Water Pollution

• Water is a ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of

hydrogen and oxygen and is vital for all known forms of life.

• In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but
the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water
vapor or steam. Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. On
Earth, it is found mostly in oceans and other large water bodies,
with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the
air as vapor, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles
suspended in air), and precipitation. Oceans hold 97% of surface
water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface
water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%.

• The Antarctic ice sheet, which contains 90% of all fresh water on
Earth, is visible at the bottom.
 Water on Earth moves continually through a cycle of evaporation
or transpiration (evapotranspiration), precipitation, and runoff,
usually reaching the sea. Over land, evaporation and
transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land.

 Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and other

lifeforms. Access to safe drinking water has improved steadily
and substantially over the last decades in almost every part of the
world. However, some observers have estimated that by 2025
more than half of the world population will be facing water-based
vulnerability. A recent report suggests that by 2030, in some
developing regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply
by 50%.
 Water is the chemical substance: one molecule of water has two
hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a single oxygen atom (H2O).

Water appears in nature in all three common states of matter and

may take many different forms on Earth: water vapor and clouds in
the sky; seawater and icebergs in the polar oceans; glaciers and
rivers in the mountains; and the liquid in aquifers in the ground.
 The major chemical and physical properties of water are:

 Water is a tasteless, odorless liquid at standard temperature and

pressure. The color of water and ice is, intrinsically, a very light blue
hue, although water appears colorless in small quantities. Ice also
appears colorless, and water vapor is essentially invisible as a gas.
 Water is transparent, and thus aquatic plants can live within the
water because sunlight can reach them. Only strong UV light is
 Contaminant - any constituent in the water deleterious to a
particular end use regardless of its origin and whether it
occurs in the watershed, source or in a water supply system

 Pollutant - any constituent in the water source deleterious

to a particular end use that is of anthropogenic origin
 Pollutant = subset of contaminant

Contaminants
Contaminants
Pollutants
 Water pollution

 Water pollution occurs when harmful

substances are released into the water in large
quantities which cause damage to people,
wildlife, or habitat or indirectly into water
bodies without proper treatment to remove
harmful compounds.
 Water Pollution can be defined as alteration in
physical, chemical, or biological characteristics
of water through natural or human activities
and making it unsuitable for its designated use.

 Addition of harmful or objectionable material causing

an alteration of water quality.

 Fresh Water present on the earth surface is put

to many uses. It is used for drinking, domestic
and municipal uses, agricultural, irrigation,
industries, navigation, recreation. The used
water becomes contaminated and is referred to
as waste water.
 How does water pollution occur?

Mankind through socio-economic activities

introduce pollutants to the environment.

• “Then the Earth’s waters cycle, carry and

spread the pollutants all around the planet.”
 Pollutant Transport Mechanisms

• NPS pollutants build up on land surfaces during dry

weather
Atmospheric deposition
Fertilizer applications
Animal waste
Automotive exhaust/fluid leaks

• Pollutants are washed off land surfaces during

precipitation events (stormwater runoff)
• Stormwater runoff will flow to lakes and streams
Types and Sources of Pollution
 Most of Water Pollution is man made It may also occur
naturally by addition of soil particles through erosion
animal wastes and leaching of minerals from rocks

 Disease-causing Agents – Pathogens

 Acid rain water (NOx and SOx) Leaching effects
 Oxygen Demanding Agents
 Water-soluble Inorganic Chemicals
 Inorganic Plant Nutrients
 Organic Chemicals
 Sediment or Suspended Material
 Water-soluble Radioactive Isotopes
 Heat
 Major Categories of Water Pollutants
 Infectious Agents  Plant Nutrients
• Bacteria, Viruses, Protozoa, Parasitic • Nitrates, Phosphates,
Worms • Source: Sewage, manure,
• Source: Human and animal waste agricultural and landscaping
 Oxygen-Demanding Waste runoff
• Organic debris & waste + aerobic  Organic Chemicals
bacteria • Oil, Gasoline, Plastics,
• Source: Sewage, feedlots, paper-mills, Pesticides, Solvents,
food processing detergents
 Inorganic Chemicals • Sources: Industrial effluent,
• Acids, Metals, Salts Household cleansers, runoff
from farms and yards
• Sources: Surface runoff, Industrial
 Eroded Sediment
effluent, household cleansers
 Radioactive Materials • Soil, Silt
 Heat/Thermal Pollution
• Iodine, radon, uranium, cesium, thorium
• Source: Coal & Nuclear Power plants, • Source: Power plants,
mining, weapons production, natural Industrial
Human activities that contribute to water pollution
 Overgrazing
 Poor agricultural land management
 Removal of riparian vegetation
 Sewage, industrial, and domestic discharges
 Construction, Mining
 Release of gases and aerosols to the
atmosphere
 Mismanagement of reservoirs
 Accidental spills
 SOURCES OF WATER POLLUTION.
 1) INDUSTRY

 Industry is a huge source of water pollution, it produces pollutants that

are extremely harmful to people and the environment.

