Water Pollution And SoLutions - MR. KONAC SCIENCE CLASSROOM

Water Pollution and SoLutions How Do Humans Impact Watersheds? ., TEKS ae How Can Water Pollution Be Reduced? ., lEKS Be '. Communicate Discuss the question with a group of dassmates. Then write your answer below. Is wate r pollution a problem in your community? Why or why not? Do the Inquiry Warm-Up Groundwater Pollut ion. zone Student Lab Manua l, p. lEKS 8e In this ecti"". you'll exomine the " ffeel of hu mon activity O l groundwater and .urloce W lte, in water hed" How Do Humans Impact Watersheds? The sludge: spill in Tennessee is an example of ways thai human actions can impact the environment. The release of harmful substances into the environment is called po llutio ll. Any substance that causes pollution is called a pollutant. The release of pollutants can negatively affect Earth's land, water, and air. Remember that only 3 percent of Earth's water is fresh water. Since this resource is scarce, water pollution can be devastating. 504 Fresh Water

Vocabulary Skills pollution '@ Reading: Outline pollutant pesticides sewage . Inquiry: Design Experiments sediment w"t;; poillution is the result of human activities. produced by agriculture, households, industry, mining, and other activities can end up in water. Because a watershed can cover a large area, pollution in a watershed can affect a huge number of organisms. For example, many of Texas's watersheds cross the entire stale. Pesticides used on farms in west Texas can be washed into a stream and harm fish all the way 10 the east in the Gulf of Mexico. Surlace Water Surface water is greatly affected by waste produced by farms, businesses, and homes. This waste can be carried by rainwater into streams and rivers. Land development can increase the dangers of surface water pollution. As people build more homes, businesses, and roads, soil becomes covered with pavement. When it rains, there is less exposed surface area for water to soak into the soil, which reduces the amount of water that seeps into the ground. The increased runoff from paved areas also can cause flooding when streams and rivers overflow their banks. Worse still, the additional runoff can carry more pollutants into streams and rivers. FIGURE 1 1 Texas Watersheds -R This map shows the mail) drainage basins, or watersheds, of Texas and the rivers that flow through them. " Interpret Maps Put a dot on the map to mark the spot where you live. Which waters he d do you live in? How might your activities affect the quality of water in other locations in your watershed? Groundwater Some pollutants that are released onto the ground, such as those found in improperly lined landfills, eventually soak into the soil. It can take a long time for pollutants to be carried into groundwater. But once groundwater is polluted , it is extremely difficult and expensive to clean it. '" . kod . . . . 0 10- . . . . o C o\odion ,. Cob. . . . . "". oIoC ,. . ""- . 505 Q

Sources of Water Pollution Water pollutants can be point or nonpoint pollution sources, classified by how they enter the water. A pipe gushing wastewater d irectly into a river or stream is an example of a point source. The pipe is a specific pollution source that can be easily identified. Nonpoint pollution sources include farm. street, and construction site runoff. The exact pollution source is hard to trace and identify. Agricultural Wastes Animal wastes, fertilizers, and pesticides are also sources of pollution. Pesticides are chemicals that kill crop-destroying organisms. Rain washes animal wastes. fertilizers. and pesticides into ponds, causing algae to grow. The algae block light and deplete the oxygen in the pond. FIGURE 2 . Farm Pollution This scene may show common things found on a farm . but even common things can lead to water pollution. " Relate Text and Visuals Circle the potential sources of water pollution in this scene. Household Sewage The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, showers. and toilets are called sewage. If sewage is not treated to kill disease-causing organisms, the organisms quickly multiply. People can become ill if they drink or swim in water containing these organisms. Industry and Mining Wastes Some plants. mills, factories, and mines produce wastes that can pollute water. Chemicals and metal wastes can harm organisms that live in bodies of water. Animals that drink from polluted bodies of water or eat the organisms that live in the water can also become ill.

Sediments Water that causes erosion picks up sediments, or particles of rock and sand. Sediments can cover up the food sources, nests, and eggs of organisms in bodies of water. Sediments also block sunlight, preventing plants from growing. Heat Heat can also have a negative effect on a body of water. Some factories and power plants release water that has been used to cool machinery. This heated water can kill organisms living in the bod y of water into which it is released. This type of pollution is also known as thermal pollution. Oil and Gasoline An oil spill is a very dramatic form of water pollution. It can take many years for an area to recover from an oil spill because the oil floats on water and is difficult to collect. Another water pollution problem is caused by oil and gasoline that leak out of damaged underground storage tanks. The pollution can be carried far away from a leaking tank by groundwater. . . . . Outline Look back in the text and fill in the graphic organizer below to outline causes of water pollution. Water Pollution Sources Industry; Mi ning wastes Chemical wastes Ag ri cultura l wastes Other sources -( Animal wastes Human wastes -{ ( Oil and gasoline ( ------------------------ L;D zone CiI Assess Your Understanding - TEKS ae la. Define What is pollution? Do the Quick lab resting Water. St udent Lab Manual, p.173 b. Infer Which kind of water pollution do you thin k is ha rder to control- point sou rce or nonpoint source? Expla in. got it? . . o I g e t it ! Now I know that the major sources of water pollution include o I need extra help with 507

