Unit I

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through e.):
  2. In your own words, what is the definition of a communicable disease? In your response, describe airborne, vectorborne, and vehicleborne disease transmission modes. Also, list at least two communicable diseases that are waterborne.
  3. Explain the concept of ecosystems.
  4. Describe the three major types of rock, how they are formed, and how they interact. Give examples of each type of rock.
  5. Why is clay a good material for landfill liners? Why does a well-graded soil generally have lower porosity and lower permeability relative to a poorly-graded soil?
  6. Is the water you drink from a surface water or ground water source? Explain.

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through h.):
  2. If the tank in Figure 2-4 on page 26 of your textbook is 40 ft deep instead of 25 ft deep, what would be the pressure on Pressure gage A in psi? Show your work.
  3. In Figure 2-6, the pressure of the trapped air is 20 kPa. Express the trapped air pressure in psi (i.e., how many psi are equal to 20 kPa). Show your work.
  4. If the flow rate is 30 m3/s, what is the flow rate in cfs, gpm, and mgd? Show your work.
  5. Regarding Example 2-9 on page 31 of your textbook, if the area of section 2 is 0.2 m2instead of 0.25 m2, what would be the velocity in section 2? Show your work.
  6. Which of the following is a smoother pipe: one with a Hazen-Williams C value of 85 or one with a C value of 120?
  7. Water flows through an 8-inch diameter, pressurized pipe (Hazen-Williams C = 100) with an HGL slope of 0.02 ft/ft. What is the flow rate of the water in gpm? Use either Equation 2-9 or Figure 2-15 on page 34 f your textbook.
  8. If the Manning in Example 2-16 is 0.016 instead of 0.013 (all other values remain as they are in the example), what is the discharge in the channel in cfs?
  9. The graph in Figure 2-22 shows that the flow rate in a sewer is not a maximum when it is flowing full. At approximately what value of d/D does the sewer convey the greatest flow rate? Explain why a sewer's maximum flow rate occurs when it is less than full.

Unit II

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through i.):
  2. Mention two states in the U.S. that receive 50 to 75 inches of rain annually.
  3. Describe the hydrologic cycle.
  4. During a particular storm, 1.8 inches of rain fell over an area of 10 acres. What was the rainfall volume in acre-ft? Show your work.
  5. In the hyetograph in Figure 3-5 of our textbook, what is the rainfall intensity 15 minutes from the beginning of the storm in inch/hour?
  6. If a news service mentions that a 50-year storm caused recent flooding along the Mississippi River, what is the probability of that storm occurring in any given year (express your answer in percent)?
  7. Explain the concept of rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves including why they differ from location to location.
  8. Describe the watershed where you live.
  9. Perform an Internet search, and provide a website that shows a hydrograph for a river in the state of Iowa. What is the maximum flow (also known as discharge and flow rate) shown on the graph?
  10. Provide a typical permeability coefficient of salty sand. Why is it more permeable than clay?

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through i.):
  2. Describe alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Include a discussion of how far they travel and what stops them.
  3. If 200 grams of salt is dissolved in 8000 grams of water, what is the salt concentration in percent? Show your work.
  4. Why is dissolved oxygen an important water quality parameter? Are higher or lower values better for water quality? What is the saturation concentration (mg/L) of dissolved oxygen in freshwater at 20oC?
  5. Describe how biochemical oxygen demand is measured?
  6. There is an error in the computation in Example 4-4. Nevertheless, what would be the correct 5-day BOD if the dissolved oxygen was measured as 0.9 mg/L after five days (all other numbers in the Example's statement are the same)? Show your work.
  7. Explain how the total dissolved solids concentration is determined?
  8. Why is hardness an important water quality parameter? What are the two primary cations (i.e., positive ions) that contribute to hardness?
  9. Explain total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and E. coli.
  10. Describe the difference between grab samples and composite samples.

