1. INTRODUCTION
Fresh and clean water is essential for all life forms on earth. Humans make use of water on a daily basis for household domestic use, industry, agriculture and other use. Our economic and social well-being is therefore dependent on the availability of clean water resources as well as efficient river systems. In South Africa, it is particularly important to monitor and conserve our water resources, due to the low amount of rainfall received and the country’s classification as water stressed. However, the quality, quantity and range of services that are provided by rivers can be diminished when the health of the river is compromised.
In an effort to maintain the good condition of our rivers, wastewater works clean and purify sewage for release back into the river system once it meets the requirements for cleanliness specified in regulations set by the South African Department of Water Affairs. Proper treatment of wastewater is important to ensure that the receiving rivers into which the wastewater is discharged are not further polluted. Our rivers have the ability to cope with small amounts of pollution (assimilative capacity). However, they would be overwhelmed If the millions of litres of wastewater produced by South Africans daily were it not firstly treated before discharging back to the rivers. If wastewater is not treated adequately, negative impacts on human health and on the environment downstream of the wastewater discharge, can be observed. These impacts include harming wildlife populations (especially fish and invertebrates that live in the water), illness in people who use the river for recreational purposes (swimming and canoeing), and even contaminating drinking water sources. Pollutants commonly ass...
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... summary, the review of these literature sources indicated that inadequately treated wastewater can have a detrimental impact on the river health of the downstream environment. When the receiving river is of a poor quality upstream of the effluent discharge, there is often little impact observed downstream of the effluent discharge, but greater impacts are noted when receiving stream is in a pristine condition. Biomonitoring is considered to be an effective technique to assess these impacts since it provides a holistic, integrated measure of river health which can be used to improve community participation and management of our river systems.
3. HYPOTHESIS
The hypothesis for this research assignment is:
The effluent released from the Howick Wastewater Works has a greater detrimental effect on the downstream aquatic environment than the Darvill Wastewater Works.
...urkholder, J., Libra, B., Weyer, P., Heathcote, S., Kolpin, D., Thorne, P., et al. (2007). Impacts of waste from concentrated animal feeding operations on water quality. Environmental Health Perspectives, 11(2), 308–312. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1817674/pdf/ehp0115-000308.pdf
There are many causes and solutions to the deterioration of the Colorado River. The Colorado River is not the great river it used to be, with an abundant amount of healthy water, thriving wildlife and abundant plant life. With climate change, water salinity, pollution, and natural runoffs, the river’s water quality has deteriorated immensely. However, if communities and environmental groups join forces to research and raise money to find ways to help improve the Colorado River, it can get back to its original condition. This issues affects those who live by the river, concluding that I live somewhere near the river, I would love to see a change in the rivers condition to not only help the nature around it, but to help myself and others.
About 80% of the State’s surveyed freshwater rivers and streams have good water quality that fully supports aquatic life uses, 17% have fair water quality that partially supports aquatic life uses, and 3% have poor water quality that does not support aquatic life uses. Ten percent of the surveyed rivers do not fully support swimming. The major sources of impairment are agriculture (responsible for 53% of the impaired river miles), urban runoff (responsible for 16%), and construction (responsible for 13%). These sources generate siltation, bacteria, and organic wastes that deplete disssolved opxygen.
The Colorado River resides in North America at 1,450 miles long it spans from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado flowing southwest through six other states into Mexico. During the 19th century, settlement within this region was limited to merely accessing the Colorado River. Back then adjacent water was strictly used to support life. Today, with our advanced water treatment and transportation methods, water is known for its more loose sense of sustaining “life” and that is of an economic sense. Now, we utilize water for more than just drinking. We apply water to trigger industry, mass produce agriculture, generate power and even recreationally. With our new thirsts we encounter dizzying demands for water. As we use this water for economic gains we take increasing amounts from the river. The water that is returned is then of severely lower quality causing detrimental effects to biologic life. To complicate the problem at hand the Colorado River has experienced drought since 1999. Currently, according to The Bureau of Reclamation, most areas of the river are experiencing extreme drought conditions. The Colorado River is not only degrading, but also drying up due to climate change and poor water management, consequently modern human development is impeded and the environment permanently scarred, therefore to prevent further damage local and state authorities should plan to alter wasteful methods of water management.
