Water Pollution: Causes and effects, Waste water treatment

Addition or presence of undesirable substances in water is called water pollution. Water

pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems. Water pollution is caused by a
variety of human activities such as industrial, agricultural and domestic. Agricultural run-off
laden with excess fertilizers and pesticides, industrial effluents with toxic substances and sewage
water with human and animal wastes pollute our water thoroughly. Natural sources of pollution
of water are soil erosion, leaching of minerals from rocks and decaying of organic matter. Rivers,
lakes, seas, oceans, estuaries and ground water sources may be polluted by point or non-point
sources. When pollutants are discharged from a specific location such as a drain pipe carrying
industrial effluents discharged directly into water body it represents point source pollution.
Some point sources of water pollution include: Factories, Sewage system, Power plants,
Underground coalmines, Oil wells. In contrast non-point sources include discharge of
pollutants from diffused sources or from a larger area such as run off from agricultural
fields, grazing lands, construction sites, abandoned mines and pits, roads and streets.
2.1 Causes of Water Pollution:
1. Sewage from domestic households, factories and commercial buildings Sewage that is
treated in water treatment plants is often disposed into the sea. Sewage can be more problematic
when people flush chemicals and pharmaceutical substances down the toilet.
2. Dumping solid wastes and littering by humans in rivers, lakes and oceans. Littering
items include cardboard, Styrofoam, aluminum, plastic and glass.
3. Industrial waste from factories, which use freshwater to carry waste from the plant into
rivers, contaminates waters with pollutants such as asbestos, lead, mercury and petrochemicals.
4. Oil Pollution caused by oil spills from tankers and oil from ship travel. Oil does not
dissolve in water and forms a thick sludge.
5. Burning fossil fuels into the air causes the formation of acidic particles in the
atmosphere. When these particles mix with water vapor, the result is acid rain.
6. An increase in water temperature is caused by global warming and thermal plants that
use lakes and rivers to cool down mechanical equipment.
2.2 Effects of Water Pollution:
1. Groundwater contamination from pesticides causes reproductive damage within
wildlife in ecosystems.
2. Sewage, fertilizer, and agricultural run-off contain organic materials that when
discharged into waters, increase the growth of algae, which causes the depletion of oxygen. The
low oxygen levels are not able to support most indigenous organisms in the area and therefore
upset the natural ecological balance in rivers and lakes.
3. Old Roofs can cause pollution if they are not properly maintained. If water is being
held on roofs the water can become polluted and then run down the home and cause more
pollution to the water table. If you invest in a green roof from all state Roofing you can help
reduce the water pollution from your home.
4. Swimming in and drinking contaminated water causes skin rashes and health problems
like cancer, reproductive problems, typhoid fever and stomach sickness in humans. This is why
it’s very important to make sure that your water is clean and safe to drink.
 5. Industrial chemicals and agricultural pesticides that end up in aquatic environments
can accumulate in fish that are later eaten by humans. Fish are easily poisoned with metals that
are also later consumed by humans. Mercury is particularly poisonous to small children and
women. Mercury has been found to interfere with the development of the nervous system in
fetuses and young children.
6. Ecosystems are destroyed by the rising temperature in the water, as coral reefs are
affected by the bleaching effect due to warmer temperatures. Additionally, the warm water
forces indigenous water species to seek cooler water in other areas, causing an ecological
damaging shift of the affected area.
7. Human-produced litter of items such as plastic bags and 6-pack rings can get aquatic
animals caught and killed from suffocation.
8. Water pollution causes flooding due to the accumulation of solid waste and soil
erosion in streams and rivers.
9. Oil spills in the water causes animal to die when they ingest it or encounter it. Oil does
not dissolve in water so it causes suffocation in fish and birds.
2.3 Wastewater Treatment Processes:
Wastewater treatment is closely related to the standards and/or expectations set for the effluent
quality. Wastewater treatment processes are designed to achieve improvements in the quality of
the wastewater. The various treatment processes may reduce:
1. Suspended solids (physical particles that can clog rivers or channels as they settle
under gravity)
2. Biodegradable organics (e.g. BOD): serve as “food” for microorganisms in the
receiving body. Microorganisms combine this matter with oxygen from the water to yield the
energy they need to thrive and multiply; unfortunately, this oxygen is also needed by fish and
other organisms in the river. Heavy organic pollution can lead to “dead zones” where no fish can
be found; sudden releases of heavy organic loads can lead to dramatic “fish kills”.
