land uses & water pollution sources christopher gale bill taft
TRANSCRIPT
Land Uses & Water Pollution Sources
Christopher Gale
Bill Taft
What is a Watershed? (or Drainage Basin)
… the land area that drains runoff (rain or snow) into a lake, stream or river.
The boundaries of a watershed,
are hilltops and ridges.
REVIEW!
Source: Doppelt, Bob, Mary Scurlock, Chris Frissell, and James Karr. (1993: xiv). Entering the Watershed: A new approach to save America's River Ecosystems. Washington, DC: Island Press. Copyright: Pacific Rivers Council.
What watershed do you live in?
What are the Benefits of a Healthy Watershed
Clean water Flood control Good fish & wildlife habitat Greater biodiversity More productive for timber & grazing Higher property values More attractive
Grazing Farming Forestry (logging) Mining Wildlife habitat Recreation (motorized & non-motorized) Residential Commercial Preservation (wild & scenic)
What are Land Uses?
What are land uses?
The ways that people use the land.
o Nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus)o Sediment (dirt)o Bacteriao Pesticideso Road salto Toxic chemicals o Metals (mercury, copper, etc.)
What are Types of Pollutants?
Point and Non-point Sources of Water Pollution
Point = water pollutants discharged from a pipe into lakes and rivers.
Nonpoint = water pollutants carried by runoff over land and into lakes and rivers.
Point source pollution = water pollutants discharged from a pipe
Nonpoint Source Pollution = pollutants carried by water as it runs off over the land. The type of pollutant (sediment, fertilizer, nutrients, pesticides, etc.) depends upon the type of land use.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
#1
Parking Lot UrbanCommercial Development
Possible PollutantsRoad saltSedimentAutomotive fluids (toxic chemicals)Motor oil (toxic chemicals)
Bill Taft#2
Forest managementLogging roadPossible Pollutants:Sediment
#3
HomesNeighborhoodResidential
Pesticides (toxic chemicals)Fertilizers (nutrients)Pet wastes (bacteria & nutrients)Road salt
Possible Pollutants
#4
AgricultureLivestock grazingAnimal Feedlot
Animal wastes (bacteria & nutrients)
Possible Pollutants
#5
New construction
Sediment
Possible Pollutants
#6
Stream channel straightened due to urban development
Road saltSedimentAutomotive fluids (toxic chemicals)Motor oil (toxic chemicals)Waterfowl wastes
Possible Pollutants
#7
City Urban area
Road saltSedimentAutomotive fluids (toxic chemicals)Motor oil (toxic chemicals)
Possible Pollutants
#8 Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
AgricultureCropland
SedimentFertilizerPesticides
Possible Pollutants
Leading Sources of Water Quality Impairment to Rivers (U.S.*)
1. Agricultural runoff (farming and livestock)
2. Municipal point sources (sewage treatment plants)
3. Streamside habitat changes (channelization, dredging, flow modifications)
Leading pollutants: bacteria, nutrients, metals (primarily mercury), sediment
* 2000 National Water Quality Inventory (EPA report). Data received on 33% of U.S. waters were assessed for this report. http://www.epa.gov/305b/2000report/factsheet.pdf
How can we reduce or prevent pollution ?
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs)
…are designed to control, prevent, remove, or reduce pollution. Three BMP categories:1. Structural Practices
o Grass or rock-lined drainage ditches.o Fence livestock away from streamo Sedimentation basin for parking lot runoff
2. Vegetative Practiceso Cover crops o Leave tree and shrub “buffer strips” along streams
3. Management Practiceso No till farming (don’t plow)o Rotate pastures used for livestock grazing o No grazing, logging, or building houses right next to a stream