Water Quality Indicators & Water Pollution

EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

➢ _______________ agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment

➢ Helps enforce water quality standards

Potable Water➢ Water that is considered

____________ to drink = potable water

➢ Not all water is considered "potable," and we have to ____________ the quality of our water to make sure it is safe for us to drink.

➢ We use many _________ to make sure our water is "potable" or safe to drink

pH test➢ 3. pH - measures how

___________ or __________the water is

➢ 7.0 is ___________● less than 7=

______________● higher than 7=

______________● pure water has a value of 7

on the pH scale➢ Acid rain major source of

the problem

Temperature

Temperature: average amount of _______ in water

___________ due to seasons or location (higher elevations have cooler water)

_____________water is better because it holds more ___________.

Turbidity

Turbidity- ______________ of waterAffected by sediment, excessive algae

growth and storms._____________ water is _________.In surface bodies of water, high turbidity can

lead to increased water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen, which are not good for the health of aquatic organisms.

Chlorine

➢ Water can come from a variety of sources, such as lakes and wells, that can be contaminated with ___________ which can make people sick.

➢ Germs can also contaminate water as it travels through miles of piping to get to a community. To prevent this, water companies add a disinfectant that kills germs.

➢ The most commonly added disinfectants are ______________ and monochloramine.

Copper

Copper occurs in drinking water primarily due to its use in ______________ materials and the corrosion of copper pipes. As with lead, all water is ______________ toward copper to some degree, even water termed non-corrosive or water that is treated to make it less corrosive.

➢ The maximum contaminate goal for drinking water for copper is 1.3 ppm. (limit for safe drinking water)

Hardness

➢ Hard water is water that contains dissolved substances called _____________. These minerals contain the elements calcium or magnesium.

Hard water is ________ a health risk but is a nuisance because of mineral buildup on plumbing fixtures’ and poor soap and or detergent performance.

Phosphates/Nitrates

➢ 4. Phosphates and nitrates- come from _____________ and animal __________

➢ Causes ____________ blooms which depletes the oxygen which kills the fish

Nitrates/ nitrites continued

➢ The drinking water standard for nitrate-N is 10 ppm, or one hundredth of a gram in one liter of water. The nitrite-N standard is 1 ppm. These standards only regulate public water supplies, but the health risks are the same for private well owners.

Nitrates/ Nitrites

➢ Nitrates are essential _________ nutrients, but in excess amounts they can cause significant water quality problems.

➢ Sources of nitrates include wastewater treatment plants, runoff from _____________lawns and ____________, failing on-site septic systems, runoff from animal manure storage areas, and industrial discharges that contain corrosion inhibitors.

Bioindicators➢ The presence, condition, and

numbers of fish, insects (____________________), algae, plants, and other aquatic life provide accurate info about the health of freshwater

➢ _________= large / invertebrate= without a backbone

● macroinvertibrates= organisms without a backbone that are large enough to be seen without microscope

➢ Good water quality = lots of ________________

➢ Poor water quality= ___________ biodiversity

Types of water pollution➢ Point Source

● Pollution flowing from a ____________ and identifiable source such as a discharge __________ from a factory, roadway, or leaking undergroud storage tank

➢ Non-Point Source● Pollution collected by

__________ falling over a larger watershed which is then carried by runoff to a nearby lake or stream, or by infiltration into the groundwater

Point Source Pollution➢ Hazardous and ___________ materials from

manufacturing and industry discharged directly into water - usually through a ___________ or a leaky underground tank

● __________ and gasoline● solvents● toxins and poisons● heavy ____________ (arsenic, lead, mercury, etc.)● _______________ pollution - heated water caused dissolved

oxygen (DO) content in a body of water to decrease - can result in fish kills

➢ Point source pollution became addressed by the ________ Water ______ of 1972

Non-Point Source Pollution➢ ___________ to figure out exactly where it's

coming from ➢ Pollutants collected by _____________ falling

over a large watershed and carried directly into a river, lake, or stream

➢ Gas, oil, chemicals, detergents, and other pollutants collected off of driveways, roads, and city streets flow directly down _____________ and storm sewers into a nearby body of water untreated

Non-Point Source Pollution (continued)

➢ Modern ______________ is a major source of non-point source pollution

● _______________ (bug killers) and ______________ (weed killers) can wash into nearby lakes and rivers

● Crop fields, especially after harvest, can wash large amounts of dirt and sediment into nearby likes and rivers

● Animal waste and _____________ can be a source of nutrients and harmful bacteria

● Fertilizer can be a source of nutrients, such as ______________ and phosphorus, entering nearby lakes and rivers leading to the serious problem of eutrophication (can make algae grow too much and water loses oxygen = death of fish)