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EPA Grant
Hydrologic Cycle
Watershed
Pollution Prevention
Module Topics
Our objective for this session is to review some of the terminology used throughout the training modules
Best Management PracticesStormwater Pollution
Prevention
Contact with the Industries The purpose of the EPA grant is to work with
small to medium-sized aggregate operations, and ready mixed operations in Maryland, using best management practices for ensuring that pollutants are not making their way into Maryland’s watersheds
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
BMPs are standard operating procedures that can reduce the threats that activities at homes, businesses, agriculture, and industry can pose to water supplies
BMPs can increase the aesthetic beauty and value of residential and commercial properties
Some regulated entities may be required to implement BMPs
Hydrologic Cycle
http://www.twp.west-bloomfield.mi.us/departments/HydrologicSystem_001.cfm
Known as the water cycle
97.4% water is located in oceans
1.9% is located in glaciers
0.5% is located in ground water and in lakes
0.02% is located in rivers
Actions that Harm the Hydrologic System
Withdrawing large amounts of water When constructing roads, homes, and industrial
buildings Removal of trees and vegetation Filling in ponds Using water resources as a garbage disposal Not managing contaminated surface runoff such
as sediment
Watershed A watershed is an area of land that catches water
from precipitation and snowmelt. The water then drains to a common waterway, such as, a stream, lake, aquifer, or wetland
A bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community
John Wesley Powell, Scientist Geographer
Simply Stated…What is a Watershed?
An area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place
Crosses county, state, and national boundaries
In the continental US, there are 2,110 watersheds; including Hawaii Alaska, and Puerto Rico, there are 2,267 watersheds
Drinking water Recreation and respite Sustains life More than $450 billion in food and fiber,
and manufactured goods Tourism depends on clean water and
healthy watersheds
What do Watersheds Provide?
What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?
Nonpoint source pollution (NPS), unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources
This type of pollution is called nonpoint source pollution because it does not come from a single outlet, waste pipe, or "point" source
NPS is caused when rainfall or snowmelt, moving over and through the ground, picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water
What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?
These pollutants potentially include: Fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from
agricultural lands and residential areas Oil, grease, and chemicals from urban runoff Sediment from construction sites, crop and forest
lands, and eroding streambanks Acid drainage from abandoned mines Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes,
and septic systems Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are
also sources of nonpoint source pollution
What is Point Source Pollution?
“any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack”[
point source of industrial pollution along the Calumet River. (Source: EPA, Region V)
Point Source Pollution
Active mining operations are considered point sources of pollution.
But drainage or runoff from abandoned mining operations often adds to nonpoint source pollution
Abandoned mining operations can leach iron and other chemicals such as copper, lead and mercury into nearby waterbodies.
(Source: NOAA)
Point Source Pollution
Concrete production plants use fresh or recycled water for a range of operations, including mix water for batching concrete loads, truck and equipment washing (including acid washing of trucks), boiler feed water, filling truck-mounted water tanks, and dust suppression.
Discharged water resulting from these activities can contain or carry fine or coarse particles, and/or have elevated alkaline properties (i.e., a high pH) – and have the potential to be detrimental to the environment. Water management tools and practices include site drainage systems, washout pits, pH adjustment mechanisms and reclaim ponds.
POINT source Discharge from a discrete point into waters of
the U.S. Travels through a conveyance system Regulated under NPDES permit program Can be….
Ready mixed concrete batch operationsAbove ground aggregate mines
NONPOINT source Runoff that is not a point source Largely a voluntary program at the Federal level
A “Point” of Confusion:Point Source vs. Nonpoint
Source
“Pollutant” - 40 CFR 122.2
Dredged spoil Solid waste Incinerator residue Sewage Garbage Agricultural waste Industrial waste Municipal waste
Heat Rock Sand Cellar dirt Munitions Sewage sludge Wrecked or discarded
equipment