...SUMMARY OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT 33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq. (1972) The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1972. Under the CWA, EPA has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. We have also set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained. EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls discharges. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters. HISTORY OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the first major U.S. law to address water pollution. Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to sweeping amendments in 1972. As amended...
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...Water Quality and Contamination Lab Report Kathryn Thomas SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor Joseph Fiedor October 6, 2014 Water Quality and Contamination Lab Report Abstract The water filtration process was examined using oil, vinegar, and detergent to show how well the process works. The watercolor, consistency, and smell would change allowing the difference to be seen. Different kinds of water were tested using test chemical strips to evaluate the chemicals within them. The reason was to show that bottled water was not better for human consumption than tap water. Contaminants can be carried from one point to another and can affect human health. Water quality is very important and knowledge gained in our communities can make a difference. Introduction Water quality research is important because it helps to protect and restore the quality of the Nation’s water. Certain standards help to identify problems caused by incorrectly treating wastewater, sediment, fertilizers, and chemical from agricultural areas. Standards are put in place to achieve and preserve protective water quality conditions. (EPA, 2012). Water quality affects ecological processes such as good river health, vegetation, wetlands, and birdlife. Our water resources have major environmental, social, and economic values. If the water quality is not maintained, it will affect more than the environment; it will affect commercial and recreational values as well. (NSW, 2012). The main...
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...ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PRIVATE REMEDIES Civil Law * written codes which rely on statutory material, traditions * Judges has small role Common Law * Based on customs of the areas, precedents * Judge made law – cases decided by judge US * Mostly statutory, but judges are important * Interpret statues * Judge decides if not codified * Criminal – against State * Civil – all other Environmental Law not very effective if using private remedies PRIVATE REMEDIES | GOOD | BAD | Develop theory and needs | After the fact | Push legislation | Disorganized | Day in court | Costly | Money damages | Only personal damages | Tort Law - wrongful acts vs. contract law 1. Negligence a. Duty owned b. Unreasonable act c. Personal Injury d. Ex: pesticides 2. Trespass e. Tied to property rights f. Property invasion g. Ex: dam building (H2O invasion) 3. Nuisance h. Tied to unreasonable use interfering with another’s use i. Property use damaged j. Loss of livability k. Can’t move TO a nuisance l. Standing question i. cannot sue unless suffer special damage ii. different in kind, not just degree m. Ex: smoke, sewage treatment, hog farm, airport CIVIL REMEDIES 1. Monetary damages – personal things $ can fix 2. Injunctive relief – environmental, $ can’t replace, make do something a. Negative – DON’T...
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...You are here: Home » About Sustainability > Environmental > Water Quality ------------------------------------------------- Water Quality Where water quality issues are prevalent, there are a number of design and operational systems that can be used to minimise impacts of a hydropower scheme within a reservoir and downstream. These begin with adequate data collection and a comprehensive environmental assessment process. Issue Changes in water quality may occur within and downstream of the development as a result of impoundment. The residence time of water within a reservoir is an influence on the scale of these changes, along with bathymetry, climate and catchment activities. Where water quality issues arise, they can vary greatly and can include reduced oxygenation, temperature, stratification potential, pollutant inflow, propensity for disease proliferation, nutrient capture, algal bloom potential and the release of toxicants from inundated sediments. Some water quality problems relate to activities within the catchment beyond the direct control of the proponent but which can cause water quality problems when compounded with the power station operations. Flooding of biomass, especially forests, results in underwater decay. In deep lakes that tend to stratify, colder de-oxygenated water at depths in the lake have in some cases released metals from the sediments e.g. methylmercury. Deep intakes can in some cases result in deoxygenated and hydrogen sulphide rich releases...
