I.  Molecule or Report of the Week:  Water Pollutant Molecules

Text p. 293-306

The outline in the text and the outline below will give further links on the various water pollutant molecules. So use those as references.  You should also Google for more links if needed.

The following types of pollutants are available for your choice in the report - two to three students maximum per pollutant molecule or type.

Disease causing agents - bacteria such as fecal e.coli, cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, cryptosporidum (parisite)- (in the report concentrate on two of these)

Oxygen Consuming wastes or organic waste - BOD provides a measure of it.

Plant or algae nutrients - nitrates and phosphates

Dissolved Solids - salts in water from irrigation

Mercury

Lead

POPs - Persistent Organic Pollutants such as DDT, PCB, dioxin - (in the report concentrate on two of these)

Pollution of Ground Water - such as TCE, various chemical wastes and metals, pesticides, fertilizers (nitrate) - (in the report concentrate on two of these)

The report should include the following items:

Name of the pollutant.  What is the source of the pollutant?  Is this a deliberate or accidental type of pollutant? 

What processes lead to the pollution?

What are some of the possible health effects to humans or ecological systems?

What are some control measures to prevent it from happening or possible corrective measure after the pollution has occurred?

1. I.Content Questions A:
   
   

Text - Chap 10

1. 1.Point and non point sources of pollution and natural processes affecting pollutant levels
   Point Source Water Pollution - Definition
   

Definitions non point sources of pollution

Urban Non-Point Sources of Water Pollution

Nonpoint Sources - EPA

QUES. 1: Define point and non point sources of water pollution and give a few specific examples.

History of Chicago Water Supply
History of Water Tower on Michigan Ave.
Chicago Water Treatment Plant - longer description of how it works
Chicago River Reversed

How did the city of Chicago attempt to cope with cholera and typhoid outbreaks? What is the reason that the city of Chicago reversed the flow of both the Chicago River and the Calumet River?

History of  Drinking Water Supply
History of Water Treatment
History of Water Distribution

QUES. 2: How did the city of Chicago attempt to cope with cholera and typhoid outbreaks? What is the reason that the city of Chicago reversed the flow of both the Chicago River and the Calumet River?

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3. Biodegradable organic
oxygen demanding wastes BOD

Text p. 295-296

BOD Test -

 4. Plant Nutrients - Eutrophication

Text p. 297-298

What are nutrients?
Home Page - Are Nutrient's in Water too Much of a Good Thing? Extensive further links
ProfONotes: Phosphate Cycle
ProfONotes: Nitrogen Cycle
ProfONotes (see bottom half): Natural Biochemical Cycles
NItrate in Shallow Ground Water -
NItrates in water supplies - USGS- wells and ground water - fairly lengthy article can read parts
Nitrogen cycle - Kimball
Nutrient Overload

QUES. 3: What pollutant is being measured by BOD? How does this pollutant if present in water affect the biolife in the water?

QUES. 4:  What and where is the Dead Zone?  How is it formed by the presence of nutrients and what are the consequences?  Where do the nutrients come from?  See links above.  Trace how you might be a contributer if you over fertilize your lawn.

NASA Photos of Mississippi River Dead Zone
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone - good links if want more info
Dead Zone Explained - Sierra Club

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5. Industrial and Agricultural Wastes Text - p, 299-304

 A. Inorganic metals

 Text p. 299-302

 B. Organics and Pesticides

Text p. 302-304, 494-498

Pesticides and Herbicides in Water - definitions EPA
Beyond pesticide use - Suburban use
Atrazine in Ground water -

 C. Animal Feed lot Waste

 Manure from feed lots

QUES. 5: What are the issues relating to pesticide and herbicide use in agricultural areas and also in suburban use?  You may not think so but suburban use of pesticides on lawns almost equals the pollution from agricultural use. Explain.

QUES. 6: List some sources and consequences surrounding the possible water pollution of both surface and ground water from agricultural sources.  Their are several that can be listed and discussed.

Text p. 302-304, 494-498

Maps of pesticide use
Non-Point Sources for Agriculture

Agricultural sources of pollution

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 6. Thermal pollution Text p. 304

ProfO Notes: Cooling Tower photos and graphic

 7. Ocean Pollution - oil and dredge spoils

 Oil Pollution
Respond to an Oil Spill
Exxon Valdez - cleanup photos

 

8. Ground water contamination
Text - p, 305-06

Drinking Water Contaminants
Arsenic in U. S. Water Supply
Arsenic Map of U. S.
Arsenic Laced Tube Wells in Bangladesh

Arsenic health effects - EPA

QUES. 7: Do arsenic in drinking water OR arsenic in Bangladesh tube wells.  Include all of the following info.

