific
What is the US Total shellfish acreage?
24,759,708 acres
What is the SC Total shellfish acreage?
570,000 acres
What are water DBP’s?
Chemicals used to disinfect water are associated with by-products of chlorination called DBPs including chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide, and ozone.
What are some examples of Trihalomethanes?
Bromoform and Chloroform, which are among the most common and widely measured DBPs.
What are some adverse health effects of DBP’s?
Still Births, Neonatal deaths, birth defecrs, bladder and bone cancer
What is the criteria for chlorine in drinking water?
1-2 mg/l
Sewerage Treatment plant & ps industrial discharges
<0.05 mg/l
What is a source of chlorine?
Chesapeake Bay
Does dechlorination reduce chronic toxicity risk from thm’s?
no
What happens at a primary treatment/ physical treatment plant.
Physical treatment which includes processes such as screens, filtration, settlement = reduces suspended solids by 45% and some BOD. Then waste is chlorinated and discharged or goes on to Secondary Treatment and sludge & dissolved organics are left behind;
What happens at a secondary treatment plant/ Biological treatment?
–including processes such as Trickling Filter or Activated Sludge followed by Secondary Settling Tank (Clarifier). Waste is then chlorinated and discharged or passed on to Tertiary Treatment
What happens when discharge is passed to 2nd treatment at biological treatment processes?
Treatment removes dissolved BOD (85-90%), some N and Ph (10-30%);
What happens at a tertiary treatment/ chemical treatment?
a)Lime Flocculation - Removes Phosphorous; (b)Ammonia Stripping by changing pH to 5 – Removes Ammonia; (c)Charcoal Filtering which removes dissolved organic compounds; and (d)Chlorination and Discharge
How much percent of STP’s are tertiary treatment? And what is an example?
<5%. Myrtle Beach ( STP)
How much percent of rivers and streams are impaired?
35%
How much percent of rivers and streams impaired?
65%
What are some impairment causes ?
Siltation, Excess algae growth, DO depletion
What are some sources of impairments in rivers?
Agriculture, Urban NPS run-off, Industrial Point Sources and Land disposal
How many people in the world live without a toilet?
2.5 billion
What happens every 15 seconds world wide?
1 person dies from a lack of clean water and sanitation