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...CAP-AND-TRADE: MAXIMIZING THE WATER OFFSET MARKET By Philip Ouellette A Capstone Paper Submitted to the Faculty of Norwich University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements Degree of Master of Public Administration June 2011 Table of Contents Part 1: Florida Water Policy Historical reference. pg. 4 Water policy challenge. pg. 5 Legal primacy. pg. 6 Water policy considerations. pg. 9 Part 2: Public Interest Concerning Alternative Water Sources Credible water sources. pg. 12 Salt water desalination. pg. 13 Brackish surface/ground water. pg. 13 Reclamation water. pg. 15 Demand management. pg. 16 Part 3: Public interest the economic driver Offset water regulation. pg. 20 Central leadership. pg. 23 Conclusion pg. 24 Thesis The question is; if Florida water management districts are not able to shift water resources between districts based on statutory authority then regional oversight must be incorporated to meet future water demand. Part 1: Florida Water Policy Historical Reference In 1955 Florida established its first water policy with the passage of the Water Resources Act of 1957(SJRWMD, 1957). This led to the development of Florida’s Water Model Code that granted five water management districts authority to manage water resources in the State of Florida. When the Florida Resources Act of 1972 was enacted, the water management districts inherited a...
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...Indiana’s water quality is at the poorest it has ever been and reasoning behind this is simple, technology. Indiana’s waterways are being polluted like never before due to do a variety of different things such as advanced fertilizers and pesticides for crops, dumping of industrial chemicals, vehicle and boat pollution, along with livestock waste spewing into the waterways. Without action this small and sometimes unnoticed problem could grow out of hand by the time a plan is put into action to stop and prevent the pollution. In Indiana there are 92 counties and, without a doubt, there are multiple waterways that are being polluted but specifically there is one in White County. Monticello, Indiana is...
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...WATER and SANITATION in Developing Countries: Including Health in the Equation Millions suffer from preventable illnesses and die every year. M AGGIE A. MONTGOMERY MENACHEM ELIMELECH YALE UNIV ERSIT Y WORLD BANK I mproving global access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation is one of the least expensive and most effective means to improve public health and save lives. The concept of clean water and safe sanitation as essential to health is not a novel idea. In 350 B.C., Hippocrates recommended boiling water to inactivate “impurities”. The U.S. and Central Europe, where water and sanitation services are nearly universal, significantly reduced water-, sanitation-, and hygiene-related diseases by the start of the 20th century by protecting water sources and installing sewage systems. However, in developing countries, water and sanitation services are still severely lacking. As a result, millions suffer from preventable illnesses and die every year (1). Many obstacles must be overcome to improve these statistics. The integration of public health into engineering problem solving is critical, but current efforts are insufficient. Through partnerships with local communities to implement water and sanitation solutions that consider environmental, cultural, and economic conditions, progress toward achieving and sustaining global coverage of water and sanitation services will be greatly enhanced. In this article, we discuss three main themes about...
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...Assessing biological stability of drinking water without disinfectant residuals in a full-scale water supply system Frederik Hammes, Cordula Berger, Oliver Ko ̈ ster and Thomas Egli ABSTRACT Frederik Hammes (corresponding author) Cordula Berger Thomas Egli Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), U ̈ berlandstr. 133, CH-8600, Du ̈ bendorf, Switzerland Tel.: +41 44 823 5350; Fax: +41 44 823 5547 E-mail: frederik.hammes@eawag.ch ; www.eawag.ch Cordula Berger Oliver Ko ̈ ster Zu ̈ rich Water Supply (WVZ), Hardhof 9, P.O. Box 1179, CH-8021, Zu ̈ rich, Switzerland Thomas Egli Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zu ̈ rich, CH-8092, Zu ̈ rich, Switzerland Biological stability refers to the inability of drinking water to support microbial growth. This phenomenon was studied in a full-scale drinking water treatment and distribution system of the city of Zu ̈ rich (Switzerland). The system treats lake water with successive ozonation and biological filtration steps and distributes the water without any disinfectant residuals. Chemical and microbiological parameters, notably dissolved organic carbon (DOC), assimilable organic carbon (AOC), heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) and flow-cytometric total cell concentration (TCC), were measured over an 18-month period. We observed a direct correlation between changes in the TCC, DOC and AOC concentrations during treatment; an increase in cell concentration...
