Module 2: Watersheds, Water Quality, and Eutrophication

Question 1

watershed approach

Answer 1

study the impact of agriculture on water quality and apply solutions to water quality issues

Question 2

misconceptions about the watershed approach

Answer 2

Represents a volume, not just a surface
Less shed and more soil

Question 3

what does a flux represent?

Answer 3

represents the flow of water from one pool to another

Question 4

how much of precipitations falls on our ice-free land surface?

Answer 4

76%

Question 5

natural ecosystem

Answer 5

water infiltrates the soil where it is stored and filtered

Question 6

urban ecosystem

Answer 6

runoff is promoted, disconnecting the soil from the water cycle

Question 7

water quality

Answer 7

reflects the chemical, biological, and physical composition of a water body

Question 8

what is the biggest contributors of nutrient pollution into the water of the US?

Answer 8

agriculture

Question 9

what events occurred prior to the clean water act of 1972?

Answer 9

Three cholera pandemics
Diarrhoeal disease
High death toll
Spurred cities to treat drinking water and build wastewater treatment facilities
The cuyahoga river, once one of the most polluted rivers in the united states, caught on fire thirteen times from 1868 to 1970

Question 10

top sources for pollution in lakes

Answer 10

unknown, atmosphere, deposition, agriculture, and natural

Question 11

top sources for pollution in rivers

Answer 11

agriculture, atmosphere, deposition, hydrologic modifications

Question 12

top causes of pollution in lakes

Answer 12

mercury, nutrients, and PCBs

Question 13

top causes of pollution in rivers

Answer 13

pathogens, sediment, and nutrients

Question 14

point source pollution

Answer 14

pollutant discharged from well-defined sources

Question 15

nonpoint source pollution

Answer 15

surface/groundwater contamination (diffuse sources)
not sure where the pollution occurred

Question 16

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)

Answer 16

Defined as having 1,000 or more animal units
Waste is often discharged into a man-made ditch or other waterway
What happens with waste is regulated

Question 17

how does the pollutant get to the surface water body?

Answer 17

for point source, it comes from a pipe or other manmade structure
from non-point source, it comes from rain/stormwater

Question 18

the enrichment of water by nutrients causing an accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms present in the water and to the quality of the water concerned

Answer 18

eutrophication

Question 19

eutrophication process

Answer 19

Nutrients from the land run off into the pond
Excess nutrients cause algae to bloom
Dying algae sink to the bottom of the pond
Bacteria consumes the decaying algae
Oxygen is used up by the bacteria
Low oxygen “dead” zones harm other aquatic life

Question 20

what does eutrophication require?

Answer 20

Sunlight and excess nutrients
Warm temperatures
Stratification
Wet weather followed by warm, dry weather

Question 21

what is a watershed?

Answer 21

a land area whose runoff drains into any stream, river, lake, and ocean
- all land area is part of a watershed

Question 22

what are the 5 functions of a watershed?

Answer 22

• collects water from rainfall
• stores water of various amounts and for different times
• releases water as runoff
• provides diverse sites for chemical reactions to take place
• provides habitat for flora and fauna
• first three are hydraulic functions, last two are ecological functions

Question 23

what were the goals of watersheds in florida in 1845?

Answer 23

Drain the swamps to make way for houses and farming;
Cut canals to facilitate drainage and to make navigation faster and safer; and
Hold back flood water.

Question 24

what are the 5 large basins in florida?

Answer 24

Northwest;
Suwannee River;
St. Johns River;
Southwest; and
Kissimmee-Everglades

Question 25

what are the three management activities of watersheds?

Answer 25

Rehabilitation of abandoned and misused lands that export excess sediment, chemicals, or ill-timed runoff;
Protection of natural and sensitive areas to avoid having to rehabilitate them; and
Enhancement of water resource characteristics.

Question 26

what is the aim of the clean water act?

Answer 26

aims to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution in the nation’s water in order to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”

Question 27

pollutant according to CWA

Answer 27

is any type of industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.

Question 28

Explain why this statement is true or false: water quality is the same as water pollution.

Answer 28

false
Water quality reflects the chemical, biological, and physical composition of a water body
The intended purpose of water determines water quality standards
If the water is to support natural ecosystems, then we cannot call that water body impaired because it does not meet our drinking water quality standards