Water Environment

Environmental Engineering

BSECE-LEP
TUP-T

1. Water is perhaps the most important component of any ecosystem. All living organisms need water to grow and survive. In an ecosystem, water cycles through the atmosphere, soil, rivers, lakes, and oceans.

2. EVAPORATION - the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

3. CONDENSATION - water that collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

4. PRECIPITATION - The action or process of precipitating a substance from a solution.

5. Rain- moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops. Sleet -a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow. Hail -pellets of frozen rain that fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds. Snow- atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer.

6. TRANSPIRATION - is the process where plants absorb water through the roots and then give off water vapor through pores in their leaves. An example of  transpiration is when a plant absorbs water in its roots.

7. One of the most important benefits that wetlands provide is their capacity to maintain and improve water quality. When healthy, wetlands have a rich natural diversity of plants and animals. These can act as filtering systems, removing sediment, nutrients and pollutants from water. The capacity of wetlands to maintain and improve water quality is under threat because human activity and extreme weather conditions have had a significant impact on water flows, nutrient balance and biodiversity.

8. Wetlands in Australia improve water quality supplied to downstream environments in a number of ways. By spreading out and slowing down flows they reduce erosion and prevent sediment being transported downstream where it might affect the ecology and productivity of other environments, in particular estuaries , sea grasses and reefs. WETLANDS VALUES

9. Water pollution can be defined in many ways. Usually, it means one or more substances have built up in water to such an extent that they cause problems for animals or people. Oceans, lakes, rivers, and other inland waters can naturally clean up a certain amount of pollution by dispersing it harmlessly.

10. MAIN TYPES OF WATER POLLUTION POINT-SOURCE POLLUTION If pollution comes from a single location, such as a discharge pipe attached to a factory. NONPOINT-SOURCE POLLUTION A great deal of water pollution happens not from one single source but from many different scattered sources.

11. HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WATER IS POLLUTED? If the chemicals are dangerous or the concentrations are too great, we can regard the water as polluted.

12. WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION? P ollution is an inescapable result of human activity: they argue that if we want to have factories, cities, ships, cars, oil, and coastal resorts, some degree of pollution is almost certain to result. Oil spills are a problem for everyone, not just people who live by the coast and tanker operates. Sewage is another good example of how pollution can affect us all. Sewage discharged into coastal waters can wash up on beaches and cause a health hazard. Pollution matters because it harms the environment on which people depend.

13. EDUCATION Making people aware of the problem is the first step to solving it. In the early 1990s, when surfers in Britain grew tired of catching illnesses from water polluted with sewage, they formed a group called Surfers Against Sewage to force governments and water companies to clean up their act. HOW CAN WE STOP WATER POLLUTION?

14. 1. EDUCATION makes people care about the water environment. 2. EDUCATION can reduce vulnerability to climate change. 3. EDUCAION fosters greener industries.

15. LAWS One of the biggest problems with water pollution is its transboundary nature. Many rivers cross countries, while seas span whole continents. Pollution discharged by factories in one country with poor environmental standards can cause problems in neighboring nations, even when they have tougher laws and higher standards.

16. The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9275) aims to protect the country’s water bodies from pollution from land-based sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture and community/household activities). It provides for a comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory approach involving all the stakeholders.

17. ECONOMICS Most environmental experts agree that the best way to tackle pollution is through something called the polluter pays principle. This means that whoever causes pollution should have to pay to clean it up, one way or another.

18. Levi’s and PepsiCo highlighted as two examples of emerging corporate leaders in water conservation. PepsiCo is saving $1.5 million annually and using 24 percent less water.

19. Organic and Inorganic Water Pollutants Pathogens Water Pollutants Macroscopic Water Pollutants Thermal Pollution

20. ORGANIC & INORGANIC WATER POLLUTANTS OXYGEN DEMANDING WASTE: The wastewaters such as, domestic and municipal sewage, wastewater from food processing industries, canning industries, slaughter houses, paper and pulp mills, tanneries, breweries, distilleries, etc. have considerable concentration of biodegradable organic compounds either in suspended, colloidal or dissolved form.