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...INTRODUCTION The availability of satisfactory water and wastewater schemes is central to the needs of society. There is national and European legislation for local authorities in the provision of water and sewerage services. I am going to be looking at the main issues that I consider critical to the effective delivery of these services in County Kildare with specific reference to the different legislations. Critical issues to the effective delivery of water and sewerage services in County Kildare: The Local Government Act, 2001. The Local Government Act, 2001 was signed by the President on 21/7/01 and was brought into operation on a phased basis. Part 9 of the Act deals with the functions of local authorities. Chapter 5 (Sections 82-84) deals with functions under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts 1878-1995. These Sections provide for a fundamental change in the way that water and wastewater services are delivered at local level. Section 83 provides for the consolidation of water supply and wastewater treatment and related functions at county level. These functions have transferred from the town councils to the county councils, which form a single sanitary district . Section 84 simply states that the functions under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts, 1878-1995, other than water and sewerage services and related matters, remain vested in town sanitary authorities Water Services Act 2007: * Consolidation of water services law into a single modern code...
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...main attraction being the Wekiva Springs. The cool crystal clear water of the springs range in depth from just inches to five feet and maintains a 72 degree temperature. Wekiva means "flowing water" in Creek. The spring flows from a small 20 feet deep cavern, which spreads into a deep cave. This area was once populated by the Timucuan Indians. Wekiva is home to an array of wildlife that includes foxes, river otters, white-tailed deers, Florida bear, great blue herons, great egrets, alligators, and a variety of tropical birds. The aquatic preserve is also the winter home of over 325 West Indian manatees, which is a federally protected species ("Wekiva Spring", 2012). This paper will discuss the springs and the associated agriculture, effects of human population on the spring, sustainability, risk and benefits of nonrenewable and renewable resources, and the sustainability and conservation of Wekiva Springs. Identify Associated with Agriculture The associated topic linked with Florida's agricultural life cycle is a resource located in the central part of Florida. According to the State of Florida information it noted (as cited in Florida, 2012), The Wekiva River is part of a large organism that plays a crucial role in the existence of mankind on the local, regional, state, national and global levels. Wekiva River, along with St. Johns River, Blackwater River, and Rock Springs River provide food, water, and life for all trophic levels. The agriculture in Florida uses...
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...Overview Combined water and sewer rates in Portland, Oregon are among the highest in the United States. A 2007 survey by Black & Veatch put Portland No. 1 on the list of 50 largest cities water and wastewater survey and No. 6 in 2010.[1] A proposed five year rate increases which started in July, 2011 by the Portland Water Bureau is likely to push Portland's water bills significantly above the average for the 50 largest U.S cities. Portland's combined water and sewer bill would likely total $346 by the year 2015.[2] Quarterly bills for typical residential customers have risen from $74 to $84 in July 2011 following a 13% increase by the Portland Water Bureau.[3] These spiking increases are as a result of a Federal regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency effective 2014 which requires drinking water sources to be guarded against the chlorine-resistant parasite, cryptosporidium which Public Water Bureau of Portland believe to be non-existent in the pristine waters of the Bull Run. About 25 percent of the water rate increases is tied to the Environmental Protection Agency's mandates that Portland deal with cryptosporidium which the City of Portland initially contested but lost. The argument of Portland city authorities is that the city’s water which is drawn from the pristine Bull Run watershed which is pure and clean and does not need any expensive treatment to eliminate any pathogens which evidently is not present in the water.[4] The EPA is however not taking any...
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...further speeded up in 2000s with the nation vision of achieving an industrialized status by year 2020. However, the rapid development process sometimes was carried out without really taking into consideration, that the possibility of such development will impacts on the environment, in this case, impacts towards the rivers. Table 1 below shows the number of polluted river (suspended solids) from year 1998 – 2008. Table [ 1 ]: Number of clean, slighly polluted and polluted basin in Malaysia (Suspended Solids) A) Economic Growth and Water Pollution As the country which moves towards the realization of its vision 2020 to becoming a developed nation through the implementation of its policy agenda for heavy industrialization, infrastructures, and urban-expansions, the water demands increase steeply. There is greater pressure to preserve the current water resources as well as to find alternative course of actions to improve the water quality. In other words, the consistent and rapid growth of urban-industries in Malaysia has undoubtedly resulted in an increase in economic well being of the citizens on the one hand. After all, for the first time in years, the external value of Malaysia’s currency, the ringgit, shrank by nearly 50 per cent while the stock market contracted by even more at about 60 per cent. The ringgit fell from an average of 2.42 to the U.S. dollar in April 1997 to an all-time low of 4.88 to the U.S. dollar in January 1998. The composite index (CI) of the Kuala...
