Major Causes Include: Petroleum, Mining, Chemical Waste from Industrial Plants

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Comprising over 70% of the Earth’s surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource that exists on our planet.

Pollution of freshwater (drinking water) is a problem for about half of the world's population. Each year there are about 250 million cases of water-related diseases, with roughly 5 to 10 million deaths.

Major causes include: Petroleum, Mining, Chemical waste from industrial plants,

Agricultural storm runoff, and sewage discharges.

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40% of America's rivers are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

Even worse are America's lakes—46% are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

Two-thirds of US estuaries and bays are either moderately or severely degraded from eutrophication (nitrogen and phosphorus pollution).

The Mississippi River (US). How could we forget this mammoth river that crosses 10 states and carries millions of metric tons of pollutants with it to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico each year, creating a the notorious "deadzone." During the 1990s, this river discharged over 100 million pounds of toxics downriver each year. The Dead Zone is aptly named due to the low levels of oxygen, causing no aquatic life to survive in this area.

In any given year, about 25% of beaches in the US are under advisories or are closed at least one time because of water pollution.

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Geologists estimate that there are more than 700 springs in the state of Florida, representing perhaps the largest concentration of freshwater springs on earth.

There are 31 known springs in the Wekiva River basin north and west of Orlando, Florida, which form the base flow for many of the rivers in the basin and create a unique and productive ecosystem.

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Studies have been done to determine the causes of elevated nitrogen levels in the Wekiva River Basin.

There are over 55,000 onsite systems in the Wekiva Study Area .

Fertilizer from both Agricultural and Residential land uses:

●Atmospheric deposition

●Livestock, feedlots, manure

●Wastewater treatment plants

●Drainage wells

●Onsite systems

●Other (sinking streams, etc.)

Wekiwa and Rock Springs contain 20 times the level of nitrogen of springs without development (1.5 mg/L Wekiwa, 1.6 mg/L Rock as compared to Juniper Springs which has 0.08 mg/L)

The Wekiva Basin Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System Study makes many recommendations including upgrading and repairing septic tanks in order to reduce nitrogen levels.

Based on existing data, a family of four in Wekiva Basin will discharge 44 pounds of nitrogen per year (based on the 2006/07 Wekiva study) into the drainfield of a conventional septic system and about 26 pounds of N/yr enter the ground water as a load (after going through the drainfield); additional treatment is needed to reduce nitrogen in the waste stream

The Florida Department of Health did a study on the Wekiva River Subbasin in 2007. Approximately one-third of the population of Florida utilizes an OWTS for wastewater treatment, creating one of the largest artificial ground water recharge sources in the state. Ninety percent of the water used for drinking comes from the ground water (Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2006). It is necessary to take care of this resource to protect public health and the environment.

There are various sources of nitrogen pollution: fertilizer from both agricultural and residential land uses; atmospheric deposition; agricultural sources such as livestock, feedlots, and manure; wastewater treatment plants; drainage wells; OWTS; and other sources such as sinking streams.

A recently completed FDOH study looked at how quickly and far effluent and nitrogen from conventional OWTS moves in a karst environment (Florida Department of Health, 2004; Roeder et al, 2005). Karst features are found throughout the state of Florida and are characterized by conduits in the underlying limestone. The study found that effluent tracers moved very quickly and nitrogen concentrations remained high in wells in the effluent plume, illustrating the conduits between the ground surface and the surficial aquifer in karst environments that make them more sensitive to nitrogen pollution.

The estimated nitrogen input per capita leaving the septic tank varied between 7.3 and 14.7 pounds per person per year.

50 to 90 percent of nitrogen from onsite systems is loaded to the ground water.

On a per capita basis, the mass loading of nitrogen to the ground water ranged from 3.95 to 9.65 pounds per person per year. This resulted in a mid-range of about 17 lbs nitrogen per year per system.

Nitrogen sources to the environment include: atmospheric deposition; fertilizer from both agricultural and

1 residential land uses; livestock wastewater; municipal wastewater treatment systems; onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; and stormwater.

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Comments about pollution on the Pacific coast near Mailbu.

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Malibu, a city on California’s star-studded coast, has long relied on septic tanks for treatment of human waste; human waste contains disease-causing viruses, bacteria and parasites.

The regional board estimates that there are 10,000 people in Malibu who rely on about 6,000 septic tanks.

Surfrider Beach, one of the most popular and scenic stretches of coastal Malibu, is also one of the most polluted in the state: Surfrider Beach rates in the top ten most polluted beaches

The Malibu Surfing Association claims that surfers try to keep their mouths closed when riding the breakers because swimmers are “always getting sick – sinus infections, stomach and gastrointestinal viruses”

When operating correctly, septic systems are effective in removing 100% of fecal coliform bacteria (through soil filtration in the drainfield)

The problem with some of the Malibu septic systems is that septic systems of some beachfront homes are situated too close to surface waters or high groundwater tables; the result is that septic systems are short-circuited, or have inadequate drainage fields and soils to work properly

It is estimated that 30% of septic tanks in the Malibu Creek watershed are failing or have failed.

