Understanding Water Conservation & Pollution: Aquatic Ecology Guide

1. Aquatic Ecology Envirothon Learning Objective

2. The Water Cycle http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec_index.htm

3. + + + + H H H H O O - - Chemical Properties of Water • Hydrogen Bonding • Universal Solvent • Dissolves more substances than any other liquid • Pure H2O has a neutral pH

4. Physical Properties of Water • Three different states (liquid, gas, solid) • High Specific Heat • Absorbs a lot of heat before it gets hot • Adhesion and Cohesion • Attracted to itself and other materials • High Surface Tension • Capillary Action

5. Uses of Water • Hydropower • Navigation • Irrigation • Agriculture and livestock • Industry • Public water supply and wells • Recreation • Wildlife http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wateruse.html

6. Where does the water go? In millions of gallons per day http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/summary95.html

7. Water Conservation • What you can do • Water lawns only when needed (if at all) and do so in the early morning or evening • Convert lawn to native plants • Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints • Install water saving shower heads, toilets, washers • Only run full loads in washers • Take shorter showers • Use brooms instead of hoses to clean sidewalks http://www.monolake.org/socalwater/wctips.htm

8. Water Conservation • What you can do (continued) • Capture unused tap water (e.g. waiting for it to warm) and water plants • Do not flush extra things (bugs, snot tissues, tobacco waste) • Turn off the water when brushing teeth or shaving • Keep cold water in the frig so you do not waste water waiting for it to get cold • Do not defrost food in running water plan ahead and put in frig or use microwave (after you take off plastic or Styrofoam)

9. Point Sources of Pollution • Point source pollution—pollutants are directly inputted to a waterbody usually through a pipe • Supposed to be regulated by NPDES permits (national pollutant discharge elimination system) by EPA or DEQ (MI) • Account for 60% of water pollution • Current permits in Soo • Wastewater treatment plant, Reid Mobile Home Park, Former Manufactured Gas Plant, Key Plastics, SSM Odanaang http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec_index.htm

10. Non-Point Sources of Pollution • Sources of pollution not from pipes • Agriculture • Septic tanks • Road stream crossings • Lawn fertilizers • Parking lots • Wildlife • How can these sources be decreased? http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec_index.htm

11. Water Pollution • Phosphorus and Nitrogen • fertilizer • Mercury • electrical and electronic equipment, dental fillings, industrial processes, in barometers, laboratory instruments, fossil fuels (coal) • Neurotoxin • PCBs (now banned in US) • burning of paper, plastic or paint, released to fresh and coastal water by leaks, disposal of industrial wastes, leaching and atmospheric fallout • immune, hormone, nervous, and enzyme systems • Dioxin and Furans • unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching, BURN BARRELS • Carcinogen, reproductive and developmental problems, immune system, hormones • Pesticides • DDT, DDE (both banned in US) mostly sprayed to kills insects and weeds, we still get pesticides in water from ag., golf courses, etc • Neurotoxin, eye/skin irritant, carcinogens • Personal Care Products and Drugs • Urine, flushing down toilets, rinsing down drains • Not sure yet… • Bacteria, parasites • Human waste • Temp, sediment • Dams, logging, industry

12. What is a watershed? • The area of land that drains to a stream or lake • Topography is the key element affecting this area of land • The boundary of a watershed is defined by the highest elevations surrounding the stream

13. Waishkey River Watershed

14. Aquifers • Unconfined Confined • water seeps from the ground surface directly above the aquifer • Confined • an impermeable dirt/rock layer exists that prevents water from seeping into the aquifer from the ground surface located directly above • Which is more protected from contamination?

15. Wetland Functions • storage of water • transformation of nutrients • growth of living matter • diversity of wetland plants • have value for the wetland itself, for surrounding ecosystems, and for people

16. Economic Benefits of Wetlands • Benefits of wetlands • Food • Recreation • Improve water quality • Control floods http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/functions.html http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/facts/fact4.html

17. Wetlands • United States • Loss of 50% of wetlands • Drained, filled, polluted • 1/3 of endangered species are wetland species

18. Regulations • EPA • Clean Water Act • Safe Drinking Water Act • Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act • Water Quality Standards

19. Aquatic Organisms • Fungi and non-photosynthetic bacteria • Algae • Zooplankton • Macroinvertebrates • Plants • Reptiles and amphibians • Fish • Parasites and viruses

20. Types of Algae • Cyanobacteria (BG algae) • Chlorophyta (green algae) • Euglenophyta (euglena) • Chrysophyta (golden brown algae) • Bacillariophyta (diatoms) • Pyrrophyta (fire algae) • Xanthophyta (yellow-green algae) • Phaeophyta (brown algae) • Rhodophyta (red algae)

22. Chlorophyta-Green Algae • Late July and early August • High levels of both phosphorus and nitrate • Cyanobacteria-Blue-green algae • Late summer • Highlevels of phosphorus • Bacillariophyta-Diatoms • June/July in large deep lakes. • Low levels of phosphorus

23. Types of Zooplankton • Protozoa • Rotifers • Cladocerans • Copepods • Some insect and fish larvae

25. Macroinvertebrates • Nematodes • Oligochaetes • Mollusks and Snails • Water Mites • Insects

26. Macroinverts and Water Quality • Good • Stonefly, dobsonfly, Mayfly, right handed snails • Moderate • Black flies, mussels, cranefly, dragonfly, scuds, isopods, • Poor • leech, left-hand snail, rattail maggot, midges

28. Water Quality Terms • Oligotrophic • Aquatic systems with low productivity • Low nutrients and biomass • Mesotrophic • Aquatic systems with moderate productivity • Eutrophic • Aquatic systems with high productivity • higher nutrients and biomass • Dystrophic • Used to describe bog and fen systems • May have higher nutrients, will have lower pH and conductivity, but will have low biomass (usually die to pH and oxygen levels)

29. Additional Resources • http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec_index.htm