Surface water quality

Rivers, lakes, wetlands

Coastal water pollution in Peru due to tsunami
generated by Hunga Tonga Volcano eruption -
14 January 2022
 Major pollutant categories
• Oxygen demanding materials (COD, BOD)
• Nutrients (N, P)
• Pathogens (fecal microorganisms)
• Suspended solids and bottom sediments
• Salts
• Toxic metals
• Toxic organic chemicals
• Endocrine disruptive compounds
• Heat
 BOD represents biodegradation of organics (taking
place in BOD bottles, rivers, reactors, etc.)
Day 1 Day 5
O2 O2 O2 O2
Electron acceptor
O2
O2 O2 O2
O2
O2 O2

Organics = Electron donor

DO = 8 mg O2/L DO = 3 mg O2/L 4
 BOD and oxygen-equivalent relationship
BODu

Lo, L t, – total oxygen equivalent of organics (mass of organics) at time 0 and t

BODt (yt) – oxygen used in consumption of organics
K1 – reaction rate, decay of biomass
BODu (y u)– BOD ultimate = oxygen equivalent of initial Lo
BOD – temperature, time dependence
• BODu = BODt/(1 – e -kt); BOD5 = BODu(1 – e -kt)
• kT = k20ϴ T-20 ; kT = k20(1.047) T-20 ;
• BODu - ultimate BOD
• BODt – BOD after time t (e.g. BOD5 after 5 days )
• T – temperature different than T=20oC
• k20= reaction constant (decay) at temperature of
20oC
• kT = reaction constant (decay) at temperature
different than 20oC
 Important information 1
• Biodegradable organic pollutants are defined
by BODU, BOD, BOD5, NBOD, CBOD
• Surface water contains microorganisms
capable to degrad BOD to some extend
• Rate of degradation depends on oxygen
presence, temperature, microorganism
culture, availability of nutrients, salinity,
presence of toxicants, and type of a water
body
 Pollutants in river and lakes
• Source of contamination: point and non-
point sources of contamination, as well
as continuous, intermitted, and
instantaneous sources
• Behaviour of substances in rivers:
– conservative (no decay)
– non-conservative (decay
with a rate of kd)
 Important information 2
• Inorganic chemicals generally are recognized as
conservative pollutants however their properties
change with the redox state change
• Organic pollutants are recognized as biodegradable
pollutants although some of them are not fully
bioavailable
• Both environmental conditions and property of a
pollutant should be defined before general
statement are pronounce
 Important information 3
• Each component of hydrological cycle
contribute into pollution in water bodies
– Precipitations
– Runoff
– Infiltration
– Evaporation/
– evapotranspiration
– Retention
Columbia.edu
Real longitudinal velocity distribution is not
equal along the river

Downstream
flowrate
Cross-sectional velocity distribution is not the same between
the banks and different sections (a, b, c) of the river
Simplifies velocity distribution is used in
simplified models
 Important information 4
• Hydrological systems are often simplified
– Constant flow rate,
– Constant velocity in the rivers
– Uniform geological strata
– Uniform slope
– Average physicochemical properties of surface
and groundwater
– Geometric forms of reservoirs
– Average annual (centennial water), monthly or
seasonal discharge
Mass balance for conservative substances
in river
• s = ƩW/ ƩQ
ƩW – total load of a contaminant [Mass/Time]
ƩQ – total flow of all discharges upstream from
the cross-section of reference, x = 0 [L3/T]
Fate of non conservative contaminants
in rivers
• Single source
s = so exp(-kt*)
so, s - initial and final concentration [M/ L3]
k – decay rate coefficient [1/T]
t* - travel time [T]
• Multiple sources (two discharges)
s = so1 exp(-kx/v) + so2 exp[-k(x-L)/v] x>L
L – distance to second discharge [L]
v - River velocity
 Pollutants in rivers
• Control of BOD transport in rivers
• Dissolved oxygen
- The oxygen sag curve in river
• Nutrients’ impact to rivers - eutrophication
Ammonia (nitrification) → nitrate (denitrifaction) →
gaseous nitrogen
• Phosphorous: particulate, dissolved, ortophosphates
 Oxygen balance 1
Input of DO (dissolved oxygen):
a) Reoxygenation from the atmosphere with rate kr
b) Photosynthetic production during the day
light
CO2 + 2H2O → CH2O + O2 + H2O
Algal cells
c) DO coming from tributaries or clean effluents
 Oxygen balance 2
Oxygen demand
a) Respiration during the night
CH2O + O2 → CO2 + H2O
b) Respiration of all aquatic biota
c) Oxidation of CBOD with decay rate of kd
d) Oxidation of nitrogenous waste material
e) Oxygen demand of sediments in water body
Sag curve
 Oxygen profile in the river- sag curve
• Components:
– Saturation DOc or cs
– Concentration of oxygen (dissolved oxygen DO, c)
– Deficit of oxygen D = DOs – DO
– Da initial deficit (after mixing)
– Lu ultimate BODu of river water
– La, Lt – ultimate BODu (initial, at time t)
– Dc – critical deficit
– tc – critical time (critical distance)
– T - temperature
 Sag equation components
• DO balance components (cont):
– kd - deoxygenation rate constant
– kr - rearation rate constant
– t - time of travel of wastewater discharge
downstream
– tc - critical time
– xc - critical distance = tc.u
– u - average river velocity
– Flowrate - Q = u.A
– A - river crossection
 Sag curve equation
• Oxygen deficit in a river