The city of Malibu, Calif.'s, much-anticipated $50-million Legacy Park Project is an important example of how local governments are working diligently to reduce pollution and clean local beaches. The project will transform 17 acres in the heart of Malibu into a central park that will serve as an environmental cleaning machine, capturing, cleaning and disinfecting up to 2.6 million gal of storm water and urban runoff that flow from the surrounding watershed. The park's state-of-the-art design will reduce pollution and improve water quality in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and the world-famous Surfrider Beach.

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The Chesapeake Bay watershed is 64,000 square miles and has 11,600 miles of tidal shoreline, including tidal wetlands and islands. The watershed encompasses parts of six states. Approximately 17 million people live in the watershed; about 10 million people live along its shores or near them.

The Chesapeake Bay has experienced a decline in water quality due to over enrichment of nutrients (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen).

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Fifty years ago the Chesapeake Bay was one of the most beautiful and productive estuaries on our planet. Water quality was good and extensive grass beds were an integral part of the Bay's ecology. The aquatic vegetation provided habitat and sanctuary for many species of marine life, and was a primary source of food for wintering waterfowl. The vegetation helped stabilize the Bay's bottom, improved water clarity, and increased the estuaries' dissolved oxygen. Oysters were an important part of the Bay ecosystem; their reefs provided habitat for a wide variety of marine life, and they filtered a large amount of nutrients which helped improve water quality.

Waterfowl, finfish, shellfish, and the blue crab were all relatively abundant throughout the Chesapeake Bay at the middle of the 20th century. About 100,000 streams and rivers flow into the largest estuary in the United States along its 200-mile length. The Bay is 3.4 miles across at its narrowest point in Aberdeen, Maryland, and 35 miles across near its mouth in southeastern Virginia. It has 11,600 miles of shoreline encircling 15 trillion gallons of water. The Bay's average depth is 21 feet.

The shoreline and wetlands are perhaps the most attractive feature to the more than 15 million people who call the watershed home. The Chesapeake Bay watershed population is expected to climb to 18 million people by the year 2020.

But approximately 3,600 other species also make their home in and around the Bay. Of these, 265 species are fish and 29 species are waterfowl.

Read more:

Over the past half century most of the aquatic vegetation disappeared. The waterfowl that fed primarily on the Bay's underwater grasses and couldn't adapt to feeding on the land now fly over the Chesapeake Bay to winter further south. Declining water quality has stressed the Bay's living resources and fish kills are becoming more frequent throughout most of the Bay. There are warning signs that indicate the bottom of the food chain has been affected by pollution. The number of ecologically less desirable species of phytoplankton (algae) such as bluegreen algae and potentially toxic dinoflagellates (e.g. Pfiesteria) is increasing. Bacteria levels in the Bay are among the highest known to exist in any estuarine environment. Zooplankton, the food base for many fish species, are declining. The numbers of harmful algae blooms that are potentially harmful to humans, and have been proven lethal to aquatic life, are increasing in the Bay.

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Extensive land development along the shore lines of lakes, rivers, bays and oceans.

This brings more and more pollution from stormwater runoff, agricultural runoff, waste treatment plants and onsite watewater systems.

The nutrient causing the most problem in Nitrogen.

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Let’s look at causes of nitrogen pollution of the Chesapeake Bay.

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Over the past half century most of the aquatic vegetation disappeared. The waterfowl that fed primarily on the Bay's underwater grasses and couldn't adapt to feeding on the land now fly over the Chesapeake Bay to winter further south. Declining water quality has stressed the Bay's living resources and fish kills are becoming more frequent throughout most of the Bay. There are warning signs that indicate the bottom of the food chain has been affected by pollution. The number of ecologically less desirable species of phytoplankton (algae) such as bluegreen algae and potentially toxic dinoflagellates (e.g. Pfiesteria) is increasing. Bacteria levels in the Bay are among the highest known to exist in any estuarine environment. Zooplankton, the food base for many fish species, are declining. The numbers of harmful algae blooms that are potentially harmful to humans, and have been proven lethal to aquatic life, are increasing in the Bay. These blooms also lower the Bay's dissolved oxygen and block sunlight preventing underwater grasses from growing.

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The Chesapeake's commercial fisheries are but a remnant of what they were fifty years ago, even the forage fish are at historically low densities. Data collected from 1985 to 1999 by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) indicate that blue crab larvae entering the Chesapeake Bay from our coastal waters have declined approximately 70% at the mouth of the Bay. The 2000 blue crab harvest was the lowest on record, forcing many watermen out of business by the middle of the summer. Shellfish populations are only a fraction of their historic levels because of over harvesting, loss of habitat, pollution, and disease, and now one of the Bay's top predators, the striped bass, has been diagnosed with a disease that may significantly reduce its population.

