Water Pollution

 Anything that impacts the quality of water?  But naturally occurring events like volcanos, storms, earthquakes and algae blooms generate changes in water health

 So a precise definition needs to include additional conditions: ~The changes caused by human activity that make water unfit for human use~

The Cuyahoga River

 In Canada any release of 347 distinct substance to air, water or land must be reported to Environment Canada.  Annually, over 90% of the substances released into Canadian water comes from 3 pollutants 1) Nitrate 2) Ammonia 3) phosphorus

Sources and Types of Pollution: Point Source Originate from single point eg.sewage outflow Industry effluent pipe Nonpoint Source Contamination from sediment, nutrients organic or toxic substance carried into lakes/streams by surface runoff eg. Fertilizer, oil from cars

 There are 3 basic forms of water pollution: 1) Chemical 2) Biological 3) Physical But a more detailed list would include: - nutrients- sediment - Toxic or chemical- bacterial - Thermal (warm or cold)

Nutrient pollution leads to Eutrophication of water bodies – This is a major problem worldwide!

N, P, K runoff into Water bodies Nutrients stimulate growth Of phytoplankton (algae, bacteria) The “bloom” of plankton is Too much for normal Predators to consume. They die and decay Bacteria consume the decaying Phytoplankton and use up Available oxygen in water Without oxygen there is Very little decay so ponds And lakes will fill with Organic material

Dead Zones

Note: some pollution is actually biodegradable Pollution that does not biodegrade is called persistent Persistant Organic Pollutants (POP’s): - Toxic- resist degradation - Bioaccumulate - Transport through air, water and species

In nations signed a convention obligating them to 1) Eliminate 2) Restrict 3) Or work to eliminate the Dirty Dozen POP’s

Water Pollution – Great Lakes 1) Why is it “ironic” that Lake Erie was declared dead? 2) How does phosphorus pollute water? 3) What do toxic pollutants do to aquatic life? 4) How do POP’s effect human health? 5) Why is dilution not the solution? 6) What is the IJC?

Sum of the Parts – Waterfront Development  Draw your development on the paper  Be specific about land uses  List all uses/users – human/non human  List sources of pollution