All Flashcards
Why is sewage treatment important?
Reduces disease spread, prevents water pollution, allows water reuse, and can generate energy.
How do septic systems work?
Separation, anaerobic digestion, and discharge into a drainage field for filtration.
Why is septic tank maintenance crucial?
Prevents pollution and ensures proper functioning of the system.
Why is groundwater pollution a concern?
Contaminates drinking water, harms ecosystems, and causes health problems.
Explain the importance of water reuse.
Conserves water resources, especially in water-scarce regions, and reduces demand on freshwater sources.
What is anaerobic digestion?
Breakdown of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen, used in septic tanks and sewage treatment.
Describe the role of microorganisms in sewage treatment.
Microorganisms break down organic matter during secondary treatment, removing dissolved pollutants.
What is the significance of source water protection?
Protects drinking water sources from contamination, ensuring a safe and reliable water supply.
Explain the concept of 'pollutant discharge'.
Release of harmful substances into the environment, regulated by laws like the Clean Water Act.
What are best management practices (BMPs)?
Effective and practical strategies for preventing or reducing pollution from various sources.
Define effluent.
Treated wastewater discharged from a treatment facility.
Define biosolids.
Solid byproducts of sewage treatment, often 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 the constituents.
Define point source pollution.
Pollution from a single, identifiable source.
Define nonpoint source pollution.
Pollution from diffuse sources that are difficult to trace.
What is a septic tank?
Underground wastewater treatment system for properties lacking central sewer systems.
What is a drainage field?
Area where effluent from a septic tank flows for filtration and decomposition.
Define groundwater pollution.
Contamination of underground water sources, making them unsafe.
What are MCLs?
Maximum Contaminant Levels: standards set by the EPA for drinking water contaminants.
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.