Aquatics Envirothon Study Materials
Aquatics Study Areas
Water Budget • Local Water Budgets • The Hydrologic Cycle • The Water Molecule • Watersheds & Delineation • Competing Uses of Water • Water Pollution • Wetlands • Pond/Lake Ecosystems • Riparian Areas • Laws Protecting Water • Stream Assessment • Acid Rain • Drinking Water • Stream Order • Source Water • Aquatic Invertebrates • Stormwater • Water Math • Aquifers • Aquatics Sample Test
Water Pollution
The Clean Water Act recognizes two kinds of water pollution: pollution from point sources, and pollution from nonpoint sources.
Point source pollution comes from a well-defined and typically known source, such as a pipe or smoke stack. Point source pollutants often are concentrated because they are discharged from a single, or several multiple, known sources. In other words, you can "point" to a source such as a discharge pipe from an industrial facility.
Most of the time a point source can be traced to pipes, smokestacks, sewage treatment plants, outfall pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, containers, or any type of conveyance vessel.
Sites of origination of non-point source pollution are much more difficult to define and sometimes cannot be identified with any great degree of certainty. Non-point source pollutants tend to be less concentrated because their sources are dispersed over a larger area. Non-point source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and manmade pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. These pollutants include:
- Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;
- Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production;
- Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks;
- Salt from irrigation practices and from road treatment;
- acid and metal drainage from abandoned mines;
- Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems; and
- Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification.
- PFAS - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (link)
Water Quality Monitoring and Land Use Practices
| Land Uses | Recommended Analysis |
|---|---|
| Active Construction | Dissolved oxygen, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity |
| Forestry | Dissolved oxygen, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity |
| Industrial | Conductivity, pH, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, Toxics |
| Mining | Acidity/Alkalinity, Conductivity, Metals, pH, Dissolved oxygen |
| Agricultural | Bacteria, Nutrients, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids, Turbidity |
| Urban | Dissolved oxygen, Conductivity, Nutrients, Temperature |
| Sewage Plant | Bacteria, Nutrients, pH, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids |
| Septic Systems | Bacteria, Conductivity, Dissolved oxygen, Nutrients, Temperature |
Water Quality Overview
| Constituents | Excellent | Good | Marginal | Poor | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alkalinity | > 40 | 21 - 40 | 5 - 20 | < 5 | ppm |
| pH | 7.6 - 9.0 | 6.5 - 7.5 | 6.0 - 6.5 | < 6.0 > 9.0 | – |
| Dissolved Oxygen | > 10.0 | 10.0 - 7.0 | 7.0 - 5.0 | < 5 | ppm |
| Conductivity | < 150 | 150-300 | 300 - 500 | > 500 | µs/cm |
| Nutrients N/P | < 1.0 | 1.0 - 2.0 | 2.0 - 4.0 | > 4.0 | ppm |
| Metals | < 1.0 | 1.0 - 1.5 | 1.6 - 3.0 | > 3.0 | ppm |
| Bacteria | < 100 | 100 - 200 | 201 - 400 | > 400 | CFU |
Note: The values provided here are for guidance and educational purposes; they do not conform to water quality standards and in some cases a standard may not exists (e.g. nutrients, conductivity). However, the values are based upon ranges that most agree are needed to maintain healthy ecological integrity of stream environments.
(Source: West Virginia Save Our Streams)
