water quality
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Water Quality. What is polluting our water?. Cities require a very large input of freshwater and in turn have a huge impact on freshwater systems. Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment. 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Water QualityWhat is polluting our water?
• Cities require a very large input of freshwater and in turn have a huge impact on freshwater systems.
• Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment.
• 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries
• 789 million in total, lives without access to improved sanitation facilities.
• The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a liter of water than their richer neighbors, since they often have to buy their water from private vendors.
Water on Earth
• 30% groundwater• MWD serves 18
million people in Southern California (Colorado River)
• State water project
Watershed: an area of land where all water that drains from it goes to the same place
What does your watershed look like?
CCHS is located in Ballona Creek Watershed
• Concerns in Ballona– Urban runoff– Trash & debris– High nutrients– Bacterial levels– Heavy metals & toxins
Marine Ecosystems
• Concerns in Malibu– Tapia Treatment Plant– Septic discharges– High nutrients– Bacterial levels
Tidewater goby
Steelhead Trout
Brown Pelican
California least tern
Santa Monica: Concerns in Santa Monica
Canyon Channel
How are pollutants transported?
Fecal Pollution• Dogs• Livestock• Birds• People• WWTP discharges• Septic systems• Anthropogenic pollution
– Surfactants– Nutrients– Oil and grease
Nutrient Pollution
Methods : Fecal indicator bacteria• Fecal indicator bacteria are generally not harmful
bacteria that reside in the gut of animals• FIB are released into the environment with feces and
used to indicate water quality• Limitations:
• Method requires 24hr to get a result.• Does not give you information on the source
www.idexx.com
Data: Enterococci bacteria
• Water quality standards
• Enterococci: 104MPN/100mL
• E. coli:• 400MPN/100mL• Which beach had
highest levels?• Which watershed is
most contaminated?
Enterococci MPN/100mL
0100020003000400050006000700080009000
10000
Santa
Mon
ica B
each
Santa
Mon
ica C
reek
Mal
ibu B
each
Mal
ibu C
reek
Mal
ibu G
roun
dwat
er
Ballon
a Cre
ek
Sample location
En
tero
co
cc
i ba
cte
ria
(M
PN
/10
0m
L)
EnterococciMPN/100mL
Water Quality and Public Health
Swimming related illness
• Acute Respiratory disease
• Gastrointestinal illness• Diarrhea• Vomiting• Nausea• Fever• Sore throat • Runny nose• Ear or Eye infection• Skin rash
Bacteria• Escherichia coli• Salmonella typhi• Vibrio Cholerae• Campylobacter jejunjiViruses• Adenovirus• Enterovirus• Hepatitis A• Rotavirus
16
Source:http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/
Urban Runoff
Stormwater treatment
Legacy Park in Malibu
Point-of-use Treatment•Metal salts such as alum and iron sulfate can transform contaminated source waters into clear, safe drinkable water.
Turbid river water treated with a flocculant-disinfectant powder in Borneo.