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Safe Drinking Water
Published in Mary K. Theodore, Louis Theodore, Introduction to Environmental Management, 2021
Mary K. Theodore, Louis Theodore
The CWA introduced a permit system for regulating point sources of pollution. A “point source” is a single identifiable and localized source of a contaminant. Point source pollution can usually be traced back to a single origin or source. Examples of point sources include industrial facilities (e.g., manufacturing, mining, and oil and gas extraction), municipal and government facilities (e.g., wastewater treatment plants), and some agricultural facilities (e.g., animal feedlots). Point sources are not allowed to be discharged into surface waters without a permit from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This system is managed by the EPA in partnership with state environmental agencies. The EPA has authorized 45 states to issue permits directly to the discharging facilities. The EPA regional office issues permits directly in the remaining states and territories.
Characteristics of pollutants
Published in E. B. Welch, J. M. Jacoby, T. Lindell, Pollutant Effects in Freshwater, 2004
E. B. Welch, J. M. Jacoby, T. Lindell
Much of the waste of civilization enters water bodies through the discharge of water-borne wastes, termed wastewater. That is, the water used by the urban population for drinking/washing or by industry for cooling/washing/ processing is discharged carrying the unwanted and unrecovered substances. Wastewater can be treated or untreated and has conventionally referred primarily to that which enters water bodies at points of concentrated flow (through pipes), or point sources. Point sources include wastewater effluent from municipal and industrial sources. Although flow and pollutant loads can vary, this variability is not directly related to meteorological conditions (Novotny and Olem, 1994). Pollutants from diffuse or non-point sources enter water bodies in a diffuse manner at intermittent intervals that are generally related to meteorological events (e.g. precipitation). Diffuse sources are more difficult to monitor and to treat. Examples include urban runoff, agricultural and silvicultural runoff, flow from abandoned mines, and wet and dry atmospheric deposition over a water surface (Novotny and Olem, 1994). Point sources in the USA are regulated under the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Water Quality Act of 1987 and have been, for the most part, effectively controlled through waste treatment processes. However, non-point sources remain a largely uncontrolled source of pollutants to surface waters.
The Analytical Conundrum
Published in David M. Kempisty, LeeAnn Racz, Forever Chemicals, 2021
PFAS from source air emissions is gaining increased attention. The facilities listed in Figure 5.7 play a critical role in the beginning and end-of-life-cycle for PFAS. The cycle begins with the manufacturing plants and ends with the treatment facilities like thermal oxidizers and incinerators. Source air emissions travel via short- and long-range transport as evident by detections of PFAS in the Arctic Ocean and in soil and groundwater surrounding these facilities. Point source emissions can eventually lead to contaminated ambient air with measurable impacts to surface water, soil and eventually groundwater. In the US, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has become a tool for enacting PFAS legislation. The 2020 NDAA included a provision that addressed the incineration of AFFF. All incineration of AFFF must be conducted at a temperature range believed to be adequate to break down PFAS, while ensuring the maximum degree of reduction in emissions and all incineration must be conducted in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA) and at a permitted facility that has been permitted to receive waste regulated under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. The CAA requires the EPA to establish new source performance standards for new incineration facilities and emission guidelines for existing facilities. As is the case with all non-drinking water matrices, we lack an EPA standard reference method specific to PFAS in air, and in order to enforce emissions guidelines EPA will need to publish a method. In the interim, The EPA has published Other Test Method (OTM) 45 for PFAS characterization in stack gas. OTMs are test methods which have not yet been subject to the Federal rulemaking process.
Integrated GIS and multivariate statistical approach for spatial and temporal variability analysis for lake water quality index
Published in Cogent Engineering, 2023
Poornasuthra Subramaniam, Ali Najah Ahmed, Chow Ming Fai, Marlinda Abdul Malek, Pavitra Kumar, Yuk Feng Huang, Mohsen Sherif, Ahmed Elshafie
Point source pollution is referred to as pollution from a known point of discharge or fixed outlet and can be released into water bodies in pipes or man-made drainage (Gyawali et al., 2013). Some examples of point source pollution are pipe discharges, industrial outflows, tributaries, industrial or municipal wastewater treatment plant outflows. Since possible contaminants from a point source can be easily monitored by measuring discharge and pollutant levels from an identified discharge point, its impact is easy to define and regulate. The focus over the previous years of research work was to address point source pollution through managing the known point of discharges, such as urban wastewater effluent, as described by 2010) and Perona et al. (1999) which was found to have been successfully under pollution control and management.
A review on groundwater contaminant transport and remediation
Published in ISH Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 2020
P. K. Sharma, Muskan Mayank, C. S. P. Ojha, S. K. Shukla
Point-source refers to contamination originating from a single tank, disposal site. Industrial waste disposal sites, accidental spills, leaking gasoline storage tanks, and dumps or landfills are examples of point sources. Waste water sources are considered as the important point sources in the aquatic environment (Glassmeyer et al. 2005). Díaz-Cruz and Barceló (2008) studied the occurrence of organic micro pollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and their metabolites in different source of waters which is used for artificial recharge purpose. It is shown that the direct recharge increases the sub-surface level and the elimination of the compounds of concern is reduced or eliminated. This is due to the biological and geochemical degradation and adsorption processes occur in the shallow soil zone and unsaturated zone, and these zones are partially or completely bypassed when recharge occurs directly to the aquifer. A recent example illustrated the potential for molecules to by-pass sophisticated treatment processes, i.e. use of metaldehyde in treated drinking water sources (Water UK 2011).
Development of a comprehensive fuzzy based approach for evaluating sustainability and self-purifying capacity of river Ganges
Published in ISH Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 2018
R. Srinivas, Ajit Pratap Singh
River is the main source of freshwater water supply to humans and several aquatics. The socioeconomic development of a country very much depends on the quality of its surface water. However, over the past two to three decades, the major rivers of the world have witnessed severe pollution due to discharge of mammoth quantities of wastewaters from industrial, municipal sectors, manure discharges, and surface runoff. Therefore, it is important to have a detailed analysis of both quality and quantity of river water so as to formulate policies for sustainable river basin development. River pollution is caused by both point and non-point sources (NPS). Point sources include sewage, sullage, and industrial effluents. Al-Mamun and Zainuddin (2013) described that major pollutants in river pollution such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and ammonical nitrogen (NH3-N) were discharged mainly from NPS which are seldom monitored and conteters corresponding to drains and sampling stationrolled by the regulatory agencies of a particular country. The so-called urban development is also one of the critical factors contributing to the deterioration of water quality, especially during the construction period (Liao et al. 2011). The land use pattern and practices along river basins are also found to have significant impact on the water quality and ecosystem management (Bu et al. 2014; Kang et al. 2010; Lee et al. 2009; Negnevitsky 2004).