WATER:

Resources
and
Pollution
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, the students

will be able to:

1.discuss the different properties of water;

2.explain the earth’s water compartments;
3.analyze the importance of hydrologic cycle
in environmental processes;
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
4. discover the problems in water availability
and use;
5. identify the sources, causes and effects of
water pollution; and
6. recommend actions for water management
and conservation.
THE EARTH’S WATER
RESOURCES
 Water
• main compound found in living organisms.

• also known as oxidane (IUPAC name)

• It contains two atoms of hydrogen and

one atom of oxygen
 Properties of Water
1. Transparent, colorless, odorless and
tasteless liquid.
2. It boils at 100 0C and freezes at 0 0C
3. It has a high heat capacity.
4. It is polar.
5. The density of ice is lower than the
density of liquid water.
Units of Water Measurement
1 cubic kilometer (km3 )
=
1 billion cubic meters (m3 )
=
1 trillion liters
=
264 billion galloons
 Hydrologic Cycle
• also known as “water cycle”
• continuous movement of water on, above,
and below the surface of the Earth.
• water evaporates from moist surfaces, falls
as rain or snow, passes through living
organisms, and returns to the ocean.
 Global Hydrologic Cycle
Major
physical
processes
which form
a continuum
of water
movement.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

1. Evaporation – process of transformation

of water from liquid to gas by means of solar
radiation as it moves from the ground or
bodies of water into the atmosphere.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

2. Transportation - movement of water

through the atmosphere usually between
ocean and landmasses.

3. Condensation - the transformation of water

vapor to liquid water droplets in the air,
creating clouds and fog.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

4. Sublimation– the state change directly from

solid water (snow or ice) to water vapor.

5. Deposition - also known as desublimation,

is a thermodynamic process, a phase transition
in which gas (vapor) transforms into solid (ice).
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

6. Precipitation - condensed water vapor

that falls to the Earth's surface. Most
precipitation occurs as rain, but also includes
snow, hail, fog drip, graupel, and sleet.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

7. Runoff- includes surface and channel

runoff. The water flows it may seep into the
ground, or evaporated into the air, then
stored in lake or reservoirs.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle

8. Transpiration -the release of water vapor

from plants and soil into the air. Water vapor
is a gas that cannot be seen.
 Major Physical Processes in
Global Hydrologic Cycle
9. Infiltration –water enters the soil surface
after falling in the ground from the
atmosphere.

10. Percolation – water moves down further

through the soil and rocks under the
influence of gravity.
Earth’s Water Compartments
• The length of time water typically stays in
a compartment is its residence time.

• On average, a water molecule stays in the

ocean for about 3,000 years.
 Compartment Average Residence Time

Total 2,800 years

Oceans 3,000 to 30,00 years*

Ice and Snow 1 to 100,00 years*

Saline groundwater Days to thousand of years*

Fresh groundwater Days to thousand of years*

Fresh lakes 1 to 500 years*

Saline lakes 1 to 1,00 years*
Soil Moisture 2 weeks to 1 year*
Atmosphere 1 week
Marshes, wetlands Months to years
Rivers, streams 1 week to 1 month
Living Organisms 1 week
* Depends on depth and other factors
 Water Budget

Ice and Snow

Ground water
Fresh surface water

Ocean
 Allocation of Freshwater
(2.4%)
• Soil Moisture
• Plants and
Animals
largest Moisture
compartment • Wetland
of fresh liquid • Atmosphere
water • Rivers and
Stream
• Freshwater
lakes and
reservoirs
Groundwater and Its
Components

shallow layers of the soil containing both air and water

the top of the zone of saturation

(upper limit of the saturated area)

lower soil layers, where all soil pores are filled

with water (source of water in most wells)
 Groundwater and Its
Components
Recharge zone
Areas where surface water
filters into an aquifer
A
qu
ife
r
WATER PROBLEMS
Problems in Water Availability
and Use

1. Water scarcity - lack of access to

adequate quantities of water for human and
environmental uses.
– geographical location
– periodic droughts
– access to clean water
Problems in Water Availability
and Use

2. Water withdrawal - the total amount of

water taken from a water body.
– population growth
– agricultural use
– subsidence
– saltwater intrusion
Problems in Water Availability
and Use
3. Water consumption - loss of water due
to evaporation, absorption, or contamination.
- cooling water for power plants
- biofuel production
- agricultural and domestic use
- diversion projects
WATER POLLUTION
 Water Pollution
• Any physical,
biological, or
chemical change in
water quality that
adversely affects
living organisms or
makes water
unsuitable for
desired uses.
 Sources of Water Pollution
• Point • Non Point

- diffuse, having no specific

- discharge pollution from location
specific locations
- runoff from farm fields and
feedlots, golf courses, lawns and
- Factories, power gardens, construction sites,
plants, sewage logging areas, roads, streets,
treatment plants, and parking lots.

underground coal
mines, and oil -episodic
 Types of Water Pollutants
1. Biological Pollutants
2. Inorganic Pollutants
3. Organic Chemicals
4. Sediment
5. Heat
 Biological Water Pollutants
1. Pathogens

2. Eutrophication
 Biological Water Pollutants
1. Pathogen (disease-causing) organisms
•the most serious water pollutants in terms
of human health
•includes waterborne diseases such as
typhoid, cholera, bacterial and amoebic
dysentery, enteritis, polio, infectious
hepatitis, and schistosomiasis.
 Biological Water Pollutants
• the main source is untreated or improperly
treated human wastes.
• if any coliform bacteria are present in a
water sample, infectious pathogens are
assumed to be present as well and unsafe
for drinking.
• a high fecal coliform count indicates
very poor water quality.
 Biological Water Pollutants
• the water quality is usually described in terms
of concentrations of coliform bacteria —any of
the many types that commonly live in the colon,
or intestines, of humans and other animals.

