Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Develop emergency response plans that identify potential problem
areas and address those actions necessary to reduce environ-
mental and health risk. Under some circumstances, the law
may require you to have these plans.
Learn more about groundwater and the impact you have on it.
Numerous resources are available through your library, by con-
tacting environmental agencies, or on the Internet. For exam-
ple, go to http://p2pays.org/ref/14/13673.htm or http://epa
.gov/seahome/gwprimer.html.
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Crackdown on Arsenic
Where you least expect it, arsenic surfaces. This time it's Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, where arsenic turned up in aquifer sediments near
a sewage treatment plant. Researchers from the U.S. Geological
Survey have been studying how and why the arsenic was in the
sediments even though the wastewater didn't have any appreciable
concentrations.
Scientists found that the source of the arsenic was natural
mineral coatings on the sediments of the sand and gravel aquifer
through which the wastewater plume was moving. “The wastewater
plume changed the chemistry of the aquifer, creating condi-
tions where arsenic bound to the sediments and was released into
the water,” USGS reports. “The fi nding is signifi cant because it
demonstrates that naturally occurring arsenic, adsorbed onto the
surfaces of quartz and other mineral grains, can be mobilized by
human activities on the land surface with no link to arsenic. Land-
use planners can use the results of this investigation to help identify
and protect vulnerable underground drinking-water sources.” 12
BOTTLED INSTEAD?
Americans drank more than 8.1 billion gallons of bottled water in
2009. That breaks down to slightly under 28 gallons per person,
according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation. That's down
3.2 percent from 2008, but that's still a lot of bottled water! 13
Bottled water, however, may not be any better than what comes
out of your faucet. You may want to think twice before reaching for
that pricey bottle of water as a safe alternative to tainted tap water.
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