Unit III

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through h.):
  2. Explain what a point source is in regards to water pollution.
  3. Discuss the roles of pathogenic organisms, inorganic chemicals, and sediment in water pollution.
  4. Why is thermal pollution a contributor to water pollution?
  5. How do sediment basins and channel stabilization help reduce erosion?
  6. Explain how streams "self-purify."
  7. Why does dissolved oxygen "sag" in Figure 5-8?
  8. Discuss seasonal stratification of lakes including why there is a "fall overturn" and a "spring overturn."
  9. Explain how hydraulic fracturing can lead to groundwater pollution.

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through g.):
  2. Describe the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  3. List one health effect of too much exposure to each of the following: lead, trichloroethylene, and copper.
  4. A settling tank for water treatment is designed to have an overflow rate of 700 gpd/ft2(gallons per day per square foot of surface area). If the flow rate entering the tank is 4 mgd (million gallons per day), what tank surface area is required in square feet?
  5. Describe rapid filtration when used for water treatment.
  6. Describe how a rapid filter is backwashed.
  7. What advantages do ozone and ultraviolet radiation have over chlorination?
  8. Describe desalination.

Unit IV Case Study

Using APA style, write a case study at least two to three pages in length, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, on one of the following two topics. Your case study should be written in paragraph form. Some of the items that you

are responding to may have one or two word answers, but please use paragraph form with good transitions and proper

grammar to tie all the concepts together in a well-written paper. Please select ONE of the two topics provided below.

Topic 1:

1. Chapter 7 covers drinking water distribution systems. Select a real city with at least 20,000 people (possibly

where you live). Contact the water department, review their website, or do other investigations, and write a paper

including, but not limited to, at least five of the following items:

a. population served and location

b. water source (e.g., lake, aquifer, other)

c. when the system was first constructed and dates of upgrades

d. types of pipe materials in the system

e. initial cost of the system

f. design water flow rate for the system

g. approximate total length of pipe in the system

h. number of water towers and/or pumping stations

i. Indicate the vertical elevation change from the water treatment plant to the lowest and highest elevation home

or business served by the water system.

j. largest pipe diameter in the system

k. problems with the system (e.g., recurring leaks, pipe deterioration, toxic chemical infiltration, chronic low

pressure)

l. type of disinfection used and whether or not fluoridation is used

m.special attributes of which the city is especially proud

Topic 2:

2. Chapter 8 covers sanitary sewer systems. Select a real city with at least 20,000 people (possibly where you live). Contact the wastewater department, review their website, or do other investigations, and write a paper including,

but not limited to, at least five of the following items:

BEM 4351, Environmental Technology 3

a. population served and location

b. when the system was first constructed and dates of upgrades

c. types of pipe materials in the system

d. initial cost of the system

e. design wastewater flow rate for the system

f. approximate total length of pipe in the system

g. number of river crossings, inverted siphons (see page 192 of your textbook), and pumping stations

h. largest pipe diameter in the system

i. problems with the system (e.g., recurring leaks, pipe deterioration, overflowing pipes, storm water infiltration)

j. special attributes of which the city is especially proud

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit V

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through g.):
  2. If the rainfall intensity is 2.5 inch/hour, watershed area is 8 acres, and rational runoff coefficient is 0.6, compute the peak runoff rate in ft3/s. Use the rational formula.
  3. Explain the concept of time of concentration.
  4. Why would someone want to use the SCS TR 55 graphical method instead of the simpler rational formula for determining peak rate of runoff?
  5. Explain why stormwater pipes are designed to have a velocity between 3 ft/s and 10 ft/s.
  6. Why does land development typically increase the peak runoff rate? What are some methods used to mitigate the increased runoff rate?
  7. Discuss some best management practices (BMPs) for stormwater quality control?
  8. How does the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) affect development in flood prone areas? In your response, include discussion of the base flood level.