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The Chesapeake Bay was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list of "impaired' waters in 1999. The year 2000 left no doubt that the Chesapeake bay was an ecological disaster, water quality was so poor in some major tributaries that record low dissolved oxygen levels were recorded during the summer, following one of the most widespread mahogany tides ever observed in the Bay. The EPA said it could require a mandatory clean-up plan known as Total Maximum Daily Load unless the Bay attains water quality standards that support the needs of it's marine life by 2010.

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Senate Bill 320, also known as the Bay Restoration Fund was signed into law on May 26th, 2004. The purpose of the bill is to create a dedicated fund, financed by wastewater treatment plant users, to upgrade Maryland’s wastewater treatment plants withenhanced nutrient removal technology so they are capable of achieving better wastewater effluent quality In addition, a similar fee paid by septic system users will be utilized to upgrade onsite systems and implement cover crops to reduce nitrogen loading to the Bay.

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Millions of people depend on onsite systems for wastewater treatment and environmentally-safe disposal. The population of North America continues to grow and become more rural. The EPA and other sources estimate that from one-fourth to one-third of all new development is served by decentralized treatment systems like precast concrete septic tanks. It is important that the precast concrete industry:

In this era of fiscal limitations, many cities and towns have difficulties addressing the high costs to expand the capacity of their wastewater treatment facilities or extend lines to urban areas to accommodate growth. As a result, onsite systems now provide more than 40% of the wastewater treatment services to residential areas, communities, shopping centers and commercial businesses throughout the U.S.

Millions of people depend on it.

Protects the environment and our drinking water

Onsite systems are an effective solution to protecting water quality.

They are valuable component to integrate with watershed management plans and implementing sustainable development concepts.

The recycling component in this system supports the water resources management goals in many arid areas of the country

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Nitrogen is a common element that occurs in different forms

●Law of Conservation of Matter: Matter can neither be created nordestroyed

●We are increasing nitrogen into the biosphere through release of oxidized nitrogen as a result of burning fossil fuels and byapplying fertilizers

●High nitrogen levels can cause excessive algae growth

●Too much algae can eventually kill fish and other aquaticlife

●Drinking water standard is 10 mg/L, too much nitrogen in drinking water can lead to health hazards such as blue baby syndrome.

Nitrogen is very soluble and can move at the rate of the groundwater

●USDA Soil Surveys document movement of between 1.2 to greaterthan 40 feet per day

●The karst study documented movement rates of 1 to 280 feet per day horizontally

Unsaturated soil surrounding the drainfield is extremely effective at removing disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and parasites. In 1983, the department adopted a requirement that there be two feet of unsaturated soil beneath the drainfield to achieve effective removal of these disease-causing agents. The conventional septic system is generally less effective at removing nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Onsite sewage system treatment and disposal system research has shown that certain environments have a higher capability of naturally removing the nitrogen once it leaves the drainfield.

Nitrogen is the most abundant element in our atmosphere at 78% dinitrogen gas (N2). It is a vital element since compounds essential to living systems are nitrogen-containing compounds (a necessary element in the composition of proteins, nucleic acids and other major cellular components). Nitrogen is a primary nutrient for all green plants, but it must be modified before it can be readily utilized by most living systems.

Denitrification is an anaerobic biological process

Nitrification: process of reducing nitrate (NO3) with heterotrophic bacteria under anoxic (no oxygen) conditions to nitrogen gas (N2); heterotrophic bacteria use nitrate instead of oxygen to degrade organic matter under anoxic conditions

Bacteria remove oxygen from nitrate and the nitrogen is converted to a gas, escaping harmlessly into the environment where nitrogen gas makes up 78% of the air we breathe

Recirculating Sand Filter (RSF) process uses an anoxic biofilter (ABF); the aerobic biological step takes place in the RSF where phosphorous is removed and nitrogen nitrified (changed to gas)

Lined Drip Irrigation Bed distributes effluent with pressurized drip emitters; nitrification occurs in the lined irrigation field and by plant uptake (at the root zone)

Bio-Microbics/Anoxic Biofilter is a proprietary fixed-film activated sludge treatment (FAST™) system that incorporates both suspended growth and attached growth aerobic biological process. Denitrification occurs in the anaerobic (no oxygen) FAST chamber

Supplemental Carbon Feed Process is an add-on system that uses the automatic addition of dry-carbon and freeze-dried denitrifying bacteria

Advanced Environmental Systems (BESTEP) is a proprietary system of aerobic/anaerobic suspended growth biological treatment using a continuous feed cyclic reactor