Lecture 12: Water Quality Terms

Question 1

National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)–

Answer 1

portion of the Clean Water Act that regulates point source pollution

Question 2

Point Source Pollution

Answer 2

pollution that is localized, confined, concentrated and easy to monitor and regulate, such as industrial and wastewater treatmnt plants

Question 3

Non Point Source Pollution

Answer 3

pollution that is dispersed, wide-spread, dilute and hard to monitor and regulate, such as agricultural and urban runoff

Question 4

Clean Water Act

Answer 4

federal law that regulates point and non point source pollution in the US

Question 5

In Stream Waste Reduction

Answer 5

a provision under the NPDES portion of the Clean Water Act in which industrial manufacturing plants are required to identify and remove toxic chemicals used in manufacturing, replacing them with safer and less toxic chemicals that will still allow the manufacturing of goods

Question 6

Waste Recycling

Answer 6

an alternative to In Stream Waste Reduction in which manufacturing companies can collect waste and exchange to another company who may use this waste product in a new manufacturing process. This prevents discharge of the chemical into the aquatic environment

Question 7

NPS Pollution

Answer 7

pollution that originates as Non Point Source Pollution such as nutrients, fecal coliform bacteria and petroleum hydrocarbons. Regulation of NPS is voluntary by farmers and commerce.

Question 8

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Estimates

Answer 8

a provision under the Clean Water Act that enables mandatory regulations to be imposed on non point source pollution

Question 9

BOD

Answer 9

Biochemical Oxygen Demand – a test that measures the impact of waste discharged into aquatic systems to stimulate bacteria which consume oxygen within an aquatic ecosystem

Question 10

BOD 5day

Answer 10

Carbonaceous O2 Demand – the portion of waste discharged into aquatic systems from carbon which stimulates carbonaceous bacterial respiration which consume oxygen within an aquatic ecosystem

Question 11

BOD 5-20 day = Nitrogenous O2 Demand

Answer 11

Nitrogenous O2 Demand - the portion of waste discharged into aquatic systems from nitrogen which stimulates nitrogenous bacterial respiration which consume oxygen within an aquatic ecosystem

Question 12

BOD Ultimate = C & N O2 Demand

Answer 12

combined effects of carbonaceous and nitrogenous bacteria to consume organic matter and the amount of oxygen consumed by respiration

Question 13

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

Answer 13

an alternative, cheaper and rapid method for predicting the BOD which will over estimate BOD but conservatively protects water quality. COD will always tne > BOD

Question 14

Waste Load Allocation (Q10’s)

Answer 14

the use of BOD measurements to predict total x consumption within an aquatic water body, used by regulatory agencies to set permit limits for discharge by industry

Question 15

Total Coliform (warm blooded animals)

Answer 15

bacteria test that measures the number of bacteria in surface waters from the intestinal tract of all warm blooded animals including humans and wildlife. Test is run at 35 degrees C.

Question 16

Fecal Coliform (more Human Specific)

Answer 16

bacterial test that measures the number of bacteria in surface waters from more predominantly the intestinal tract of humans more so than wildlife. Test is run at 44 degrees C.

Question 17

Water Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)

Answer 17

chemicals formed by the interaction of chlorine and water, including oxidation products (e,g, hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion) and Trihalomethanes (e.g. Chloroform and Bromoform) which may cause cancer in humans

Question 18

Trihalomethanes (THMs

Answer 18

compounds such as chloroform and bromoform created by the interaction of chlorine and organic matter within water. These compounds may cause bladder cancer and other types of cancers

Question 19

Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP)

Answer 19

process used to sanitize human wastes

Question 20

Primary Treatment

Answer 20

physical treatment of human wastes water treatment process which uses screens, grinding and settlement to remove a portion of the BOD

Question 21

Secondary Treatment

Answer 21

biological treatment of human wastes water treatment process which uses trickling filters seeded with bacteria which remove the remaining portion of the BOD and some of the N and Ph. Most WWTP in the SU have secondary treatment.

Question 22

Tertiary Treatment

Answer 22

chemical treatment of human wastes water treatment process which uses ammonia stripping to remove dissolved N, Ph Adjustment to remove remaining Ph, carbon filtration screens, grinding and settlement to remove a portion of the BOD

Question 23

Septic Tank

Answer 23

a process for disinfection of human waste used at an individual home, which utilizes primary treatment processes (settlement) to remove the solid wastes and sand filtration to remove the remaining suspended wastes

Question 24

Gray Water

Answer 24

the water at the top of a septic tank that overflows into drain lines and contains the remaining dissolved and suspended wastes that remains after solids have settled to the bottom of the Septic Tank.

Question 25

Drainfield

Answer 25

physical treatment of human wastes water treatment process which uses screens, grinding and settlement to remove a portion of the BOD – a series of trenches leading away from a septic tank which are filled with gravel, which allows gray water to flow into and settle into the soils using sand filtration to remove the remaining waste.