1.

Bozeman video - Water pollution - Unit 8 (10 pts)

● Water pollution is anything that decreases the water quality of lakes, streams,
rivers, etc.
○ Point pollution - coming out of one pipe or ship
○ Non point pollution - coming from all of the farmer’s fields in an area
○ Groundwater pollution - in the water table underneath the ground
● Major pollutant - waste water (animal and human waste)
● BOD (Biological oxygen demands)
○ Amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break
down organic materials, the lower the better
● Dead zones
○ In a body of water, an area with extremely low oxygen concentration and
very little life
● Cultural eutrophication
○ An increase in fertility in a body of water, the result of anthropogenic
inputs of nutrients
● Fecal coliform and e coli
○ 2 forms of bacteria that can tell if diseases are in the water
● Chemical pollutants
○ Metals, oils, synthetics, acids
● Nonchemical pollutants
○ Sediments, solid waste, thermal
● Septic system
○ A sewage treatment system, made up of a septic tank and a leach field,
often used for homes in rural areas
● Pollution leads to algae bloom
● Sewage pretreatment
○ Moves big bits of garbage out of water and treating with a little bit of
oxygen
● Sewage primary treatment - lets sediments settle out
 ● Sewage secondary treatment - aerates the water to aid bacteria

2. Reading notes - p 382 - 403 (20pts)

● Water pollution-contamination of a water source by substances produced by

human activities that can damage the ecosystem
● Point sources-distinct locations that pump its waste into nearby streams or
wastewater treatment plants that takes it into the ocean
● Nonpoint sources-diffuse areas like a whole farming region
● Wastewater is produced by human activities like sewage systems
● Wastewater can carry a wide variety of disease-causing organisms
● Oxygen demanding waste-organic matter that enters a body of water and feeds
the growth of the microbes that are decomposers
● Biochemical oxygen demand or BOD-amount of oxygen a quantity of water uses
over a period of time at a specific temperature
● Lower BOD means lower pollution
● Dead zones are areas with little oxygen and little life
● Eutrophication- abundance of fertility in a body of water
● Eutrophication caused by anthropogenic inputs of nutrients is called cultural
eutrophication
● There is an impressive dead zones where the Gulf of Mexico meets the
Mississippi River
● Human wastewater can contain many deadly pathogens
● In developing countries access to safe drinking water is limited
● Indicator species indicate whether disease-causing pathogens are present
● Fecal coliform bacteria live in the intestines of humans
● E coli is a common one, and can indicate other pathogens are present
● Septic systems are sewage treatment systems
● No electricity is needed to run a septic tank-gravity does the work
● Primary treatment is meant to separate the solid waste from the wastewater, it is
then filtered in secondary treatment
● When treated water is released into a lake or river inorganic nutrients can
damage it
● Sometimes raw sewage is pumped into bodies of water-like when there is
increased rainfall overflow
● Animal feedlots create a lot of manure which are pumped into large man-made
ponds lined with rubber call manure lagoons
● Leaks in the liner can contaminate nearby water sources
● Lead contaminates water as it passes through older pipes
● Water filtration systems in houses can eliminate this threat
● Arsenic in rocks can contaminate groundwater
● Arsenic can be removed through fine membrane filtration, distillation, and
reverse osmosis
● Arsenic in water can lead to cancer and takes 10 or more years to develop
● Even low concentrations of arsenic can cause big problems
● Mercury is released through human activity like burning coal, incinerating
garbage and hazardous waste
● Methylmercury is highly toxic to humans and damages the central nervous
system
● Human exposure to it is usually through consumption of seafood
● Acid deposition occurs as wet in rain and snow but dry in gasses and particles
● To combat acids being passed into the atmosphere coal scrubbers are used
● Coal scrubbers filter the hot gasses through limestone, which reacts with the
gasses and removes them from what leaves into the air
● Low pH and high acidity can damage aquatic organisms
● Pesticides kill a variety of organisms and can alter the biodiversity of an area
● They also have side effects that can travel up a food chain
● Inert ingredients can be dangerous, and are not required to be tested for safety
● Where military rockets are produced, harmful chemicals leak into the
environment
● Industrial compounds are those used in manufacturing, PCBs have caused many
environmental problems
● Ingested PCBs are carcinogenic
● Oil spilled into water can create a thick and vast covering on shorelines that is
difficult to remove
● Drilling for undersea oil can leak oil into the ocean
● Deep Water Horizon oil spill leaked 780 million liters of crude oil into the Gulf of
Mexico
● Oil tankers can also spill oil into the water and kill many aquatic animals and
even seagulls
● Natural oil also seeps from the bottom of the ocean
● For oil on the surface of water, the main approach is to gather it in one area and
suck it off the water’s surface
● Chemicals can be used to break up the oil before it reaches the shoreline
● Genetically engineered bacteria can consume oil spills faster-still in development
● High pressure hot water used to remove oil can also remove marine life
● Solid waste can infest the ocean and beaches
● Plastic rings can strangle animals and medical waste threatens humans on
beaches
● Coal ash and slug left behind when it is burned contains many harmful chemicals
● Human activities like construction of homes lead to increased sediments
● Waterways can become brown and cloudy due to this and plants receive less
sunlight
● Thermal pollution is the change in temperature of water due to human activity
● Dramatic changes in temperature can kill many species-thermal shock
● EPA regulates how much heated water can return to bodies of water
● Sonar can have negative effects on animals-like whales and their communication
● Clean Water Act focuses mainly on surface waters
● Water pollution legislation differs greatly amongst developing and developed
countries
 ● Developing countries have less restrictive environmental laws and less money to
fund water quality improvement systems
● Ashfield and New England Biolabs wanted to build sewage treatment facilities
using environmentally friendly technologies
● These alternative sewage treatment facilities work like greenhouses
● It costs more to operate them, but it seems worth it to those that can afford it