21. EUTROPHICATION - is an enrichment of water by nutrient salts that causes structural changes to the ecosystem such as: increased production of algae and aquatic plants, depletion of fish species, general deterioration of water quality and other effects that reduce and preclude use.

22. SYNTHETIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: Synthetic organic compounds are also likely to enter the ecosystem through various manmade activities such as production of these compounds, spillage during transportation, and their uses in different applications.

23. OIL/PETROLEUM: Oil is a natural product which results from the plant remains fossilized over millions of years, under marine conditions.

24. These compounds are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment. These pollutants include mineral acids, inorganic salts, trace elements, metals, metals compounds, complexes of metals with organic compounds, cyanides, sulphates , etc. INORGANIC WATER POLLUTANTS:

25. Pathogens Water pollutants The pathogenic microorganisms enter in to water body through sewage discharge as a major source or through the wastewater from industries like slaughterhouses.

26. Macroscopic pollutants are large, visible items in waterways or bodies of water. The first common pollutant is trash: especially plastic waste. Macroscopic water pollutants

27. Thermal Pollution Considerable thermal pollution results due to discharge of hot water from thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, and industries where water is used as coolant. As a result of hot water discharge, the temperature of water body increases.

28. 1. Do not dispose your garbage in rivers . 2. Clean up rivers that have a lot of trash.

29. 3. Follow all water laws and regulations. 4. Always dispose of pesticides and other harsh chemicals appropriately.

30. 5. Never dispose of cooking fats and oils by pouring them down the sink. 6. Refrain from using bleach when washing dishes and laundry if at all possible.

31. 7. Work to educate your friends, family, and the community about water safety and water pollution.

32. Water quality refers to the chemical , physical, biological and characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose.

33. WHAT IS WATER QUALITY? Water quality is commonly defined by its physical, chemical, biological and aesthetics (appearance and smell) characteristics. WHY IS WATER QUALITY IMPORTANT? Water quality is important not only to protect public health: water provides ecosystem habitats is used for farming, fishing and mining, and contributes to recreation and tourism.

34. HOW THE WATER QUALITY MEASURED? - The presence of contaminants and the characteristics of water are used to indicate the quality of water. These water quality indicators can be categorized as: BIOLOGICAL AESTHETIC PHYSICAL RADIOACTIVE CHEMICAL

35. Water R esources Management is the activity planning , developing , distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. It is a sub-set of water cycle management.

36. OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE (OEH) Has a lead role in developing environmental objectives for water quality and river flows for government. Providing a framework for council to develop storm water management objectives. Developed a number of resources and tools for water managers , including local councils , and catchment management authorities.

37. (IWRM) Integrated Water Resources Management  is an empirical concept which was built up from the on-the-ground experience of practitioners.

38. Water Supply Management The water supply system in the Philippines are organized by Water District, except for the Metro Manila, where water is supplied 24 hours a day by two water concessionaries. In the other urban areas covered by Water District’s the water supply is supplied less than 24 hours a day.

39. Irrigation Management The percentage of irrigated are versus the total potential irrigable area in the Philippines has increased from 49% in 2010 to 55.59% in 2013.

40. Stormwater Management There is no National Policy on Stormwater Management in the Philippines. However, large corporations and industries have implemented rainwater and stormwater harvesting systems to augment their water supply.

41. Flood Management The Philippines constitutions suffers from floods annually due to its location in the path of the annual typhoons. Thus, various measures and projects have been implemented to mitigate the annual damages cause by floods

42. Water Pollution Management   Water Pollution management in the Philippines is regulated by the Clean Water Act that was enacted in 2014. The Act covers water quality management in all water bodies Philippines and primarily apply to the abatement and control of pollution from land based sources.

43. Sanitation Management   The water sanitation sector in the Philippines remains a highly fragmented sector mainly due to weak regulatory arrangements for sanitation and waste water management .

