All Flashcards
What is the goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA)?
Restore and maintain the integrity of U.S. surface waters.
What is the goal of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)?
Protect public health by regulating public drinking water supplies.
What does the CWA regulate?
Pollutant discharge into surface waters from point and nonpoint sources.
What does the SDWA regulate?
Quality of public drinking water supplies.
What is the NPDES permit program?
A CWA provision regulating point source discharges into surface waters.
What are Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)?
Standards set by the EPA for regulated contaminants in drinking water, under the SDWA.
What are the key provisions of the Clean Water Act?
EPA sets water quality standards, regulates point and nonpoint sources, NPDES permit program, wetland protection.
What are the key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act?
EPA sets national standards, public water systems monitor water quality, MCLs are set, drinking water source protection.
How does the CWA protect wetlands?
Regulates activities that could damage or destroy wetlands, recognizing their ecological value.
What is the Clean Water State Revolving Fund?
Provides low-interest loans to states for water quality projects, including wastewater treatment facilities.
What are the effects of untreated sewage discharge?
Spread of disease, water pollution, harm to aquatic life.
What are the effects of agricultural runoff on water quality?
Eutrophication, algal blooms, dead zones, and contamination of drinking water sources.
What are the effects of industrial chemical spills?
Groundwater and surface water contamination, harm to aquatic ecosystems, and potential human health risks.
What are the effects of poorly maintained septic systems?
Groundwater contamination, spread of pathogens, and potential health risks.
What are the effects of landfill leachate?
Groundwater contamination, soil pollution, and potential harm to nearby ecosystems.
What are the consequences of exceeding MCLs in drinking water?
Potential health problems, including increased risk of cancer, neurological damage, and developmental issues.
What are the effects of removing wetlands?
Increased flooding, loss of habitat, reduced water quality, and decreased biodiversity.
What are the consequences of thermal pollution?
Decreased dissolved oxygen levels, harm to aquatic life, and altered ecosystem dynamics.
What are the effects of using chlorine for disinfection?
Kills pathogens but can also produce harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water.
What are the environmental consequences of over-extraction of groundwater?
Land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, depletion of aquifers, and reduced streamflow.
Define effluent.
Treated wastewater discharged from a treatment facility.
Define biosolids.
Solid organic matter recovered from a sewage treatment process that can be used as fertilizer.
Define sludge.
Solid waste that settles to the bottom of a septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
Define leachate.
Liquid that has percolated through a solid and leached out some of its constituents; often refers to liquid from landfills.
Define groundwater pollution.
Contamination of underground water sources, making them unsafe for use.
Define point source pollution.
Pollution that comes from a single, identifiable source.
Define nonpoint source pollution.
Pollution that comes from diffuse sources and is harder to trace.
Define MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level).
The maximum permissible level of a contaminant in drinking water, set by the EPA.
Define septic tank.
An underground wastewater treatment system for individual properties without access to a central sewer system.
Define drainage field (leach field).
A component of a septic system where effluent is discharged for further filtration and bacterial decomposition.