 Many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry away waste from the
plant and into rivers, lakes and oceans.

 Pollutants from industrial sources include:

• Asbestos – This pollutant is a serious health hazard . Asbestos fibres
can be inhaled and cause illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer,
intestinal cancer and liver cancer.
• Lead – This is a metallic element and can cause health and
environmental problems. It is a non-biodegradable substance so is
hard to clean up once the environment is contaminated. Lead is
harmful to the health of many animals, including humans, as it can
inhibit the action of bodily enzymes.
2) OIL POLLUTION IN WATER
 Oceans are polluted by oil on a daily basis from oil spills, routine
shipping, run-offs and dumping.

 Oil spills make up about 12% of the oil that enters the ocean. The
rest come from shipping travel, drains and dumping.

 An oil spill from a tanker is a severe problem because there is

such a huge quantity of oil being spilt into one place.

 Oil spills cause a very localised problem but can be catastrophic to

local marine wildlife such as fish, birds and sea otters.

 Oil cannot dissolve in water and forms a thick sludge in the water.
This suffocates fish, gets caught in the feathers of marine birds
stopping them from flying and blocks light from photosynthetic
aquatic plants.
 3) RADIO ACTIVE WASTE
 Nuclear waste is produced from industrial, medical and
scientific processes that use radioactive material. Nuclear
waste can have detrimental effects on marine habitats.
Nuclear waste comes from a number of sources:
 Operations conducted by nuclear power stations produce
radioactive waste. Nuclear-fuel reprocessing plants in
northern Europe are the biggest sources of man-made
nuclear waste in the surrounding ocean. Radioactive traces
from these plants have been found as far away as
Greenland.
 Mining and refining of uranium and thorium also causes of
marine nuclear waste.
 Ocean Pollution
• Coastal areas most impacted – especially wetlands and
estuaries, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps
• Half of world's population lives within 100 km (60
miles) of oceans and 14 of 15 largest cities coastal
• High proportion of municipal sewage discharged
virtually untreated in ocean waters
• Dumping of industrial waste directly into ocean off
Nigerian coasts is a continuous exercise contistopped,
but many countries still dump large quantities of toxic
substances
• Ocean is the ultimate repository of waste
Coastal waters especially are highly affected
by pollution because they are:
• Heavily used
• Close to sources of pollution
• Shallow-water bodies
• Not as well circulated as the open ocean
 Coastal pollution is made up of ocean
pollution and ocean debris
 Pollution of Streams and Lakes
flowing water can recover rapidly by dilution and decay

© Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP Water Resources and Water Pollution

 Rivers
• Rivers have been easy targets for dumping of
sewage and industrial wastes

• Many rivers that are in industrial areas are so

polluted and low in oxygen that very few
species can live in them anymore
 Marine Pollution
 Ocean are the final sink of all natural and manmade
pollutants. Rivers discharge their pollutants into the sea. The
sewage and garbage of costal cities are also dumped into the
sea. The other sources include, discharge of oils, grease,
detergents, and radioactive wastes from ships.
Major Water Pollutants Have
Harmful Effects

 Infectious disease organisms: contaminated

drinking water

 The World Health Organization (WHO)

• 3 Million people die every year, mostly under the
age of 5
 Effects of polluted water on;

1. Effects on Agriculture;-use of wastewater and polluted

surface and groundwater which contaminate crops and
transmit disease to consumers and farm workers;
Depositions of deleterious chemicals in soil leading to loss
of soil fertility;

2. Effects on Environment/ecosystems: pungent smell,

discolourisation; increased temps; contamination; change
the pH; decreased oxygen; detergents that create a mass of
white foam in the river waters; Enrichment of groundwater
with salts, nutrients from irrigated lands;
eutrophication/algal blooms-what is the effect on
recreational activities,water treatment plants/water
providers;loss of aesthetic value; Algae clogs our
waterways
 Effects of polluted water on;
 Improvement of water quality- Removal of organic matte thru
aerobic decomposition; chlorination to remove bacteria,
suspended solids; precipitation of salts, desalination etc
during water treatment is expensive for polluted water;

