Coastal Pollution and water treatment

What does the National Resource

Defense Council Say?

• CA had the nation's 17 most polluted

beaches last year, and for the 5th straight

year, the worst of those beaches were in

LA County.

• Also, those in LA County had the highest

levels of fecal material in ocean water

• 10/11/09 LBC (KABC) -- A 2 mi. long stretch of

beach in Long Beach was shut down Sunday after

10,000 gallons of raw sewage leaked into LA River

• Cause: So. Pasadena raw sewage line break

• 7/26/08: LA Times: Cleaning crews responsible for maintaining city's 760 mi. of sewer lines traced Saturday's spill in LB to an 8-inch pipe below a gated community that was clogged with cooking grease!

• 7/13/08: LA Times: A 300-gallon spill that closed several beaches was caused by vandals stuffing toilet paper down public toilets near Mother's Beach.

Sources of Coastal Contamination

• Raw Sewage Spills• Urban Runoff

Raw Sewage Comes From

Residential…

• Toilets • Kitchens • Showers

Raw Sewage Comes From

Commercial…

• Sinks • Toilets • Washing

Machines

Raw Sewage Flows to Treatment

Facility

• Hyperion Treatment Facility in El

Segundo uses primary and secondary

treatment to clean raw sewage.

• Required by Clean Water Act of 1972.

How Much Sewage Water

Comes in 1 Day?

• 340 million gallons of sewage per day = 3 ½ Rose Bowls

Video Clip: Water Treatment

Primary Treatment• Process of physically removing objects from

sewage.

• Tools used: Settling tanks (clarifiers), raked bar screen

Primary Treatment

Settling Tank

Secondary Treatment• Biological process of using aerobic bacteria to break down human and food

waste, soaps and detergents.

• Tools used: aeration tanks, more clarifiers

Aeration Tank

Digesters

• Sludge that settles out of clarifiers goes into a digester.

• Here, anaerobic bacteria break down material into a nutrient rich “fertilizer.”

• And, generates methane! Use as a fuel!

Hyperion’s Biosolids• Used for growing wheat/barley in Kern County Class A biosolids, used as animal feed

Disinfection

• Ozone, chlorine, and UV light used to

kill many microorganisms before water

is released into a river/ocean.

If a Raw Sewage Line Breaks..

• Raw sewage runs off in to storm drains in streets

• Flow goes to LA River (NOT TREATED)

• NO Swimming in Long Beach!

• Big source of bacterial and viral pathogens.

Storm Drains• Provides a quick exit route for storm

water reduce flooding.

• Water not treated at treatment facility.

• Anything on streets gets carried with rain water into storm drains.

Storm Drain Grates/Filters

Can also be in catch basin

How Many do we Have in LA?

• 35,000 curb catch basins

• 1500 miles of underground pipes

• Approximately 100 mill. gallons of water

flow through LA’s storm drain system on

an average dry day.

Dirty Jobs with Mike

Rowe

What is Found in Urban

Runoff?

• Trash decomposition high

bacteria counts

• Rodents (dead or alive) that carry disease

What is Found in Urban Runoff?

• Animal/human feces high levels of bacteria

What is Found in Urban Runoff?

Bacteria/Viruses that

can be found in our

coastal water

Salmonellosis

• Caused by Salmonella enteritidis bacteria.

• Symptoms: fever, diarrhea

• Polluted surface water and standing water.

Dysentery

• Usually caused by Shigella bacteria

• Symptoms: severe diarrhea with

blood/mucus in feces.

Hepatitis A

• Caused by Hepatitis A virus

• Commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water

• Can get HAV vaccine

• Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms

• High in concentrations after rain storms.

Laws: Drinking Water

• Safe Drinking Water Act-1974

• 0 colonies per 100 mL is Maximum Contaminant Level (EPA)

Clean Water Act of 1972: requires permits

for dischargers and sets total maximum daily

loads of pollutants.

Laws: Surface Water

Clean Up Our Water?

• Educational Awareness: Know where litter

ends up!

Clean Up Our Water?

• Enforcement of Laws for Littering

Clean Our Water?

• Careful monitoring

of sewage pipes.

• Education about

what should go in a

sewage pipe!

Beach Report Cards

• Heal the Bay issues

• Ratings based on enterrococcus, fecal

coliform, and total coliform tests performed

by CA Health Dept.

• http://healthebay.org/brcv2/default.aspx?ta

bid=1

• Doesn’t test for viruses: $$$

Sources

• City of LA Storm Water Program: http://www.lastormwater.org/siteorg/general/lastrmdrn.htm

• CA Dept of Health: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/environhealth/water/Documents/Beaches/AppendixC.pdf

• Heal the Bay: http://www.healthebay.org

• Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.com

• LA Times: www.latimes.com

• ABC News: www.kabc.com