Use the above internet sites to find information about arsenic in water supplies and get an overview on this type of pollution. What is the form of the arsenic? Effects on the environment? Health effects?

Arsenic in drinking water - EPA standard  controversy - although this is of natural origin. 

Arsenic in Bangladesh well water.

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9. Domestic Water Treatment Plants

History of Domestic Sewage Treatment
Brief Sewage Treatment
Boston Harbor Deer Island Treatment Plant
Boston Sewer System

 A. Primary and Secondary Treatment

Text p. 306-309

ProfONotes: Water Treatment at City of Elmhurst, Ill

Sewage treatment - Wikipedia

QUES. 8: Explain the basic steps in how a waste water treatment plant operates.  What are the major chemical(s) removed during secondary treatment?  Explain the natural cycle that includes bacteria, oxygen, organic chemicals, and BOD, how is this used in secondary treatment?  If these chemicals are not removed effectively, the BOD levels in a stream or lake where the waste water is discharged will increase dramatically and result in very low to no oxygen in the water.
Text p. 306-309

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B. Tertiary or Advanced Waste Treatment

Text p. 309

Wikipedia - Tertiary Treatment - look about half way down for tertiary treatment
Nutrient Removal -

QUES. 9:  Carefully read text and carefully look at the wikipedia article on tertiary treatment.  One of the main goals is to remove  the nitrate and phosphate which are soluble in water and are not easily filtered out as a solid unless more treatment is carried out.

What is the purpose of advanced waste treatment. How does it work? What chemicals are removed by this treatment?
Why should these chemicals be removed and not released into the natural water systems? What natural processes are disrupted if these chemicals are present in the natural water after waste treatment? This also relates directly to Ques. 4 about the dead zone and the issue question to follow.

ProfONotes: Natural Biochemical Cycles
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100. C.Rural Septic Tank Systems
     How Septic Tanks Work
     

Septic Tanks

Home owners guide on Septic Tanks

QUES. 10: For those students that live in rural areas that have Septic Tank Systems:

Use the internet sites above to find information and get an overview about the purpose of Septic Tank Systems. How do they work?

Content Questions B - shall precede the final issue debate question.  The issue question is given here to give context for the content questions.  Look further down for the start of the Content B questions.

Issue Question:  What measures need to be taken to decrease the amount of nutrients which flow down the Mississippi River and enter the Gulf of Mexico to reduce the area of hypoxia or “Dead Zone”?

For the last 15 to 20 years a significant region in the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River has been identified to have huge algae blooms, which in turn have lead to a depletion of oxygen and subsequent loss of animal life - hence the term the “Dead Zone”.  Various pollutants have been suspected to be the cause of the dead zone.  The Clean Water Act of 1970 resulted in upgrades to municipal waster water treatment plants so that raw sewage no longer flows in the the nations streams and rivers.  However, the pollutants thought to cause the dead zone problem have not been able to be completely removed by the current practices.  The Clean Water Act has not been able to force states or the EPA to act in a collective manner to correct the problem.  In addition, there are a large number of non point sources of pollution from both urban/suburban and agricultural areas (under Department of Agriculture, USDA, control) which lack coherent methods of regulatory controls. The question is how can the various states, the EPA, and the USDA work together to correct the problem.

A model program and Case Study that can provide insight in how to tackle this problem is provided by the Chesapeake Bay Program which was implemented in 1985.

The Chesapeake Bay water quality deteriorated from a variety of pollutants during a time of population growth and more intensive agricultural practices during the 1960s, 1970s and continuing to the early 1990s. As a result of the Clean Water Act of 1972, various pollution control measures were instituted resulting in measurable improvements in the water quality.

1. •  In 1984, the Commission was at the center of a coordinated effort to ban the use of phosphate detergents in all three  Bay Program states.
   

2. •    The Commission has been a strong proponent in the passage of key land-use laws that protect the Bay's shorelines, such as Maryland's Critical Area Act and Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.
   

3. •After signing the 1992 Amendments to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, which committed the signatories to reducing nutrients in the Bay's rivers as well as the Bay itself, the Commission helped establish the process for developing these tributary strategies and passed a resolution to ensure their success.
   

4. •In 1994, the Commission sponsored successful legislation in Pennsylvania requiring certain livestock operations to develop and implement nutrient management plans to protect Bay waters.
   