 Increased salinization and salt runoff leading to salinization

of major rivers.;

 Heavy metals cause unpleasant taste and odour to drinking

water;

 Suspended particles cause unpleasant taste & discoloration to

drinking water;
Effects of polluted water on:

 Hard water with usually high levels of

calcium and magnesium can cause a
build-up of minerals in pipelines/boiler
scales and cause erosion and blockage
problems. Water softeners and
conditioners can be used in the water to
reduce limescale but can be expensive.
 Effects of Oil Spills
• Volatile Organics Compounds immediately kill many of
the aquatic organisms (especially plankton and larvae) and
contaminate fish
• Floating oil coats birds and ocean mammal; destroys
natural insulation and buoyancy and causes deaths
• Heavy oil sinks to ocean bottom and washes into estuaries
where it contaminates crabs, oysters, mussels, clams, etc.
• Oil slicks on beaches harm intertidal life and cause
economic losses to tourism and fishing industries
 Effects of polluted water on:
Leisure
 Swimming pool water can become contaminated with a number of different pollutants
and may cause changes in water colour and odour, some pollutants may also be harmful
to human health.

 Discolouration of the swimming pool water could be due to a number of reasons. It may
be dirty and cause the water to change a milky colour if the filter is inadequate or
blocked. Algae contamination can also cause discolouration, black algae cause black
spots to appear in the pool. Other forms of algae contaminate pools when chlorine levels
are too low, these often turn the water a green colour.

 Chlorine is used in many swimming pools to keep them clean. There are certain
substances, such as certain types of detergents and some forms of make-up, that don’t
mix well with chlorine. These can cause adverse effects to human health such as skin
and throat irritations.

 Pond water can also become polluted with different chemicals or microbes. This can
make the pond less attractive and can be harmful to aquatic life within the pond. An
overgrowth of algae and accumulation of leaf debris are often the main problems with
ponds in the home; UV filters are efficient at reducing algae levels in ponds and also
remove decaying vegetation. These are useful for long term maintenance of your pond.
 Effects of polluted water on:
Effects on human health
Increased incidence of tumours, ulcers due to nitrate pollution;
Increased incidence of skin disorders due to contact with pollutants;
Increased incidence of constipation, diarrhea, and infections to
intestine; Dangerous effects on growing foetus in pregnant women;
Concentration of pollutants due to bioaccumulative pesticides through
secondary and tertiary food chains in case of non-vegeterians; Still
births, abortions, and birth of deformed children; Blue baby disease
caused by methaneglobinema-which results in asphyxia (reduced
oxygen supply);Reduced activity of immune system; Loss of memory
power and reduced mental sharpness; Water borne diseases like
jaundice, hepatitis, gasteroenteritis, will be more prevalent due to
water pollution; Reduced bone development and muscular
development; Reduced male fertility; Shifts in physiological cycles of
human body.
Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD)

 BOD: Oxygen is removed from water when organic

matter is consumed by bacteria.

 Low oxygen conditions may kill fish and other organisms.

BOD Effects on Water Quality

All streams have some capability to degrade organic

waste. Problems occur when stream is overloaded with
biochemical oxygen-demanding waste.
 Water Quality DO (ppm) at 20°C

Good
8–9

Slightly polluted

6.7–8

Moderately polluted

4.5–6.7

Heavily polluted

4–4.5

Gravely polluted
Below 4
Pollution in Streams

Normal clean water organisms

Trash fish (trout, perch, bass,
Fish absent, mayfly, stonefly)
Trash fish fungi, (carp, gar,
Normal clean water organisms (carp, gar, sludge leeches) 8 ppm
Types of (trout, perch, bass, leeches) worms,
organisms mayfly, stonefly) bacteria
(anaerobic)
8 ppm
Dissolved
oxygen
(ppm)

Biological Clean Zone

oxygen
demand Recovery
Septic Zone Zone
Decomposition
Clean Zone Zone
 Potential Test Questions:

1. List and discuss 6 categories of water pollutants.

2. Discuss how sewage is related to biological oxygen

demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen, and
eutrophication.

3. Contrast point source pollution and non-point

source pollution, giving examples of each.