WATER USE/POLLUTION AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT GROUP 7 GE15 (2173) sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans Water is a marvelous substance which can be beautiful, powerful, and destructive. • Liquid • Solid • Gas • OFF-STREAM USES > Agriculture > Thermoelectric > Industrial > Mining > Domestic > Commercial • IN-STREAM USES > Hydropower > Navigation > Recreation > Ecosystem Support the sources and their surroundings from which water is supplied for drinking or domestic purposes • global atmospheric circulation creates regions of persistent high air pressure and low rainfall about 20° to 40° north and south of the equator. • proximity to water sources influences precipitation. • topography - refers to the craters on the surface, rivers, valleys, and mountains The distribution of water often is described in terms of interacting compartments in which water resides, sometimes briefly and sometimes for eons. • FRESHWATER • SALINE Contains about 0.001% of total Earth’s water. WATER AVAILABILITY AND USE RENEWABLE WATER SUPPLIES WATER SCARCITY DEFINITION Occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount, or poor quality restricts its use. WATER STRESS Occurs when renewable water supplies are inadequate to satisfy essential human or ecosystem needs. Most likely to occur in developing countries where the per capita renewable water supply is low. WATER SCARCITY DROUGHT Most common and often most severe in semiarid zones, where moisture availability is the critical factor in determining plant and animal distribution. PERIODIC DROUGHT Create severe regional water shortages. The total amount of water taken from a lake, river, or aquifer. Much of this water is in India for Agricultural use About half of all water withdrawal, and about 80 percent of consumption, is agricultural in the United States of America Is used for crops in Kuwait ARAL SEA WITHDRAWAL Lies in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Once the fourth-largest inland water body in the world lost 75 % of its surface area and 80 % of its volume between 1975 and 2004 90 percent of the natural flow of the Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya Rivers was diverted to irrigate rice and cotton ARAL SEA WITHDRAWAL Towns that once were prosperous fish processing and shipping ports now lie 100 km from the lakeshore. Vozrojdenie Island, used for biological weapons productions in the Soviet era, has become connected to the mainland, The salt concentration in the remaining water doubled, and fishing, which once produced 20,000 tons per year, ceased altogether ARAL SEA WITHDRAWAL Today, more than 200,000 tons of salt, sand, and toxic chemicals are blown from the dried lake bottom every day. It destroys pastures, poisoning farm fields, and damages the health of residents As water levels dropped, the lake split into two lobes. The "Small Aral" in Kazakhstan is now being reclaimed. • Water pollution drastically affects human health; in fact, it can kill. In 2015 alone, a study revealed that waterborne illnesses caused 1.8 million deaths worldwide. • It can cause contamination of drinking water – thereby contributing to waterborne illnesses. • Water pollution also affects the ecosystem – it can cause a phenomenon called eutrophication. This can cause fish and other aquatic organisms to die. • Toxic elements dissolved in water can make their way to humans through fish or other aquatic organisms. • Water pollution also leaches chemicals into the soil that may impact the growth of plants or other food crops. Monitoring can be conducted for many purposes. Five major purposes are to: • characterize waters and identify changes or trends in water quality over time; • identify specific existing or emerging water quality problems; • gather information to design specific pollution prevention or remediation programs; • determine whether program goals -- such as compliance with pollution regulations or implementation of effective pollution control actions -- are being met; and • respond to emergencies, such as spills and floods. 1.Wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment consists of removing pollutants from wastewater through a physical, chemical or biological process. The more efficient these processes are, the cleaner the water becomes. 2. Green agriculture Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of water resources, so it is essential to have climate-friendly crops, efficient irrigation that reduces the need for water and energy-efficient food production. Green agriculture is also crucial to limit the chemicals that enter the water. 3. Stormwater management Stormwater management is the effort to reduce runoff of rainwater or melted snow into streets, lawns and other sites and the improvement of water quality” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is important to avoid pollutants from contaminating the water and helps to use water more efficiently. 4. Air pollution prevention Air pollution has a direct impact on water contamination as 25% of human induced CO2 emissions are absorbed by oceans. This pollution causes a rapid acidification of our oceans, and threatens marine life and corals. Preventing air pollution is the best way to prevent this from happening. 5. Plastic waste reduction 80% of plastic in our oceans is from land sources. In order to reduce the amount of plastic entering our ocean, we need to both reduce our use of plastic globally, and to improve plastic waste management. 6. Water conservation Without water conservation, we won’t go very far. It is central in making sure the world has better access to clean water. It means being aware that water is a scarce resource, taking care of it accordingly, and managing it responsibly. -Process of converting wastewater into water that can be discharged back into the environment also called Sewage treatment. -Water that has been used and must be treated before it is relaease in another body of water. Three main source of wastewater 2. Industrial Wastewater • Domestic Wastewater 3. Storm Wastewater an underground and watertight container made of concrete, polyethylene or fibreglass. Wastewater treatment plants process water from homes and businesses, which contains nitrogen and phosphorus from human waste, food and certain soaps and detergents. Three categories of wastewater treatment 1.Primary Treatment -first stage in cleansing the water 2. Secondary -biological methods used to Treatment remove any remaining organic compound from wastewater. 3.Advanced Wastewater Treatment -process where water is disenfected to achieve a drinking water quality standard. Chlorine Treatment -Effective in killing the pathogens responsinble for outbreaks of serious waterborne disease. Water Reuse refers to the process of using treated wastewater (reclaimed water) for beneficial purposes. Indirect Water Reuse refers to the water used in production of goods and services such as energy production, agriculture, etc. Direct Water Reuse The use of treated wastewater piped directly from a treatment plant to the next user.