3. Pathogenic bacteria and other disease causing organisms: These are most relevant
where the receiving water is used for drinking, or where people would otherwise be in close
contact with it; and
4. Nutrients, including nitrates and phosphates: These nutrients can lead to high
concentrations of unwanted algae, which can themselves become heavy loads of biodegradable
organic load. Treatment processes may also neutralize or removing industrial wastes and toxic
chemicals. This type of treatment should ideally take place at the industrial plant itself, before
discharge of their effluent in municipal sewers or water courses.
Widely used terminology refers to wastewater treatment:
Preliminary treatment:
The objective of preliminary treatment is the removal of coarse solids and other large materials
often found in raw wastewater. Preliminary treatment operations typically include coarse
screening, grit removal and, in some cases, commination of large objects. In grit chambers, the
velocity of the water through the chamber is maintained sufficiently high, or air is used, so as to
prevent the settling of most organic solids. Comminutes are sometimes adopted to supplement
coarse screening and serve to reduce the size of large particles so that they will be removed in the
form of sludge in subsequent treatment processes
Primary (mechanical) treatment: The objective of preliminary treatment is the removal of
coarse solids and other large materials often found in raw wastewater. Removal of these
materials is necessary to enhance the operation and maintenance of subsequent treatment units. It
typically include coarse screening, grit removal and, in some cases, combination of large objects.
In grit chambers, the velocity of water through the chamber is maintained sufficiently high, or air
is used, so as to prevent the settling of most organic solids. Grit removal is not included as a
preliminary treatment in most small wastewater treatment plants. Flow measurement devices,
often standing-wave flumes, are always included at the preliminary treatment stage.
Conventional primary treatment is effective in removing of: Particulate matter larger than about
50 μm from wastewater. In general, about 50% of the suspended solids and 25to 50% of the
BOD5 are removed from untreated wastewater. Nutrients, hydrophobic constituents, metals, and
microorganisms that is associated with particulates in wastewater. About 10 to 20% of the
organic nitrogen and about 10% of the phosphorous are removed.
Primary sedimentation tanks or clarifiers may be round or rectangular basins, typically 3 to 5 m
deep, with hydraulic retention time between 2 and 3 hours. Settled solids (primary sludge) are
normally removed from the bottom of tanks by sludge rakes that scrape the sludge to a central
well from which it is pumped to sludge processing units. Scum is swept across the tank surface
by water jets or mechanical means from which it is also pumped to sludge processing units.
Secondary (biological) treatment: removes the dissolved organic matter that escapes primary
treatment. This is achieved by microbes consuming the organic matter as food, and converting it
to carbon dioxide, water, and energy for their own growth and reproduction. The biological
process is then followed by additional settling tanks (“secondary sedimentation", see photo) to
remove more of the suspended solids. About 85% of the suspended solids and BOD can be
removed by a well running plant with secondary treatment. Secondary treatment technologies
include the basic activated sludge process, the variants of pond and constructed wetland systems,
trickling filters and other forms of treatment which use biological activity to break down organic
matter.
Tertiary treatment: is simply additional treatment beyond secondary. Tertiary treatment can
remove more than 99 percent of all the impurities from sewage, producing an effluent of
almost drinking-water quality. The related technology can be very expensive, requiring a high
level of technical know-how and well trained treatment plant operators, a steady energy supply,
and chemicals and specific equipment which may not be readily available. An example of a
typical tertiary treatment process is the modification of a conventional secondary treatment plant
to remove additional phosphorus and nitrogen.
Disinfection: typically with chlorine, can be the final step before discharge of the effluent.
However, some environmental authorities are concerned that chlorine residuals in the effluent
can be a problem in their own right, and have moved away from this process. Disinfection is
frequently built into treatment plant design, but not effectively practiced, because of the high cost
of chlorine, or the reduced effectiveness of ultraviolet radiation where the water is not
sufficiently clear or free of particles.
Effluent storage: Although not considered a step in the treatment process, a storage facility is,
in most cases, a critical link between the wastewater treatment plant and the irrigation system.
Storage is needed for the following reasons:
 i. To equalize daily variations in flow from the treatment plant and to store excess when
average wastewater flow exceeds irrigation demands; includes winter storage.
ii. To meet peak irrigation demands in excess of the average wastewater flow.
iii. To minimize the effects of disruptions in the operations of the treatment plant and
irrigation system. Storage is used to provide insurance against the possibility of unsuitable
reclaimed wastewater entering the irrigation system and to provide additional time to resolve
temporary water quality problems.