Water Pollution:

ABANTE, JOHNNY JENDL L.

ECE - 3302
 Appropriate land-use practices and careful disposal of industrial, domestic, and
agricultural wastes are essential for control of water pollution. One way to reduce
pollution and the cheapest way possible is source reduction.

 By the means of source reduction, this is usually to avoid producing it or

releasing it to the environment in the first place.

 Among the greatest remaining challenges in water pollution are nonpoint

pollution sources.

 Nonpoint sources have numerous routes by which contaminants enter ground

and surface waters. Some main causes of nonpoint pollution are:
 Agriculture
 Urban runoffs
 Construction sites
 Land disposal
Figure 6.1. Erosion on construction sites produces a great deal of sediment and is a major cause of nonpoint water pollution. Builders
are generally required to install barriers to contain sediments, but these measures are often ineffectual.
 There are ways on how to protect water quality, such as applying precisely
determined amounts of fertilizer, irrigation water, and pesticides.

 In urban areas, reducing materials carried away by the storm runoff is helpful.

 As we have already seen, human and animal wastes usually create the most
serious health-related water pollution problems. More than 500 types of disease-
causing (pathogenic) bacteria, parasites, and viruses can travel from human to
animal excrement through water. There are ways in how to prevent the spread of
these diseases:
 1. NATURAL PROCESSES

 The development of septic tanks and properly constructed drain fields

represented a considerable improvement in public health.

 In a typical septic system, wastewater is first drained into a septic tank. Grease
and oils rise to the top and solids settle to the bottom, where they are subject to
bacterial decomposition. The clarified effluent from the septic tank is channeled
out through a drain field of small perforated pipes embedded in gravel just below
the surface of the soil. The rate of aeration is high in this drain field so that
pathogens (most of which are anaerobic) will be killed, and soil microorganisms
can metabolize any nutrients carried by the water. Excess water percolates up
through the gravel and evaporates. Periodically, the solids in the septic tank are
pumped out into a tank truck and taken to a treatment plant for disposal.
 1. NATURAL PROCESSES

Figure 6.2. A domestic septic tank and drain field system for sewage and wastewater disposal. To work properly, a septic tank must
have healthy microorganisms, which digest toilet paper and feces. For this reason, antimicrobial cleaners and chlorine bleach should
never be allowed down the drain.
 2. MUNICIPAL SEWAGE TREATMENT

 Over the past 100 years, sanitary engineers have developed ingenious and
effective municipal wastewater treatment systems to protect human health,
water quality, and ecosystem stability. The typical municipal sewage treatment
facility works like this:

 Primary treatment is the first step in municipal waste treatment. It physically

separates large solids from the waste stream.

 Secondary treatment consists of biological degradation of the dissolved organic

compounds.

 Tertiary treatment removes plant nutrients, especially nitrates and phosphates,

from the secondary effluent.
 MUNICIPAL SEWAGE TREATMENT

Figure 6.3. (a) Primary sewage treatment removes only solids and suspended sediment. (b) Secondary treatment, through aeration of
activated sludge (or biosolids), followed by sludge removal and chlorination of effluent, kills pathogens and removes most organic
material. (c) During tertiary treatment, passage through a trickling bed evaporator and/or a lagoon or marsh further removes
inorganic nutrients, oxidizes any remaining organics, and reduces effluent volume.
 3. LOW-COST WATER TREATMENT
 The municipal sewage systems that are used in developed countries are often too
expensive to build and operate in the developing world where low-cost, low-tech
alternatives for treating wastes are needed.

Effluent Sewerage
Use natural or
artificial wetlands
 3. LOW-COST WATER TREATMENT

Figure 6.4. In India, a poplar plantation thrives on raw sewage water piped directly from nearby homes. Innovative solutions like this
can make use of nutrients that would pollute water systems.
4. ON-SITE SANITATION AND SAFELY MANAGED SANITATION
 Households or businesses not served by a municipal treatment plant may have an
individual septic tank, which pre-treats the wastewater on site and infiltrates it
into the soil. This can lead to groundwater pollution if not properly done.

5. INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT

 Industries that generate wastewater with high concentrations of organic matter
(e.g. oil and grease), toxic pollutants (e.g. heavy metals, volatile organic
compounds) or nutrients such as ammonia, need specialized treatment systems.
Some industries install a pre-treatment system to remove the pollutants, and
then discharge the partially treated wastewater to the municipal sewer system.
 6. AGRICULTURAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Non – point sources
 Farmers may utilize erosion controls to reduce runoff flows and retain soil on their
fields.
 Techniques include contour plowing, crop mulching, crop rotation, planting perennial
crops and installing riparian buffers.
 Farmers can develop and implement nutrient management plans to reduce excess
application of nutrients and reduce the potential for nutrient pollution.
Point sources
 Animal slurries are usually treated by containment in anaerobic lagoons before
disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland. Constructed wetlands are
sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes. Some animal slurry are
treated by mixing with straw and composted at high temperature to produce
bacteriological sterile and friable manure for soil improvement.
 7. EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL FROM CONSTRUCTION SITES

Sediment from construction sites is managed by installation of:

 erosion controls, such as mulching and hydroseeding, and

 Sediment controls, such as sediment basins and silt fences.

