APES Blog (Blizzard week)

Freshwater Resource Discussion

There are many benefits to a freshwater resource. However freshwater resources mostly have ecological and economic benefits. Each resource has different benefits, for example underground aquifers are less expensive to develop than surface water systems and it is safe for the environment to pump out water all year around. Human interaction can be harmful to an underground aquifer if the humans build buildings over where the welling spots are. Lakes have also proven to be very beneficial to both the environment and human’s wallets. For example, the Great Lakes have impacted the lives of the roughly 35 million people who live in the cities and states surrounding them, providing drinking water and recreation, commercial transportation, and both tangible and intangible quality of life benefits. Rivers have also been known to attract tourists, which along with tourists comes money that benefits the economy and the locals income, rivers also provide environmental protection. Wetlands can play a role in reducing floods by acting as natural buffers, soaking up and storing a significant amount of floodwater and also improving water quality in nearby rivers and streams which positively impacts a human’s health.

Water diversion discussion:

 To start off…what REALLY is a water diversion?? A water Diversion and its purpose are defined as: Water diversions consist of a system of structures and measures that intercept clear surface water runoff upstream of a project site, transport it around the work area, and discharge it downstream with minimal water quality degradation for either the project construction operations or the construction of the diversion. The Netherlands exemplifies a great Dike system. The Dike system diverts water from many areas, which keeps water out of land that is under sea level. Ecologically the dikes provide ecosystems for terrestrial animals, but they also take ocean area away from aquatic life. Economically this dike provides land that can be used for business purposes, but it also costs a lot to maintain and pump water out. The Three-Gorges Dam in China is known to be the largest dam in the world!  Water was diverted from the Yangtze River. Economically the dam provides a flood of electricity, and it also created a multiple jobs that boosted the economy. However, the construction of the dam caused 1.3 million people to move. Ecologically the dam does provide flood-control, but it also causes a serious barrier to many river species.

The Colorado River Aqueduct is a well-known water diversion project! The Colorado River Aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River to Los Angeles.  It fortunately provides usable water for millions of people, but unfortunately, it also costs water. The construction of these aqueducts does harm by disrupting natural ecosystems.

Water Quality Discussion

This past week we as a class ventured into the forestry (well kindof..) area of Parr Park! In our exploration we were able to perform tests to understand what the water in our local park what really like! Below are the tests we scientists performed. Temperature:  Temperature is measured with a thermometer and the temperature is expected to consistent with the expected climate.

Nitrate: taking a small water sample and dissolving tablets in the sample measure Nitrate. High nitrate levels are unhealthy. Nitrogen fertilizer runoff are a main source of nitrates in water.  

Phosphate: Measured by testing the water and comparing the final color with the colors on a chart.  High levels of phosphate are unhealthy in the water and can lead to algal blooms that use up a lot of oxygen.

Dissolved Oxygen: “DO” is measured with a probe.  Low levels of oxygen are unhealthy because without enough oxygen most organisms are unable to survive.

pH: This is measured with a pH litmus paper.  If the pH gets to 5 or lower, it becomes potentially toxic.  The source of low pH could be acid deposition from acid rain.

Fecal coliform: This bacteria is measured through filtration.  This bacteria is harmless and serves to indicate other potentially harmful bacteria.  Therefore high levels of fecal coliform are not ideal.  High levels can be a result of sewage contamination in the water source, since sewage contains many fecal bacteria.

Turbidity: The measure of how clear the water is. High turbidity could cause a problem for aquatic animals (luckily there is not much aquatic life in the Parr park water) that need to see through the water.  High turbidity can be attributed to soil erosion caused by human agricultural and construction practices, which explains the gross colored water in Parr Park since it is so close to so many newly built houses.

Aforementioned is an indicator species found in human and animal feces.  The species of fecal coliform that is often measured is E. Coli because it is found in human waste. If there is an increase in E. Coli it is concluded that human waste organisms are present, meaning that dangerous pathogens that coexist with E. Coli in human feces could potentially  

Water Conservation Discussion

Agriculture needs a more efficient and effective way to go about irrigation! Many things are involved in irrigation, such as drip irrigation and spray irrigation. If irrigation improved people could plant crops that are more adapted to drier conditions. Industry would need to use less water if they returned used water to a reservoir instead of emitting it as steam. Making more efficient machinery is also something that would use less water. Households also should use less water. Although it seems like a far stretch there are many things households can easily do to conserve water such as use high efficiency toilets with smaller bowls, or use gray water in toilets instead of clean water.

The BIG Picture!

Human Impact:

Humans can obtain water from many sources such as from the ground in aquifers, in lakes, in rivers, and recently, from seawater through desalination. Humans are obtaining this because water is necessary for all aspects of human life from agriculture to drinking and waste management.  Humans use structures such as levees, dikes, dams, and aqueducts to make surface water more accessible and to clear land.  Human’s lives are ultimately threatened when water is overused causing a shortage. When shortages of water happen people are hurt when they drink polluted water that contains bacteria.

Economic Impact:

Water is not only a vital thing for the human body but also for the human’s wallet. Water is vital for many economic activities such as agriculture and industry.  Agriculture uses both water that falls as precipitation, but also irrigation water from other water sources such as rivers, lakes, and aquifers. Bottled water companies have made money taking water from the ground in rural areas where the per capita water supply is large people believe the water is more pure and selling it at a profit to people in urban areas. These bottled water companies are making so much money because they are bottling a natural resource, which is considered to be a renewable resource.  

Environmental Impact:  Water pollution can create many problems for the environment. Water oxygen levels decrease substantially if water contains organic material or the potential to create organic material through nitrogen and phosphorus eutrophication.  Lead, arsenic, and mercury can also harm ecosystems, these harmful chemicals are usually found in Feedlots.  Along side substances, certain animals can be harmed by noise pollution and thermal pollution can harm species that lake cooler water.

Government Legislation: The government must monitor what is happening to the environment and in years past they have seen dangerous things happening and therefore create laws that minimize the dangers. Below is a list of government precautions to benefit the environment and the people.

Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1948)- a result of the clean water act

Noise Pollution and Abatement Act (1972)- limit noise pollution

Clean Water Act (1972)- restore the natural properties of bodies of water

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)- charged the EPA with establishing maximum contaminant levels in surface water and ground water

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976)- law to stop groundwater pollution

Emergency Wetlands Resources Act (1986)- allowed the government to purchase wetlands where endangered species have habitat and preserve them for those endangered species.

Oil Pollution Act (1990)- declared the polluter and not the government responsible for cleanup of oil spills in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.