Cultural * - University of Chicago
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Transcript Cultural * - University of Chicago
Social Aspects of Water
Management
Mandy Poole
Summer Teachers Institute, University of Chicago
June 30, 2010, 9.15-10 am
“We have the choice to use the gift of our lives to make the world a better place.”
- Jane Goodall
My Background
University of Illinois
B.S. Civil Engineering, 2008
M.S. Environmental Engineering, 2009
Experience
Environmental Engineer at Baxter &
Woodman, Inc.
Why do we care?
Human Impact
on Industry
on Tourism
on Quality of Life
Environmental Impact
on Wildlife
on Long-term Resource Protection
BP Disaster in the Gulf
BP Disaster in the Gulf
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01653/pelican-waves_1653059c.jpg
Nutrient Pollution in Qingdao Port,
China
http://www.sea-way.org/blog/Qingdao_algae_bloom01.JPG
Eutrophication - a process where water bodies
receive excess nutrients that stimulate excessive plant growth.
Schindler, D.W. “Eutrophication and
Recovery in Experimental Lakes:
Implications for Lake Management.”
Science 24 May 1974. Vol. 184, No. 4139,
pp. 897-899.
Source: Cohen, Claire. “China’s Blooming Algae Problem that’s Swamping the Olympics.” The Guardian, 3 July
2008. Accessed online via: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1031444/Chinas-blooming-algaeproblem-thats-swamping-Olympics.html.
Source: Cohen, Claire. “China’s Blooming Algae Problem that’s Swamping the Olympics.” The Guardian, 3 July
2008. Accessed online via: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1031444/Chinas-blooming-algaeproblem-thats-swamping-Olympics.html.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200806/r266153_1113036.jpg
What is water culture?
Culture: “The sum total of ways of living built up by a
group of human beings and transmitted from one
generation into another”
Water Use & Abuse
Attitudes toward Water Quantity and Quality
Human Health & Hygiene vs. Environmental Health
Case Study: Los Llanos, Puebla
2008 Collaboration between
Universidad de las Americas, Puebla (UDLAP)
University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign (UIUC)
Funded by WaterCAMPWS, UIUC, UDLAP
Objective of the project:
To provide improved water supplies to the community of
84
Case Study: Los Llanos, Puebla
No industrial or domestic wastewater treatment
Guadalajara – Acutely toxic waterway (by contact)
Downstream communities use water for drinking
source
Manuel Ávila Camacho dam
(Built in 1946)
Case Study: Los Llanos, Puebla
Final Outcome:
Built a reservoir to provide storage of river water
Submitted a proposal for water treatment
Education is paramount
Linking sanitation to health
The chain-of-responsibility is massive:
We need progressive water policy.
Community needs to be stakeholders
http://www.southwestclimatechange.org/files/cc/figures/drought-status.jpg
Reno, Nevada
Palm Desert, CA
In Chicago…
Lake Michigan provides our drinking water
Crib pumping facilities located 2-4 miles into the lake
Sewer, Water lines usually run parallel
Disinfect drinking water instead of fixing pipes
Chicago River to be swimmable
Resistance to clean-ups
Traditional Wastewater Treatment
Designed for Solid-Liquid separation. Removal of:
Biological and Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD, COD)
Metals (where needed)
Pathogens (intermittently treated)
Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
Micropollutants
The offenders:
Personal Care Products (ex. Triclosan, disinfectant)
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (ex. Hormones)
Pesticides
Caffeine
The effects:
Endocrine disruption
Feminization of fish (USGS study of Boulder Creek, CO)
Products with Triclosan
How could we do this better?
Regulation at the source of generation: Stop the
problem before it starts
U.S. EPA agreement with detergent manufacturers has
resulted in major reductions in nutrients
Paradigm shift by consumers, producers to more
responsible chemical management and water
protection
Need for Creative Solutions
The water system that works for us is not the best
system for everyone
The solutions we use are not always the best ones
How do we fix this?
Need socially-conscious, open-minded engineers!
Need to get away from the $$$ bottom-line approach
Always pair water, sanitation, & sustainability
Need for Creative Solutions
Orange County: Water Factory 21
Drinking water sources:
600 mile aqueduct from Northern California and the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
240 mile aqueduct from the Colorado River
Water allocation based on high-flows!
Underground aquifer replenished by the Santa Ana
River, local rainfall, and surplus water from the
aqueducts (55% of the total)
… and the population continues to grow.
Orange County: Water Factory 21
Wastewater “recycling” (i.e. indirect reuse)
originally proposed in the early ‘90s “toilet-to-tap”
2004 = program was restarted; now implemented
Similar wastewater reuse systems are in place in
Singapore and near Washington, D.C.
Going Forward
We need a paradigm shift in our water culture
It’s a privilege, not a right
Treat water like the valuable resource it is.
Urge for change from above while making sustainable
lifestyle choices
What can we do? How do we make this a priority?
Further Considerations
Philosophical debates
Is water a basic human right?
Why is it not prioritized?
Economics
Should water be privatized?
How do we pay for it?
Water Management
Encourage TAP water over bottled
Rain barrels – lower peak flows to streams, WWTPs
Use biodegradable chemicals
Properly dispose of PCPs, pharmaceuticals
Lower (or eliminate) use of fertilizers, pesticides
Encourage installation of low-flow fixtures in new
construction (most impact through retrofitting)
Push for changes in legislation!
Acknowledgements
WaterCAMPWS
University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign
Baxter & Woodman, Inc.
Jamie Bender
questions?
Mandy Poole
[email protected]
Mohan, Geoffrey. “Waste water, pay double, L.A. mayor says.” L.A. Times. 14 August
2008.
Total Water Withdrawls by Category,
2005
11%
1%
49%
31%
1%
4%
2%
1%
Public Supply
Domestic
Irrigation
Livestock
Aquaculture
Industrial
Mining
Thermoelectric
Source: Kenny, Joan, et al. “Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005”
Circular 1344. U.S. Geological Survey: Reston, Virginia. 2009.