3. Practice Problems - 404-407 (46 pts.)

MCQ (1-14)

1. d
2. e
3. b
4. d
5. c
6. e
7. a
8. b
9. c
10. c
11. d
12. a
13. e
14. b

FRQ - 1(a-d), 2 (a-c)

1a. 335 million difference which is decreasing. It will go up and down but will ultimately
keep decreasing and be lower by 2020.

1b. Water coming into the bay may contain an abundance of nutrients, sediments, and
chemicals, which can come from sewage treatment plants, animal waste, and the use of
fertilizer. sediments washed away from outside areas cause dust clouds, which block the
sun, stop the grass from growing, and destroy habitats for crabs. rain washes fertilizer
into the water, and pills from treatment plants.

1c. Birth control pills could be brought into a pharmacy instead of being flushed down
the toilet.

1d. The clean water act because it is supposed to "protect and propagation of fish,
shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water".

2a. Burning fossil fuels and incineration of garbage, hazardous materials, medical
supplies, and dental supplies. by creating laws stating mercury emissions shall be
reduced.

2b. Bioaccumulation causes the top consumer to acquire the highest amount of mercury,
which happens to be tuna.

2c. Damages the central nervous system, particularly in children, and the developing
embryo in women.

Impact - (a-d)

A. (i) India, China, Japan, United States of America

(ii) The deaths among children under 5 years old due to diarrheal diseases seem
to be directly connected to access to improved drinking water sources and improved
sanitation.

(iii) I predict that for the United States and India, the number of deaths will be
about the same, but for China and Japan, I predict the number of death will go down
because their access to improved drinking water sources and improved sanitation has
gone up dramatically.

B. Each country should continue efforts to increase the percentage of the

population with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation. They can also
make diarrheal disease vaccinations.
 C. India = 49:62 (79% global average), China = 351:620 (56% global average), Japan =
1153:1240 (93% global average), US = 2483:1240 (double the global average)

Generally, the greater the footprint (or the larger the ratio of the country’s water
usage to the global average) the greater the water pollution produced by that country.
This is the typical trend because when a country uses water to produce goods and
services this water tends to become polluted or contaminated during industrial use.
Thus, the more water used, the more water is polluted.

D. Aquatic weeds or algae- Although naturally occurring and not widely considered

pollutants; an access of aquatic weeds or algae can reduce water quality by

decreasing oxygen levels (thus limiting the organisms that can survive in the

water body) and increasing pH levels. The impact of weeds and algae can be

drastically increased by the presence of pollutants (such as excess nitrogen) in an

area. Sedimentation- This is a natural process in which sediments (sand, clay,

gravel, etc.) are deposited and accumulate in a body of water. Sedimentation can

reduce water quality due to the fact that it reduces water clarity, negatively

impacts aquatic life, and degrades habitats. Sedimentation can occur due to

runoff or even the natural flow of a river.