Water and Soil Pollution
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29 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Water Pollution | consists of any physical or chemical change in water that adversely affects the health of humans and other organisms |
| Sewage | the release of wastewater from drains or sewers and includes human waste, soaps, and detergents |
| Enrichment | the fertilization of a body of water caused by the presence of high levels of plant and algal nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) |
| Cellular Respiration | the degradation process, that requires the presence of oxygen, where sewage and other organic materials are decomposed into carbon dioxide, water and other inoffensive materials by the action of microorganisms |
| Biochemical(biological) Oxygen Demand (BOD) | the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose the wastes into carbon dioxide, water, and minerals. High levels of this occur when the excessive numbers of algae die and are decomposed by bacteria |
| Disease-Causing Agents | infectious organisms that cause diseases and come from the wastes of infected individuals |
| Fecal Coliform Test | Performed to test for the presence of E. coli in water; a small sample of water is passed through a filter to trap all bacteria |
| Pathogens | disease-causing agents in water |
| Bacterial Source Tracking (BST) | a field of science that attempts to make the proper identification of the source of contamination for fecal coliform bacteria |
| Sediment pollution | consists of excessive amounts of suspended soil particles that eventually settle out and accumulate on the bottom of a body of water |
| Inorganic plant and algal nutrients | chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorous that stimulate the growth of plants and algae, they are essential for the normal functioning of healthy ecosystems but are harmful in larger concentrations |
| Organic Compounds | chemicals that contain carbon atoms. Most of them that are found in water are synthetic chemicals that are produced bye human activities |
| Inorganic Chemicals | contaminants that do not easily degrade and contain elements other than carbon (e.g. acids, salts and heavy metals) |
| Radioactive Substances | contain atoms of unstable isotopes that spontaneously emit radiation. Radioactive substances can get into water from several sources, including the mining and processing of radioactive minerals (such as uranium and thorium) |
| Thermal Pollution | Occurs when heated water produced during certain industrial processes |
| Oligotrophic | unenriched, minimal levels of nutrients in lakes, estuaries, and slow-flowing streams |
| Eutrophication | the enrichment of a lake, estuary, or slow-flowing stream by inorganic plant and algal nutrients (such as phosphorus) |
| Artificial (Cultural) Eutrophication | fast eutrophication accelerated by human activities |
| Point source pollution | is discharged into the environment through pipes, sewers, or ditches from specific sites such as factories or sewage treatment plant. It is relatively easy to control |
| Nonpoint Source Pollution (Polluted runoff) | caused by land pollutants that enter bodies of water over large areas rather than at a single point; it occurs when precipitation moves over and through the soil, picking up and carrying away pollutants that eventually are deposited into bodies of water |
| Reservoirs | artificial lakes that are produced by building a dam across a river or stream and allow water to be accumulated and stored when there is an adequate supply for use during periods of drought. |
| Primary Treatment | removes suspended and floating particles, such as sand and silt, by mechanical processes (such as screening and gravitational settling) |
| Primary Sludge | the solid material that settles out during Primary Treatment |
| Secondary Treatment | uses microorganisms to decompose the suspended organic material in wastewater |
| Secondary Sludge | formed by the particles and microorganisms that are allowed to settle out after several hours (after secondary treatment) |
| Tertiary Treatment | Advanced wastewater treatment methods that include a variety of biological, chemical and physical processes. |
| Ocean Dumping Ban Act | Passed by the U.S. Congress in 1988, it barred ocean dumping of sludge and industrial waste |
| Safe Drinking Water Act | Passed by the U.S. Congress in 1974, it set uniform federal standards for drinking water in order to guarantee safe public water supplies throughout the U.S. |
| Maximum Contaminant Level | the maximum permissible amount of any water pollutant that might adversely affect human health |
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