• the most common of these is Escherichia coli (or

E. coli ). Other bacteria such as Shigella ,
Salmonella , or Listeria.
 Biological Water Pollutants
2. Eutrophication - an increase in nutrient
levels and biological productivity, often
accompanies successional changes.

Cultural eutrophication – effect of

accelerated eutrophication. Mainly caused
by increased nutrient input into a water body.
 Inorganic Pollutants
1. Metals
2. Non- metallic salts
3. Acids and Bases
 Inorganic Pollutants
1. Metals - highly persistent, they accumulate
in food chains and have a cumulative effect in
humans.
Example :
•Mercury – released in incinerators and coal
powered plant
•Lead, Cadmium, and Nickel - mine drainage
and leaching of mining wastes.
 Inorganic Pollutants
2. Non-metallic salts – high concentration
of soluble salts in the soil
Example:
Selenium
Arsenic
Sodium chloride
Calcium Chloride
 Inorganic Pollutants
3. Acids and Bases
Example:
•Acids - by-products of industrial processes,
such as leather tanning, metal smelting and
plating, petroleum distillation, and organic
chemical synthesis.
•Sulfuric Acid – acid mine drainage, acid
precipitation
 Organic Chemicals
The two principal sources:
1.improper disposal of industrial and
household wastes
2.pesticide runoff from farm fields, forests,
roadsides, golf courses, and private lawns.
 Organic Chemicals
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) –
stable compounds that persist in the
environment for a long time.
 Organic Chemicals
• The first 12 POPs to be identified:
1.Adrin
2.Dieldrin
3.Endrin
4.Chlordane
5.Heptachlor
6.Toxaphane
 Organic Chemicals
7. Mirex
8. DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltricholoroethane)
9. HCB (Hexachlorobenzene)
10.PCBs (Polychlorinatedbiphenyls)
11.Dioxins
12.Furans
 Organic Chemicals
• Dioxins, Furans and HCBs – synthesized
through anthropogenic activities such as
burning of chlorinated organic substances.

• Dioxins – most carcinogenic compounds

• DDT – “magic bullet” against malaria

 Sediments
• Farming and urbanization, greatly
accelerate erosion and increase
sediment loads in rivers.

• Sources includes cropland erosion,

forest disturbance, road building, urban
construction sites,
 Sediments
• Sediment fills lakes
and reservoirs,
obstructs shipping
channels, clogs
hydroelectric
turbines, and makes
purification of
drinking water more
costly
 Heat
Thermal Pollution – usually effluent from
cooling systems of power plants or other
industries, alters water temperature.
• raising or
lowering water
temperatures from
normal levels can
adversely affect
water quality and
aquatic life.
 Is Bottled Water Safer?
• Water intended for drinking should not be
pure. It should contain nutrient and
minerals like dissolved potassium,
carbonates, magnesium and other ions.
 Is Bottled Water Safer?
• Clean, potable water usually tastes sweet,
associated with clean freshwater and not that of
sugar.

• Colorless, transparent and all nutrients must

be completely dissolved.

• The bottled water should be refreshingly cool,

not warm.
WATER MANAGEMENT
AND CONSERVATION
 Water Management and
Conservation
1. Watershed management and conservation

Watershed or Catchment
• all the land drained by a stream or river.
• it has long been recognized that retaining
vegetation and groundcover in a watershed
helps hold back rainwater and lessens
downstream floods.
La Mesa Watershed and Eco
Park
 Water Management and
Conservation
2. Sound farming and forestry practices can reduce
runoff.

3. Wetlands conservation preserves natural water

storage capacity and aquifer recharge zones.

4. Construction of series of small dams on tributary

streams which can hold back water before it becomes
a great flood.
Simple Ways in Saving Water
and Preventing Pollution
1. Don’t flush every time you use the toilet.
Take shorter showers, and shower
instead of taking baths.

2. Don’t let the faucet run while brushing

your teeth or washing dishes.
Simple Ways in Saving Water
and Preventing Pollution
3. Use water-conserving appliances: low-
flow showers, low-flush toilets, and
aerated faucets.

4. Fix leaking faucets, tubs, and toilets.

Simple Ways in Saving Water
and Preventing Pollution
5. Put a brick or full water bottle in your
toilet tank to reduce the volume of water
in each flush.

6. Dispose of used motor oil, household

hazardous waste, batteries, and so on
responsibly.
Simple Ways in Saving Water
and Preventing Pollution
7. Avoid using toxic or hazardous chemicals for
simple cleaning or plumbing jobs.

8. If you have a lawn, use water, fertilizer, and

pesticides sparingly.

9. If possible, use recycled (gray) water for

lawns, house plants, and car washing.
THANK YOU
 References
•Andaya, Cynthia V. Understanding the Earth through
Environmental Science. Manila, C & E Publishing, 2008.

•Cunningham, William, and Mary Ann Cunningham.

Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry and
Applications. 6th ed., New York, McGraw-Hill
Science/Engineering/Math, 2010.

•‌