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through h.):
  2. Discuss at least four processes that are used in a typical centralized wastewater treatment system.
  3. If a wastewater treatment plant is 90% efficient at removing BOD5, and the influent BOD5concentration is 200 mg/L, what is the effluent BOD5concentration in mg/L?
  4. What is the desired wastewater velocity through a grit chamber and why is this particular velocity desired?
  5. Page 251 of the textbook indicates that a trickling filter should be designed for a hydraulic load of 19 mgd/acre (million gallons per day per acre). If the wastewater flow is 100 mgd, how many acres of trickling filters are needed?
  6. Explain the laboratory sludge volume index test. Why does the test have a 30 minute duration?
  7. When would a rotating biological contactor be a good substitute for an aeration tank?
  8. Describe tertiary treatment and when it is used.
  9. Describe two on-site wastewater treatment systems.

Unit VI

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through h.):
  2. Describe the history of solid waste disposal in the United States.
  3. Our textbook has definitions of refuse, garbage, rubbish, and trash. Search references other than our textbook. Do other references agree with our textbook's definitions of those terms? If not, how do the other sources define those terms? Are the other sources in agreement with each other?
  4. Why are transfer stations necessary? Are they more likely to be used when a landfill is nearby or far away?
  5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of incineration?
  6. Describe the pyrolysis process as used in solid waste processing.
  7. Describe construction of a landfill including features that distinguish landfills from dumps.
  8. Name a city in the world with extremely poor solid waste management.
  9. For a city of your choice anywhere in the world with a population of at least 100,000 people, describe solid waste collection (number and type of trucks), population served, number of transfer stations, number of landfills, size of the landfill(s), and proximity of the landfills relative to the city. On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate the city that you selected with regards to being progressive about solid waste management? A score of zero would be a city that does not even have dumps; people just throw their waste into the streets with no waste collection. A score of ten would be a very advanced city with excellent collection, reuse, recycling, and nearly zero waste going to landfills. A score of seven would be a city in a developed country with regular waste collection and landfills satisfying RCRA Subtitle D criteria or equivalent.

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through g.):
  2. Describe the "cradle to grave" concept.
  3. Define toxic, reactive, ignitable, and corrosive in relation to hazardous waste?
  4. Explain two hazardous waste treatment processes.
  5. Describe several features of a hazardous waste landfill that differ from a solid waste landfill.
  6. Describe soil and groundwater sampling for Superfund sites.
  7. What is a brownfield?
  8. Describe a Superfund site of your choice.

Unit VII

QUESTION 1

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through k.):
  2. What are the primary three gases comprising the atmosphere?
  3. Explain how temperature varies with altitude.
  4. Describe the environmental lapse rate.
  5. Why are sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead of such importance that they are criteria pollutants under the NAAQS?
  6. What is the range of particle size for fly ash?
  7. Explain the greenhouse effect.
  8. Describe carbon capture and sequestration. Do you think it is viable?
  9. Discuss the operation of a high volume sampler. Why does it need an air pump?
  10. If the concentration of carbon monoxide is 2.9% at a location along the highway at 70oC, what is the concentration in ppm?
  11. Describe three air pollution control strategies listed on page 374 of our textbook.
  12. Explain the operation of a wet scrubber.

QUESTION 2

  1. Write an essay consisting of at least 500 words addressing ALL of the following topics (a. through f.):
  2. What is the difference between wavelength and frequency?
  3. If sound travels through steel at 5000 m/s and the sound frequency being transmitted is 400 Hz, what is the wavelength (meters) of the sound?
  4. Describe the concept of decibels and what they represent.
  5. Search the Internet for a hand-held sound level meter. Briefly present its specifications and cost.
  6. List four noise control techniques.
  7. Describe methods for reducing transportation noise.

Unit VIII Research Paper

Select ONE of the topics below and write a five-page paper on environmental technologies. Alternatively, you may write about two topics if you wish to combine them. If you have a different topic in mind, please ask your professor if it is acceptable.

 technologies for erosion control

 technologies for flood mitigation

 technologies for water treatment

 technologies for wastewater treatment

 technologies for solid waste treatment

 technologies for hazardous waste treatment

 technologies for site remediation

 technologies for air pollution control

 technologies for noise abatement

The paper should follow APA formatting. Please use five references other than your textbook with at least two of them from the CSU Online Library (the GreenFILE database is especially helpful). Feel free to use your personal experiences if applicable.