Discharge of toxic chemicals such as motor fuels and concrete washout is prevented
by use of:

 spill prevention and control plans, and

 Specially designed containers (e.g. for concrete washout) and structures such as
overflow controls and diversion berms.
 8. CONTROL OF URBAN RUNOFF

 Effective control of urban runoff involves reducing the velocity and flow of storm
water, as well as reducing pollutant discharges.

 Local governments use a variety of storm water management techniques to

reduce the effects of urban runoff.

 Pollution prevention practices include low-impact development techniques,

installation of green roofs and improved chemical handling (e.g. management of
motor fuels & oil, fertilizers and pesticides). Runoff mitigation systems include
infiltration basins, bioretention systems, constructed wetlands, retention basins
and similar devices.
 Just as there are many sources for water contamination, there are many ways to
clean it up.

Water Remediation

Extraction
Containment

Phytoremediation
Water Pollution:

ABANTE, JOHNNY JENDL L.

ECE - 3302
The Passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972

 A bold, bipartisan step determined to “restore and maintain the chemical,

physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters”.

 One of the most effective and significant pieces of environmental legislation ever
passed by the U.S. Congress. It also is an immense and complex law, with more
than 500 sections.

 The goal of the Clean Water Act was to return all U.S. surface waters to “fishable
and swimmable” conditions. For specific “point” sources, the act requires
discharge permits and best practicable control technology (BPT). It sets
national goals of best available, economically achievable technology (BAT), for
toxic substances and zero discharge for 126 priority toxic pollutants.
The Passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972

 These regulations have had a positive effect on water

quality.

 Not everyone, however, is completely happy with the Clean

Water Act. State, and local governments, industries,
farmers, land developers, and others who have been forced
to spend money or change their operations on water
protection often feel imposed upon.
 Safe Drinking Water Act - Regulates water quality in commercial and municipal systems.

 Critics complain that standards and enforcement policies are too lax, especially for rural water districts
and small towns. Some researchers report pesticides, herbicides, and lead in drinking water at levels
they say should be of concern (fig. 6.5.). Atrazine, for instance, was detected in 96 percent of all surface-
water samples in one study of 374 communities across 12 states. Remember, however, that simply
detecting a toxic compound is not the same as showing dangerous levels.

Figure 6.5 Nine herbicide active ingredients and metabolites found in drinking water samples in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in spring of 1995,
compared to federal Maximum Concentration Levels (MCL). The use of these chemicals, and their presence in water sources, has increased
in subsequent years.
 The Superfund program for remediation of toxic waste sites was created
in 1980 by the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and was amended by the
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1984.

 This program is designed to provide immediate response to emergency

situations and to provide permanent remedies for abandoned or inactive
sites.

 These programs provide many jobs for environmental science majors in

monitoring and removal of toxic wastes and landscape restoration. A
variety of methods have been developed for remediation of problem
sites.
 As an archipelago, our country, The
Philippines, is surrounded with water.
It ranks fourth with the longest
coastline in the world measuring
36,289 km while its water area covers
1,830 sq. km (The World Factbook).

 With the use of these water

resources, that played a significant
role in its development, combined
with the rising demands of the
increasing population, have caused
damage to these water resources.
 As early as 1996, the observation of the country’s rivers showed that only 51% of the
classified rivers still met the standards for their most beneficial use. The rest were already
polluted from domestic, industrial and agricultural sources. Most studies stated the fact
that domestic wastewater is the principal cause of organic pollution (at 48%) of our water
bodies. Yet, only 3% of investments in water supply and sanitation were going to sanitation
and sewage treatment.

 Because of that, a law was signed to “pursue a policy of economic growth in a manner
consistent with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish
and marine waters” (Section 2[4]).
Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004

 Aims to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution from land-based
sources, (such as industries and commercial buildings, agriculture, and also
community/household activities.

 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), as the

primary agency responsible for the implementation of the CWA, shall take the
lead in the enforcement, implementation, and the preparation of the said act.
The CWA is one way to safeguard our country’s water resources. It provides
sanctions for those who will pollute the water.