44. In March 28, 1974 the government created the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to manage the water resources in the country. The NWRB is responsible for the national coordination and regulation on water resources management and development.

45. 3 NWRB’s Key Functions: Policy Formulation and Coordination – water resources assessment, preservation and conservation of country’s water resources. Resource Regulation – allocation of water rights, resolution of water use conflicts . Economic Regulation – regulation and supervision of Water Utilities Operation, resolution of cases related to the operation of water utilities operation.

46. The climate change phenomenon refers to seasonal changes over a long period with respect to the growing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Tackling this phenomenon is of utmost importance given the pivotal role that climate plays in the formation of natural ecosystems and the human economies and civilizations on which they are based. CLIMATE CHANGE

47. HOW CAN WE PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE? MAKE YOUR HOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT Our homes contribute a large proportion of the UK's overall carbon emissions - and it's down to individuals to make a change to reduce their property's environmental impact.

48. MAKE YOUR LIFESTYLE GREENER Everything we do in our day to day lives emits CO2 into the atmosphere. That means that even making small changes in what we do, or how we do it, can have a positive impact in preventing the onset of climate change .

49. CHANGE YOUR HABITS AT WORK Don't leave your good environmental habits at home - take them into the office too.

50. EAT LESS MEAT According to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute , 51 percent or more of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by a nimal agriculture.

51. EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS Preventing climate change in the future is down to the actions and opinions of future generations - meaning now is the time to start educating our children about climate change and its effects.

52. GET INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE If you want to take your green ambitions to the next level, find out about climate change events, at a local and a national stage, which you're interested in .

53. A natural process in which elements are continuously cycled in various forms between different compartments of the environment. ENVIRONMENTAL CYCLES

54. THE CARBON CYCLE includes the  uptake   of carbon dioxide  by plants through, its ingestion by animals and its release to the atmosphere through respiration and decay of organic materials.

55. THE NITROGEN CYCLE involves the uptake of nitrogen form the atmosphere by a process called fixation which is carried out by microbes or industrial processes.

56. THE PHOSPHORUS CYCLE involves the uptake of phosphorus by organisms. Phosphorus in the environment is mainly found in rocks, and natural weathering processes can make it available to biological systems.

57. THE WATER CYCLE  is the process by which water travels in a sequence from the air (condensation) to the earth (precipitation) and returns to the atmosphere (evaporation ).

58. WATER SUPPLY PROBLEMS: RESOURCE DEPLETION As groundwater is pumped from water wells, there usually is a localized drop in the water table around the well called a cone of depression. When there are a large number of wells that have been pumping water for a long time, the regional water table can drop significantly .

59. This is called groundwater mining, which can force the drilling of deeper, more expensive wells that commonly encounter more saline groundwater. 

60. Water Supply Crisis The water crisis refers to a global situation where people in many areas lack access to sufficient water, clean water, or both. This section describes the global situation involving water shortages, also called water stress.

61. Reservoirs  that form behind dams in rivers can collect water during wet times and store it for use during dry spells. They also can be used for urban water supplies. Sustainable Solutions to the Water Supply Crisis?

62. Aqueducts  can move water from where it is plentiful to where it is needed. Aqueducts can be controversial and politically difficult especially if the water transfer distances are large.

63. Ocean Acidification Ocean Acidification (OA) is a term used to describe significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean.

64. HOW DO WE STOP OCEAN ACIDIFICATION? * Eat less meat . * Use less energy at home . * Conserve water . * Reduce your plastic addiction . * Drive and fly less, carpool, ride bikes and take public transit. * Buy less stuff . * Reduce , reuse, recycle and refuse ! * Assess your life, career and lifestyle choices.

65. Overfishing Overfishing can be defined in a number of ways. However, everything comes down to one simple point: Catching too much fish for the system to support leads to an overall degradation to the system.

66. WHAT CAUSES OVERFISHING? Worldwide, fishing fleets are two to three times as large as needed to take present day catches of fish and other marine species and as what our oceans can sustainably support.