Nonpoint Source Pollution Kathleen A Garland garlanduhcl edu

Non-point Source Pollution Kathleen A. Garland garland@uhcl. edu 281 -283 -3249 EIH Envirothon Teacher Workshop February 18, 2012

What’s a point source?

Industrial or municipal discharge

End-of-pipe �The key concepts for understanding point source pollution �Channelized flow �It has a distinct source �You can identify that source �You can control that source

Non-point source pollution �No specific source location Acid mine drainage

A map of eastern streams impacted by coal mine drainage

Agricultural runoff

During storms

Runoff from livestock

Concentrated animal feeding operations

Urban stormwater runoff

Characteristics of Non-point source �Sheet flow �No identified point where all discharge takes place �Source generally cannot be directly controlled

What’s in the water? �Debris

Sediment in stormwater

Chemicals of concern: Metals

COC’s: oils and greases

Thermal pollution

Nutrients

What are nutrients? �Things that make plants grow… �Nitrogen �Phosphorus �Potassium �Algae is a plant (sort of, a Protist, actually, but close to a plant…it photosythesizes) �Nutrients make algae grow—or overgrow!

Not all algal blooms are green…

Why is too much algae a bad thing?

Eutrophication �Nutrients feed algae �Algae bloom, creating large amounts of biomass �Algae die, sinking to the bottom of the water body �Algae decay, using up the oxygen in the lower layer of the water �Benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms cannot survive �Fish eat benthics, so they either move away, or they die, too

Eutrophication leads to Hypoxia �Hypoxia: the condition of extremely low levels of oxygen in the water �In the Gulf of Mexico, we call the hypoxic zone— The Dead Zone

How does the Dead Zone Form?

Hypoxic zone in the GOM

Source area for GOM Hypoxic Zone

Global hypoxic zones

Impacts of hypoxia �Fisheries �Affects fish stocks �Affects nursery areas for future fish stocks �Water quality �Recreational �Fishing and boating �Shellfish �Coral reefs

Recent example: TPWD �http: //www. tpwd. state. tx. us/landwater/environ concerns/hab/redtide/status. phtml

Coral reefs in the northern GOM

Corals in FGBNMS

Invasive species

Who regulates non-point source pollution? �EPA: Section 319 of the Clean Water Act �http: //www. epa. gov/owow_keep/NPS/cwact. html �For freshwater systems �Requires states to implement plan �Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA) Section 6217 �http: //www. epa. gov/owow_keep/NPS/czara. html �Specifically relates to coastal areas—like us!

Why should we care? �Galveston Bay is an estuary—a drowned river basin �The most productive aquatic habitats on the planet � Wetlands and marshes � Seabirds, turtles, shellfish, and ocean fish �Extremely vulnerable to pollution from NPS �Needs freshwater inflows to survive �Downstream from two massive urban areas: DFW and Houston Industrial pollution � Urban runoff � Agricultural runoff � �If those inflows are nutrient loaded, the Bay suffers

Chesapeake Bay �A very badly damaged estuary

We don’t want to get that way! �What can we do to reduce NPS? �Stay tuned! Dr. John Jacob, of Texas Coastal Watersheds will be speaking at 1: 30 on exactly this topic!