TEKS 8e In this ed iO l. you'lI explore how the im pad of hu mo n octivity O l wo ter quol ity in wate"hed. con be reduced FIGURE 3 . . . Wastewater Treatment The re a re several steps to proper sewage treatment. ' Sequence Put the ste ps of prope r sewage tre atme nt in orde r by writing the numbe rs one through four in the circles. O Bacteria break down wastes. How Can Water Pollution Be Reduced? By working together, governments, industries, and ind ividuals can improve water quality. Federal and state laws in the United States regulate the use of certain substances that can pollute water. c:; The keys to keeping water clean are effective cleanup of oil and gasoline spills, proper sewage treatment, and reduction of pollutants. T here are also some important ways that people can reduce water pollution at home. Cleaning Up Oil and Gasoline Spills Naturecan handle oil in small amounts. A natural cleaning process slowly takes place after oil spill.;. Certain bacteria living in the ocean feed on the oil. Of course, oil can cause much damage to an area in the time it takes the bacteria to work, so people often help clean up large spills. Gasoline or oil that leaks from an underground tank is hard to clean up. If the pollution has not spread far, the soil around the tank can be removed. But pollution that reaches groundwater may be carried far away. Groundwater can be pumped to the surface, treated, and then returned underground. This can take many years. O f course, the best way to avoid oil and gasoline pollution is to prevent the spills from occurring in the first place. Sewage Treatment Most communities treat wastewater before returning it to the environment. Treatment plants hand le the waste in several steps. During primary treatment, wastewater is filtered to remove solid materials. Then it is held in tanks where heavy particles settle oul. During secondary treatment, bacteria break down the wastes. Sometimes the water is then treated with chlorine to kill d isease-causing organisms. See Figure 3. O O 508 Fresh Wa ter water is filtered to remove solids. Water is treated with chlorine. I 1 ,1 O Heavy particles settle in tank.

Reducing Pollutants environment, industries can recycle their wastes. Once such programs are und erway, companies often find they save money as well as reduce poll ution. Other companies change t heir processes to produce less waste or less-harmful waste by using fruit acid s as cleaning agents instead of toxic chemicals. What You Can Do It is easy to prevent water pollution at home. Some common househo ld water pollutants are paints and paint thinner, motor oil, and garden chemicals. You can avoid causing water poll ution by never pouring t hese chemicals down t he drain. Instead, save t hese materials for your community's next hazardous waste collection day. l i d you l\.now . . The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010, resulted in the worst oil spill to date. The explosion caused loss of life and injuries to rig workers. It also caused oil to gush into the Gulf of Mexico for dose to three months. By the time the leak was stopped, over 750 million liters of oil were spilled, affecting life around the entire Gulf region from Florida to Texas. Bacteria can be used to clean up oil spills. Some companies specialize in creating bacteria for cleaning up oil. o Analyze Costs and Benefits Fill in the boxes with some pros and cons of using bacteria to clean oil spills. Pros Cons . , ':uesign Experiments If you were creating bacteria for cleaning oil spills, what characteristics would you want to test the bacteria for?

Name Date (Iass lesson Quiz Water Pollution and Solutions If the statement is true, write true. If the statement is false, change the underlined word or words to make the statement true. 1. Most water pollution is the resu lt of natural processes. 2. Any substance that causes pollution is called a pollutant. 3. Wastes produced by agriculture, households, industry, mining, and other human activities can end up in water. Nonpoint water pollution comes from spe :ifk sources that are 4. easy to identify. 5. Keeping water dean requires effective deanup of oil and gasoline spills, proper sewage treatment, and reduction of pollutants. Most communities treat groundwater before returning it to the 6. environment . Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left. 7. About 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water B groundwater ( sa lt water A o 8. Chemicals that kill crop-destroying organisms are ca lled A sediments B fert ilizers ( ICe o g. The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, showers, and toilets are called A the water cycle B sewage 10. A add rain pestiddes Wate r that causes erosion p icks up sediments B sewage ( o pollutants algae ( thermal pollutIOn o pOint pollution sources COPYR IGHT C 8'1' PEARSON EDUCATION INC. OR ITS AFfiLIATES ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 51 1C , ! , o

water pollution. " Relate Text and Visuals Circle the potential sources of water pollution in this scene. Sources of Water Pollution Water pollutants can be point or nonpoint pollution sources, classified by how they enter the water. A pipe gushing wastewater directly into a river or stream is an example of a point source.