The industrialization of Canada is severely affecting the nations lakes, streams, and rivers. If something is not done to improve the situation it is going to have some severe environmental problems in its future. The following essay will be looking at the factors that cause pollution, and the effect that pollution has on the environment of Canada. It will also explore some of the methods used to treat and clean-up wastewater, and oil spills.
'Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives(in) it. ' (Azeem 1). In Canada, most people live in the southern part along with many agricultural and industrial activities causing the worst cases of water pollution. Water pollution is caused by population growth and industrialization, but can be prevented if proper controls are taken into consideration to help reduce the discharge of waste materials. Water pollution has been a huge disadvantaging concern for humans as well as wildlife for over many decades, but can actually be prevented if attempted. Preventing waste materials from being dumped into lakes and rivers, controlling
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
Waste water treatment plants are essential to communities of all sizes and must work efficiently. Waste water treatment plant primary priority and responsibility is the treatment of incoming sewage water by the removal of biological and chemical wastes so it can be treated and recycled for future use. There are many government agencies and standards set forth to govern and observe the successful treatment of sewage such as: the Department of Environmental Quality, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Clean Water Act of 1972. Compliance and constant monitoring of the treatment plant’s operations are important; as they protect the surrounding community. A spill or backflow of sewage due to a complete system malfunction could potentially be detrimental to the environment and local community. A precise system, of which must be compliant according to government standards, is critical to maintain low levels of wastes that are returned to neighboring water systems after treatment.
Textile factories located along the coast have dumped toxic waste in the the river causing illnesses and death, we need to clean up the Citarum River. With all this, the Citarum River has to return to a place where people feel safe. The Citarum River Basin is home to around thirty-five million people. Most of these people still rely on the river for food, water, and bathing. However, this river isn’t just home to people.
Have you ever had to walk miles away just to get clean drinking water, or don’t even not have access to clean drinking water? People all over the world, even in North America, don’t have access to clean drinking water or have to walk very far just to drink water. The main areas where this problem is prominent is in third world countries, and this is due to the lack of money and sanitation (Millions Lack Safe Water). Due to this lack of sanitation, water borne diseases can grow and infect people who consume it. Clean water is very important for life, and within this paper I will explain why we need it, how it can affect us, and what it will take to obtain clean water.
Safe water and sanitation as a basic human right, household water treatment, rainwater harvesting ... and reports from Kyoto, Madagascar, Uzbekistan, Guinea and other countries around the world.
Pharmaceutical waste seems to be one of the dominant elements that are prevalent in our waters, and other aspects of the environment. These aforementioned elements are largely becoming a concern in today’s society because its effects have proven to be harmful towards our environment, and all of its existing forms of life. Through various ways, whether controllable or uncontrollable, pharmaceutical waste slowly and increasingly multiplies its presence within the environment. Additionally, it eventually trickles down into our waterways and causes a large array of damages. Some of the most common ways that this waste gets into the water includes: disposal through the drainage systems, farming fertilization methods and the maintenance of treatment plants. These methods are self-explanatory through their brief discussions, but it helps decipher whether the disposal of these dangerous wastes are intentional or not.
...rectly or indirectly discharged into the River Ganga” (KUMAR 12). In the analysis of the water countless amounts of harmful bacteria were found among them; Salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid fever in men, B subtilis which can contaminate wounds and, Clostridium perfringens the main bacteria behind gangrene and food poisoning (KUMAR 8).These harmful bacteria have claimed numerous lives and yet the river is still being used for drinking and bathing. . The Ganges is still only one of thousands of other extremely polluted rivers, some of which are here in the United States.
Wastewater is the combination of water-carried or liquid wastes starting in the sanitary conveniences of dwellings, industrial or commercial facilities. In addition to this, surface water, groundwater and storm water may also be present. It is any water that has been badly affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It contains waste from residential, industrial and commercial processes. Municipal water contains industrial wastewater, sewage and gray water. Gray water is the water from sinks and showers. Large industries also produce wastewater.
In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference. South Africa, one of the most advanced countries in Africa, with a thriving economy based on technology and agriculture, is currently facing a downward slope in terms of water availability.