Water Usage and Water Pollution

Water Resources

1. Surface Water –fresh water on Earth’s landscapes a. River Systems b. Watersheds 2. Groundwater  Porosity-The percentage of water that can come through the pores in the rock. (How permeable is the rock area?) o Impermeable –No water can go pass this point  Water table-Zone of saturation  Found in aquifers o Zone of aeration-where water enters the aquifer o Zone of discharge-The place where groundwater leaves the aquifer and becomes surface water o Recharge zone- The water that percolates (goes down the rock pores) down to the aquifer . Pollution enters in the aquifer by the recharge zone

3. Glacial Ice  Melting icebergs dilute the ocean waters with fresh water  Icebergs are hazardous and some companies move them slightly to change their paths to avoid offshore work areas.  Tiny worms live in temperate glacial ice. o They eat pollen grains, fern spores, and red algae found on the ice. o At the mouth of Cooper River in Cordova, Alaska has an Iceworm Festival every year during the first full week of February (for six days) to celebrate this worm. . The worm attracts many fish to the area and is one of the main sources of income for that area.

Water Usage

Unpotable water is water that is unsafe to drink due to a flood, earthquake, or other natural disaster. The water could have human waste, building contaminates, pathogenic bacteria, etc. Potable water is water that is safe to drink.

We use water in several ways.  Residential 9% o The average resident in the USA uses 300 Liters of water a day. See usages on page 277 of textbook.  Industrial 44%  Agricultural 47% o Flood Irrigation-Used in flat areas that often drains into the soil missing the plants-Very wasteful

1 o Furrow Irrigation-Used in flat areas and it releases water into (furrows) ditch-like areas between crops-Better usage of water but the evaporation rate is high and lots of mineral salts quickly accumulate o Overhead Irrigation-Sprinkler system-commonly used o Subirrigation-Water is either naturally or artificially introduced beneath the soil. –Most effective if underwater supplies are close by.

Water Resource Problems:  Overdraft occurs when a body of water is drained faster than it is filled

Water Management Projects

1.) In ancient times Romans built aqueducts which some countries still use today. The aqueducts are pipes and tunnels that allowed water to move from the mountains to drier areas such as Italy, Spain, and France. 2.) Dams –Are built across rivers to control the river’s flow and some also use it for Hydroelectric power. Very controversial-do the benefits outweigh the damage to the environment

3.) Canals-Most were originally built in the Industrial Revolution Era. Some are still in use today. They allow boats and ships to carry supplies/ passengers.

Water Conservation

 Drip irrigation systems-Provide a little water whenever needed directly onto the root systems of plants  Some companies and developments have conservation plans  Individual homes can develop a conservation plan by cutting the length of baths/showers, purchase washer machines, dishwashers, and toilets that use less water, and limit the amount of irrigation time of lawns, etc.

Water Solutions Removing salt  Desalination  Distillation  Reverse Osmosis  Freezing

Wastewater treatment Primary Treatment 1. Filtration of solid waste 2. First setting tank-removal of smaller waste-Removal of sludge-small particles that sink to the bottom of the tank Secondary Treatment 3. Aeration tank-where wastewater is mixed with bacteria and oxygen. The Bacteria uses the oxygen to eat the waste 4. Second setting tank-removal of bacteria from the last step and the rest of any other solid waste (sludge) are removed 5. Chlorination- Chlorine added to disinfect the water and then released into the nearest water source

Transport

2  Some areas have to have water transported to them because of the lack of fresh water in the area. Example: Islands near the Mediterranean Sea have water shipped to them in huge plastic bags

Water Purification  Sedimentation and Filtration  Aeration and Sterilization o Aeration –is the process of exposing water to air

 Bioremediation-the usage of living organisms to clean up water pollution. o Especially for chemical and oil spills o Scientists are selectively breed certain bacteria for the job that do not harm people. . Used in surface and groundwater aquifer areas.

Water Pollution

What is the difference between Point-Source and Nonpoint-Source pollution? Point-Source-A single source like a factory is causing the problem Nonpoint-Source- Runoff pollution caused by many sources

Surface and Groundwater Pollutants:  Sewage  Pathogens  Agriculture  Sewage-treatment plant leakage  Industry  Urban runoff o to include trash  Mining runoff  Construction runoff  Chemical pollutants o Inorganic . acids, salts, heavy metals, and plant nutrients o Organic . oil, gasoline, plastics, some pesticides and fertilizers, solvents, and wood preservatives  Build-up of pesticides found in Food webs is called Biomagnification  Eutrophication  Radioactivity  Thermal

There are Laws against Water pollution in the USA. See page 293

We are harming ourselves and a lot of other organisms. Ex. Plastics are eaten by seals and they die Ex. Oil spills harm/kill countless fish, shellfish, and birds

Low Frequency Active Sonar  Scientist are discovering that certain organisms are harmed by the low frequency sonar.

3  They are having similar symptoms to the bends that humans have-whales getting large bubbles in their organs because on the frequency of the sonar o Whales beach themselves because of physical trauma –bleeding around the brain, ears, or other tissues/organs because of the sonar frequency o Whales and other marine organisms can’t tell the difference between sonar sound wave and a fellow whale soundwaves. They use echolocation to communicate to one another. o Some whale migration paths are where shipping lanes are popular and are hit by the ships. . Example –Blue whales –the largest animal ever in the world may become extinct if something is not does soon.