Water Cycle: 6 major processes – Precipitation, Surface Runoff, Infiltration, Evaporation, Transpiration and Condensation.

A watershed or drainage basin is an area of land where

water from rain and melting snow or ice drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir , wetland. Implemented to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and
enhance stream and wetland habitat.Land usage and water treatment methods are important in maintaining water quality methods.Sources of water pollution - point source
pollution (indiustries, residential, environmental and commercial) or nonpoint source pollution (many different places). Types of pollution – Organic (decomposition of
livingorganisms & bi-products), inorganic (silts, salts & minerals), toxic (heavy metals, chemical compounds), thermal pollution (waste heat industries and power generation process).
There are four types of estuaries: coastal plain estuaries, which formed as rising sea level invaded existing river valleys; fjords, which are steep-walled valleys created by glaciers;
tectonic estuaries, which are formed when geologic faulting or folding resulted in a
Light penetration Streams – flowing water that is depression and; bar-built estuaries, which are separated from the ocean by barrier
stratification-ponds/lakes divided into recurring or perennial. Smallest tributaries beaches lyingparallel to the coastline. The survival of organisms is influenced by living
2 layers due to decrease in light referred to as first order streams. Largest (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors such as light (photosynthesis), oxygen
intensity. Upper photic zone – layer river is twelfth order waterway. First order (respiration), water (organism comprised of more than 50-90% water), nutrients (water,
where light sufficient for thru third order streams called headwater. N, P, C), temperature (affects metabolic and growth rates), salinity (organisms spending
photosynthesis. Lower aphotic 80% of Earth’s waterways are headwater their life in estuaries need to be caapble of adjusting to rapid salinity variations), and
receives little light and no streams. 2 first order streams join together space (nesting, gathering food, hiding from predators). Biotic factors control abundance
photosynthesis occurs. Temperature to form second order streams. River and ditribution of organisms. The theory of competitive exclusion maintains that species
stratification occurs in deeper continuum concept is a model used to who utilize the same resources cannot coexist indefinitely - the "one niche, one species"
ponds/lakes during summer. determine biotic community as stream size concept. resource partitioning - the resources are divided, permitting species with similar
Thermocline - separation point of the increases. requirements to use the same resources in different areas, ways and/or times: Neutral -
warmer upper layer from the lower two species that don't interact at all Commensalism - beneficial to one species but neutral
colder water. Distribution of plants to another, e.g. birds that nest in trees, epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants) such
and animals in a lake or pond shows as tropical orchids Mutualism - an interaction that is beneficial to both species, e.g. plants
stratification based on water depth and their pollinators, plants and animals that disperse their seeds, certain fungi and plant
and distance from the shore. roots. Parasitism - an interaction that benefits one species and is detrimental to another.
Note that the host is generally not killed. Predation - an interaction beneficial to one species and detrimental to another. In this case the prey is killed. Predators are those that kill and
eat other animals. Although many organisms eat plants they usually don’t kill them because they are a constant supply of food. Prey are killed and eaten. Energy flows through
ecosystems via food webs, intricate pathways of energy flow and material cycling. Ecosystems are arranged by trophic (feeding) levels between various producers, the autotrophs,
consumers & heterotrophs: First trophic level - contains the autotrophs which build energy containing molecules. They also absorb nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur and other molecules
necessary for life. They provide both an energy-fixation base as well as the nutrient-concentration base for ecosystems. Two types of autotrophs: Photoautotrophs - plants and some
Protista Chemoautotrophs – bacteria. Second trophic level - contains the primary consumers which eat the primary producers including herbivores, decomposers and detritivores,
e.g. insects, grasshoppers, deer and wildebeest. Third trophic level - contains the secondary consumers, primary carnivores which eat the herbivores, e.g. mice, spiders and many
birds. Fourth trophic level - contains the tertiary consumers, secondary carnivores who eat the primary carnivores, e.g. weasel, owl, sharks and wolves. Linear food chains as
described above are probably rare in nature because the same food source may be part of several interwoven food chains and many organisms have several food sources. Population
Characteristics: Population size-number of individuals making up its gene pool; Population density-number of individuals per unit of area or volume, e.g. persons/square mile.
Population distribution-the general pattern in which the population members are dispersed through its habitat, may be: Clumped (most common), Uniformly dispersed (rare), or
Randomly dispersed Age structure defines the relative proportions of individuals of each age: Pre-reproductive, Reproductive, and Post-reproductive Populationsize and growth.

Sewage Treatment Activated sludge- Once the BOD of sewage or

waste water is reduced significantly, the
effluent is then passed into a settling tank
where the bacterial ‘flocs’ are allowed to
sediment. This sediment is called activated
sludge.Anaerobic sludge digesters- A small
part of the activated sludge is pumped back
into the aeration tank to serve as the
inoculum.The remaining major part of the
sludge is pumped into large tanks called
anaerobic sludge digesters where anaerobic
bacteria and the fungi digest the sludge.
Methane by product from sludge tank and is
burned to fuel the treatment facility. The
remaining sludge is burned or buried in a land
fill and the fluid is recycled 3) Tertiary
treatment – the fluid from the secondary
treatment is cleansed of phosphate and nitrate
1) Primary treatment : Physical removal of
products that could cause pollution before the
particles – large and small – from the sewage
water is returned to a natural water
through filtration and sedimentation
source. Total Solids TS – measures the
2) Secondary treatment or Biological
suspended solids SS (retained on a water
treatment: After primary treatment, the
filter- e.g. silt, plankton, organic wastes,
primary effluent is passed into large aeration
inorganic particles) and dissolved solids DS
tanks where it is constantly agitated
(pass through water filter e.g. nitrogen,
mechanically and air is pumped associated
calcium, bicarbonates, phosphorous, irons,
with fungal filaments to form mesh like
sulphur and other ions) in water. Low
structures). BOD (biochemical oxygen
concentrations of TS can limit growth of
demand) is the amount of the oxygen that
aquatic organisms. High concentrations of
would be consumed if all the organic matter
SS reduce water quality, affect turbidity,
in one liter of water were oxidized by
affect photosynthesis, increase water
bacteria.
temperature
 1) Chemical addition of lime
and alum to form sticky
particles called floc that attract
dirt particles 2) Dirt and other
particles are attracted by flock
during flocculation and
coagulation 3) Sedimentation
allows floc materials to sink to
the bottom and be filtered out
4) Filtration is accomplished by
layers of sand, gravel, and/or
charcoal 5) Chlorine is added
C1 - sensitive and thewater
C2 – mod sensitive C3 ismod
stored in tanks
tolerant C4 C5 NP NA
forthe disinfection process to
occur and the microbes to be
killed