D = [kdLa/(kr-kd)]{[exp(-kdt) – exp(-krt)]}+Da[exp(-krt)

If t =tc ; D=Dc critical deficit

Dc = kd/kr La exp [-kdtc]
tc = [1/(kr – kd)]ln{(kr/kd)[1 – Da(kr-kd)/kdLa]}
Critical travel time
u.tc = xc critical distance
 Schematic representation of river pollution from BOD
comprised in WWTP effluent . Critical deficit of DO and
critical distance downstream have to be found

Find critical deficit and a critical distance downstream.

Qe, BODe, DOe

Qu, Dou
BODU u Dc, xc = ?
t =0, x=0
 Eutrophication of river

Effect of nutrients runoff

Eutrophication is the movement of a

body of water’s trophic status in the
direction of increasing plant biomass,
by the addition of artificial or natural
substances, such as nitrates and
phosphates, through fertilizers or
sewage, to an aquatic system.
Lake eutrophication
 Mass balance in complete mixed lake
dVs/dt= W(t) –Qs –kVs
so, s- initial and final lake concentration, M/L3
k – decay coefficient, 1/T; W – load, M/T
Q- flowrate, L3/T; V – volume of lake, L3 ; t – time, T
Assuming a constant Q and k over time and V is temporarily constant
W(t) = Vds/dt +k’s
Where k’ = Q +kV, detention time V/Q = td
Equilibrium concentration in lake:
S = (W/Q)/ (1 + Ktd )
s= so exp { -[(1/ td) +k]t} “flushing of lake”
Concentration in lake based on initial conditions and step load (W)
s= W/(Q+kV)({1-exp[-[(Q/V)+k]t})+soexp{- [(Q/V)+k]t}
 Water quality in lakes
• Temperature and water density:
seasonal vertical movement in the lake

• Stratification in deep lakes:

– epilimnion (upper oxygenated zone),
– hypolimnion (bottom anoxic/ anaerobic
zone)
– metalimnion (transition zone, thermocline)
Lake stratification
 Engineering lake management
• Point source control (upgrade treatment facilities)
• Non-point source control (green barriers, land
protection)
• Diversion to land application (irrigation, recycling)
• Dredging (might have side effect – metals oxidation)
• Chemical inactivation (coagulant application)
• Aeration (diffusors in hypolimnion)
• Herbicide/harvesting (efficient but risky)
• Biomanipulation (introduction of piscivore decrease
algal growth (risky)
Types of wetlands
• Wetland - transition between terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystem
• Source of water: rainfall, groundwater, input
from another water body
• Position of the water table (above or below
water surface)
• Hydroperiod (seasonal water depth)
• Levels of nutrients and organic matter
 Swamp
Types of wetlands
• Marsh: inundated with water, soft-stemmed vegetation
• Swamp: water, woody vegetation
• Bog: water from precipitations, acidic,
poor in nutrients, peat-forming conditions Fen
• Fen: runoff and groundwater supply,
richer in nutrients, less acidic
Characteristics: hydric soil in anaerobic conditions,
H2S, rich in organic, low ORP.
Hydrophytic plants adapted to acidic soil,
with low oxygen

Bog
Marsh
 Wetland functions
• Water storage and flood mitigation (storm
water, reduce erosion)
• Filtration of water, removal of bacteria, TSS,
nutrients and toxic substances (denitrification
to N2, plants and iron oxides uptake
pollutants, die-off microorganisms, )
• Wildlife habitat (food source)
• Biogeochemical cycling of materials (emission
of CH4, H2S, N2O, transformation of carbon)
Constructed wetlands
• Polishing of wastewater, agriculture
runoff, stormwater, mining drainage,
mitigation of flood impact.
• Site selection – should collaborate with
watershed
• Site development: building cells, formation
bottom impermeable layer and berms,
assuring flowrate, promoting diversity of
plants and animals, encouraging
outdoor activities.
 Bioretention cells
• Shallow depression where stormwater is
redirected to infiltration (recharge
groundwater), nutrient removal, adsorbe
contaminants before infiltration to
groundwater.
• Constituents: drainage system with/without
underdrain pipe, with/without discharged
pipe, local vegetation, liners, layer of fertile
soil.
Bioretention cells – examples
 Bioswals (infiltration trenches)
• Engineered channels with local vegetations
• Components: long, meandering water pass
enhancing infiltration (also along the roads,
parking lots), grass cover, (sometimes
permeable pavement), adsorb spring flood
(excessive runoff) or torrential rain
consequences, selective plants can also be
used (less irrigation, less frequent
maintenance), layer of fertile soil.
See example in Moodle