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...as the source of transportation, recreation, food, and income. In fact, rivers provide 97 % of all the water used in Malaysia. However, some rivers have been identified as highly polluted and caused great negative impacts to human and livestock in the polluted areas. The reduction in river water quality is a clear indicator of the decline in the environmental health of a river basin too (Azwad, 2012). Since river pollution is highly concerned with our daily lives, I am motivated to look into the river pollution issues and its rehabilitation challenges in Malaysia. River Pollution Statistical Background in Malaysia River pollution is a serious problem in Malaysia and causes negative impacts on the sustainability of water resources. It reduces the total water availability considerably due to the high water treatment cost or the polluted waters are not treatable for consumption in some instances. Meanwhile, Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia had classified Juru River, Penang as the most polluted river in Malaysia (SungaiJuru.com, 2011). It is shamed that the Juru River was also listed as the dirtiest river in South East Asia by World Health Organisation (WHO) in year 2006. (DOE, 2010), (Azwad, 2012) and (Cho, 2006) have shown that industrial and business activities contributed to the river pollution problems in our country. According to (DOE, 2010), there are 18,956 water pollution point sources comprising mainly sewage treatment plants (9,060:...
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...Week 5 – Water Quality and Contamination Final Lab Rona Harris SCI 207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor: Jacqueline Poole 10/6/2013 Week 5 – Water Quality and Contamination Final Lab Abstract Testing of how ground water is affected by different contaminants was the bases of the experiment. The results were interesting in that when vinegar is filtered through dirt it came out fairly clean. This is surprising because I did not think that any of the contaminants used would affect the water the way it did with vinegar. I figured all the water would have dirt mixed in with the water that was filtered. This shows that maybe we can find a way to find a safer choice on how we filter and purify water. Introduction In this Lab we will explore how contaminants affect the water supply. Contaminants can be anything from human waste, chemicals used in farming and industrial factories to the laundry detergent and cooking oil that you use at home. We are going to asking how and why this affects us when we drink water from the faucet. One contaminant that is found in water is lead. Studies have shown that lead can led to developmental delays in kids and can cause cancer in adults. According to Bruce Lanphear a pediatric epidemiologist, “Lead in water is an underappreciated service of lead intake" (Renner, 2009. A544) It is estimated that 10-20% of children are exposed to lead through the drinking water according to the Centers for Disease Control and...
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...consume water that is of low quality, with the chief reason for such low standards in water quality being contamination by pollutants that originate from various sources. Rural areas in most underdeveloped and developing countries do not have piped water and they rely mostly on wells or boreholes, rivers, springs, and rain water for their domestic consumption. Human activities such as intensive farming that use a lot of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides, mining, and industrial run off are the primary sources of water pollutants and contaminants. According to Li L, Li CS, and Wichelns’ (2016) study established that rural areas in Tra Vinh Province of Vietnam experience seasonal fluctuations of water quality annually. L, Li CS, and Wichelns (2016) observed that during the wet monsoon season in the Mekong Delta, the inhabitants have access to abundant rainwater that they collect for both domestic and commercial applications. However, during the dry season they are faced with acute shortages of clean and safe drinking water often opting for canal or groundwater that is usually contaminated and unsafe for human consumption. L, Li CS, and Wichelns (2016) observed that during the wet season, inhabitants of the Mekong Delta were unwilling to purchase clean and safe bottled drinking water from vendors compared to the dry season when demand for the same was extremely high. A study carried out by Trevett, Carter, and Tyrrel (2004) in rural Honduras to investigate water quality deterioration...
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