Water Quality and Water Pollution
David Osterberg
College of Public Health, University of Iowa
Mary Skopec
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
World Health Organization
• Cyanobacterial Toxins
• Cyanobacteria or blue-green
algae occur worldwide
especially in calm, nutrient-rich
waters.
• Some species of cyanobacteria
produce toxins that affect
animals and humans. People
may be exposed to
cyanobacterial toxins by
drinking, bathing in, or inhaling
contaminated water.
Slide by Hans Paerl, UNC – Chapel Hill
Toledo Ohio water intake surrounded by algae
Aug 3, 2014
2.5 miles from shore of Lake Erie
Washington Post
The toxin that shut off Toledo’s water? The feds don’t make you test for it.
August 11, 2014
• There are no national standards for algal cyanotoxins in
drinking water. U.S. utilities don’t need to test for it.
How widespread the toxin is in drinking water is a
mystery. Monitoring is voluntary. …The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency for years has
discussed drafting rules to cover cyanotoxins but hasn’t
acted.
• And with these algal blooms predicted to worsen in
Lake Erie and other lakes and reservoirs — thanks to a
mix of global warming, invasive species and pollution
— the issue is expected to pop up more often. Some
believe Toledo could be a tipping point.
Iowa Policy Project Paper
Heffernan and Galluzzo - 2009
Pond Scum — Looking Beneath the Surface of Iowa Waters
Dealing with Cyanobacteria (or Blue-Green Algae) and the Impact of Excess Nutrients
State policy has left Iowa waterways open to contamination by bacteria resulting from
phosphorus and other nutrients in runoff from both farm fields and urban sources.
Full Report (PDF, 13 pg) 12/17/09
Executive Summary (PDF, 4 pg)
News Release (PDF, 2 pg)
Pond Scum—Looking Beneath the Surface of Iowa Waters
Water Res. 2012 Apr 1;46(5):1372-93. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2011.11.052. Epub 2011 Nov
25.
Effects of rainfall patterns on toxic cyanobacterial blooms in a changing
climate: between simplistic scenarios and complex dynamics.
Reichwaldt ES1, Ghadouani A.
This review …identifies mechanisms that influence … toxic
cyanobacterial blooms. …
Such changes in the rainfall patterns will lead to favourable
conditions for cyanobacterial growth due to a greater nutrient
input into waterbodies during heavy rainfall events, combined
with potentially longer periods of high evaporation and
stratification.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Beach Monitoring Advisories
Year
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
Number of
Microcystin
Advisories*
22
24
14
7
2
*Weekly Monitoring of 38 State Owned Beaches
Exceedances of E. coli Bacteria Standard
39 Iowa Public Beaches
One-Time Standard Exceedance
2000-2014
30%
25%
Single Year
5-year running average
% Exceedance
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
What else does heavy rain bring?
Percentage Changes in Median Annual Peak Streamflow: 1958-2007
Source: Flooding in the Midwest 2008, USGS Professional Paper 1775
Advice from the Nebraska Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
http://www.deq.state.ne.us/Gen.nsf/Pages/Disaster-2
• Avoid any physical contact with the water.
Floodwaters can have dangerous currents, and
there are also hazards of pathogens in the water.
If you have been in contact with floodwaters,
avoid touching your mouth or eyes, and try to
thoroughly wash off as quickly as possible.
• Also, the Nebraska Department of Health and
Human Services advises that wells owners near
flooded areas should take proactive measures to
prevent private well contamination, and have
their wells tested.
Analysis of Monthly Waste Water ByPass information
from Iowa DNR – April 2009 to October 2013
• Heavy rains and saturated conditions
overwhelmed collection system and treatment
plant
• Summary data being sought
Example – June 2014 Rainfall Related Wastewater By-Passes
Monthly Precipitation Totals June 2014
Wastewater By-Passes During Period June 17 – 20, 2014
Field Office #1 (Northeast Iowa)
• Marion
• Watkins - possible
• Sumner
• West Union
• Denver
• Dubuque
• Cedar Falls
• Belle Plain
• Lisbon
• Wyoming
• La Port City
Field Office 6 (Southeast Iowa)
• City of Riverside
• North English
• West Liberty
• Fairfield
• Davenport
• Winfield
• Ainsworth
• Buffalo
Field Office 5 (Central Iowa)
• Grimes
• LeGrand
• Montezuma
• Montour
• Kellogg
• McCallsburg
• Melcher-Dallas
• Melbourne
• Newton
• Brooklyn
• Monroe
• Oskaloosa
• Tama
• Winterset
• Bondurant
• Pella
Field Office 2 (North Central Iowa)
Fort Dodge (250,000 gallons/day)
•
•
•
•
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•
•
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•
•
•
Coulter
Latimer/Coulter*
Britt*
Blairsburg*
Algona
Williams*
Swea City*
Hampton
Rutland*
Eagle Grove
Humboldt
Burt
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
*from lift station and/or manhole
Lake Mills
Wellsburg
Forest City
Dike
Belmond
Dakota City
Eagle Grove
Iowa Falls
Grundy Center
Fertile
Thornton
Meservey
Field Office 3 (Northwest Iowa)
• Lake Park*
• Sheldon
• Iowa Great Lakes*
• Melvin *
• Cherokee *
• Pocahontas
• Hartley*
• Lytton*
• Lester
• Sioux Center*
• Sutherland*
• Aurelia*
• Holstein *
• Alta *
• Lost Island S. Dist. (Ruthven)
*from lift station and/or manhole
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Albert City
George *
Orange City *
Laurens
Hornick*
Storm Lake*
Emmetsburg
Spencer (CSOs)
Marcus *
Everly*
Correctionville*
Fonda*
Royal *
Archer*
Hull*
Inwood*
Peterson*