- What is water pollution? Is the introduction of chemical, physical or biological agents that degrade the water?
- What are the major causes of water pollution? Industrial chemicals.
- What is point pollution? Provide one example. Pollution discharged from a single source like factories.
- What is nonpoint pollution? Provide one example. Comes from many sources like pesticides and fertilizers
- Why is nonpoint pollution a more serious problem? Because the small amounts of pollution add up to an even bigger problem
- What is sludge and how do we deal with it? Material like mud formed in factories. There are machines that deal with it.
- What are pathogens? List some examples. Disease causing organisms like bacteria, viruses, parasite worms
- How can biological magnification affect polluted aquatic ecosystems? It could kill of a lot of animals and species.
10.What is the Clean Water Act? When was it passed? To make all natural surface water fit for fishing and swimming, it was passed in 1972
11.Why will groundwater pollution be a long-lasting problem? Because chemicals keep polluting ground water and we are doing nothing to keep that from happening.
12.Where does most bottled water come from? Tap water that is filtered and treated various chemicals.
Notes: The larger the population grows the greater pollution will flow. Point source pollution comes from a specific source, like a pipe. Can be monitored and controlled by a permit system. Nonpoint pollution is associated with storm water or runoff. Pollutants are washed off land surfaces during precipitation events. Storm water runoff will flow to lakes and streams. More imperviousness= more water. Impervious covers are roads rooftops and parking lots. Impacts of nonpoint- fish and wildlife, recreational activities, commercial fishing. Pollutants found in runoff- sediment, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) , toxics, debris, nutrients, bacteria/ pathogens, thermal stress. The amount of land under irrigation has been increasing. Eutrophication is when most nutrients in water come from organic matter. Outcomes: decreased sunlight, decaying matter uses oxygen. Suffocation/ fish kills. 1972 clean water act- make water swimmable and fishable by regulating point sources.
1.What happens in preliminary treatment at a wastewater treatment plant? Collects and pumps raw sewage.
2. What happens to large objects found in the wastewater? They have to be removed because they cannot be in the water.
3.What is a grit chamber and how is it used? A chamber that removes heavy solids.
4.Primary treatment removes 30% of the pollutants in wastewater.
5.What happens to solids such as grease and oil? They pile up and float on top of the wastewater.
6.What happens to the sludge in primary treatment? The sludge gets pumped through degritters.
7.What happens in secondary treatment? Breaks down the sludge even further.
8.What are some examples of microorganisms used in secondary treatment? They consume most of the organic materials.
9.What happens to the remaining dirt? The dirt gets processed too.
10.What happens to the remaining water? Chlorine is used to disinfect and kill harmful organisms.
11.What is the final process of wastewater treatment? Sludge dewatering which reduces the amounts of sludge in the water supply.
12.According to the U.S. EPA, what does it mean to “flush responsibly”? What items should you never put down the drain in your house? Oil, chemicals, pesticides.
13.What did people do with their waste before we had sewer systems and septic tanks? When did the Federal government start to mandate that waste-water be treated before being returned to rivers, lakes and the ocean? Put them in water sources like rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.