5. •Realizing the importance of riparian, or stream side, forests to both water quality and habitat in the watershed's streams and river, in 1994 the Commission adopted a resolution to maintain and restore riparian forests. This kicked off a major initiative to develop a watershed-wide Bay Program policy on the restoration of riparian forest buffers.
   

6. • The program has succeeded in reducing the nutrient pollution by 58% since 1985.
   
   
   

III.  Content Questions B:

Chesapeake Bay Case Study - most of the information is directly applicable to the Mississippi River watershed.
The states of the midwest have much more agriculture, then was found around the Chesapeake Bay.

Ques. 11:  Water Quality -  What are the parameters of a healthy water system? Briefly list and discuss them.

Ques. 12:  Habitats -  What parts of the habitat need to be improved and protected to maintain a healthy river and bay?  These will also contribute to the water quality.

Ques. 13:  Land Use -  What are important land uses which include urban and suburban areas, (impervious surfaces), and how do they impact the the storm water runoff?

Ques. 14:  Agriculture Land Use -  What are the impacts of various agricultural practices and how do they impact the water?

Ques. 15:  Water Pollution - What are the main types of water pollution and how do they effect the water quality?

Ques. 16:  Nutrients -  What are nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) and what are the main sources?  What are the effects of nutrients on water quality?

Ques. 17:  Agricultural Pollution Reduction Practices -  What practices can be implemented to reduce runoff?

Ques. 18:  Wastewater Treatment - How can waste water be treated further to reduce the nitrate and phosphate concentration in the effluent?  Nutrient Removal -

4. IV.  Issue Question:  What measures need to be taken to decrease the amount of nutrients which flow down the Mississippi River and enter the Gulf of Mexico to reduce the area of hypoxia or “Dead Zone”?
   

Issue Debate Question Report: Four to six paragraphs are needed

The report should include the following items:

For this issue question, you will identify various water pollutants and methods of controlling them. Participants in the debate will represent the one following interests (your choice):

1. •Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant - point sources of pollution
   

2. •Urban and Suburban dwellers - non point sources of pollution
   

3. •Agriculture/farmers - non point sources of pollution
   

First, outline the problem and causes of hypoxia and the dead zone.
Secondly, outline the sources of the nutrient pollution.
What are the short comings of the Clean Water Act? 
What specific corrective actions should be taken in light of the evidence of nutrient loads from the point and non point sources and the lack of much progress to date? 
How can the EPA, USDA, and the states work together?
You may also recommend that no action is needed for economic or other reasons.

MIssissippi River Water Quality Report 2007 -  What are the short comings of the Clean Water Act?  What steps are needed and coordinated by the EPA to ensure further cooperation of the various states to reduce nutrient loads on the river?

Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee -

Upper Mississippi River Basin Association - Facts

Gulf of Mexico Watershed Task Force - EPA -
Mississippi River Watershed -

Gulf Hypoxia Plan - 2008
Hypoxia 101 -
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone -
USGS - Maps -
Hypoxia and Fertilization - gives some other ideas about the source of the dead zone.

Sources of Nitrates and Phosphates - Maps -

Urban contributions and solutions
 Steps to prevent non point source pollution - EPA - Further steps -
Urban Runoff Fact Sheet -

Aerial photo of the Mississippi River Delta.  January 2010 copyright C. Ophardt
Channels are brownish wide lines.  Water is blue upper right and green/brown on lower left.  Land areas are tan colored.  The two pictures overlap

V.  Response or Ask a Question - respond or comment to someone else, or use General Questions to ask a general question that the Prof or others might answer.  Extra responses earn extra credit (1 pt/ques. up to 2 points)

Response Format:  What or why is something interesting?  Then add a new perspective or viewpoint.  Needs to be longer than one sentence.

Ask a question Format:  Give a little background of what you already know or what is your interest, then add what you already know, then finally ask your question.

Charles E. Ophardt, Professor of Chemistry, Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL 60126, charleso at elmhurst.edu, Copyright 2009

Content Question A

Ques. No.      Student ID #

Ques. 1        9, 17, 27

Ques. 2        10, 18, 28          

Ques. 3        1, 19, 29

Ques. 4        2, 20, 30

Ques. 5        3, 11, 21

Ques. 6        4, 12, 22

Ques. 7        5, 13, 23

Ques. 8        6, 14, 24

Ques. 9        7, 15, 25

Ques. 10      8, 16, 26