GEOG 1000 - Chapter 20 Review Questions - World Ecology Prblms PDF

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Groundwater cannot cleanse itself well because it doesn’t flow as quickly as flowing water as surface water does. It flows so quickly, usually about 1 foot per day, that contaminants are not diluted and dispersed effectively. Groundwater also has much lower concentrations of dissolved oxygen (which helps decompose many contaminants) and small populations of decomposing bacteria. The usually cold temperatures of groundwater also slow down chemical reactions that decompose wastes. The major sources of groundwater contamination of the United States are fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, and organic solvents. People who dump or spill gasoline, oil, and paint thinners, and other organic solvents onto the ground also help to contaminate groundwater. Now, they are concerned with hydraulic fracturing or fracking because of leaky well pipes and pipe fittings and from contaminated wastewater brought to the surface during fracking operations. The three harmful effects of groundwater pollution are contaminated with nitrate ions that can convert some of the nitrate ions to organic compounds that have been shown in tests to cause cancer, can cause blue baby syndrome that blood lacks the ability to carry sufficient oxygen to body cells, slowly degradable wastes, such as DDT. There is a threat from arsenic in the groundwater. Three ways to prevent groundwater contamination are find substitutes for toxic chemicals’ keep toxic chemicals out of the environment, require leak detectors on underground tanks, ban hazardous waste disposal in landfills and injection wells, and store harmful liquids in aboveground tanks with leak detection and collection systems. Three ways to clean up groundwater contamination are pump to surface, clean, and return to the aquifer (very expensive); inject microorganisms to clean up contamination (less expensive, but still costly), and pump nanoparticles of inorganic compounds to remove pollutants (still being developed). Prevention is the most important approach is Drinking water is purified typically in more-developed countries Three ways to provide safe drinking water in poor countries is The environmental problems caused by the widespread use of bottled water are The U.S. laws for protecting drinking water quality are Three ways to strengthen the US Safe Drinking Water Act are...