Water QualityWhat is polluting our water?

• Cities require a very large input of freshwater and in turn have a huge impact on freshwater systems.

• Solid waste disposal is a growing threat to health and the environment.

• 93% of the urbanization occurs in poor or developing countries

• 789 million in total, lives without access to improved sanitation facilities.

• The urban poor pay up to 50 times more for a liter of water than their richer neighbors, since they often have to buy their water from private vendors.

Water on Earth

• 30% groundwater• MWD serves 18

million people in Southern California (Colorado River)

• State water project

Watershed: an area of land where all water that drains from it goes to the same place

What does your watershed look like?

CCHS is located in Ballona Creek Watershed

• Concerns in Ballona– Urban runoff– Trash & debris– High nutrients– Bacterial levels– Heavy metals & toxins

Marine Ecosystems

• Concerns in Malibu– Tapia Treatment Plant– Septic discharges– High nutrients– Bacterial levels

Tidewater goby

Steelhead Trout

Brown Pelican

California least tern

Santa Monica: Concerns in Santa Monica

Canyon Channel

How are pollutants transported?

Fecal Pollution• Dogs• Livestock• Birds• People• WWTP discharges• Septic systems• Anthropogenic pollution

– Surfactants– Nutrients– Oil and grease

Nutrient Pollution

Methods : Fecal indicator bacteria• Fecal indicator bacteria are generally not harmful

bacteria that reside in the gut of animals• FIB are released into the environment with feces and

used to indicate water quality• Limitations:

• Method requires 24hr to get a result.• Does not give you information on the source

www.idexx.com

Data: Enterococci bacteria

• Water quality standards

• Enterococci: 104MPN/100mL

• E. coli:• 400MPN/100mL• Which beach had

highest levels?• Which watershed is

most contaminated?

Enterococci MPN/100mL

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

10000

Santa

Mon

ica B

each

Santa

Mon

ica C

reek

Mal

ibu B

each

Mal

ibu C

reek

Mal

ibu G

roun

dwat

er

Ballon

a Cre

ek

Sample location

En

tero

co

cc

i ba

cte

ria

(M

PN

/10

0m

L)

EnterococciMPN/100mL

Water Quality and Public Health

Swimming related illness

• Acute Respiratory disease

• Gastrointestinal illness• Diarrhea• Vomiting• Nausea• Fever• Sore throat • Runny nose• Ear or Eye infection• Skin rash

Bacteria• Escherichia coli• Salmonella typhi• Vibrio Cholerae• Campylobacter jejunjiViruses• Adenovirus• Enterovirus• Hepatitis A• Rotavirus

16

Source:http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/

Urban Runoff

Stormwater treatment

Legacy Park in Malibu

Point-of-use Treatment•Metal salts such as alum and iron sulfate can transform contaminated source waters into clear, safe drinkable water.

Turbid river water treated with a flocculant-disinfectant powder in Borneo.