Sustainable Geoenvironmental Engineering Practice - Sustainable Practices in Geoenvironmental Engineering - page 471

13.3.2.1 Adverse Stressor Impacts

Many of the adverse stressor impacts arise from the unsustainable actions shown on the
left-hand side of Figure 13.2. The points of note include (a) overexploitation, abuse, and
misuse of water and soil resources by humans are actions requiring corrective measures
that extend beyond the geoenvironmental sphere, and (b) contamination from efluents,
waste treatment plants, deposition of airborne contaminants are both point and non-point
sources of contaminants that degrade water quality and create contaminated ground. The
extent and seriousness of health threats from the contaminants and the degree of degrada-
tion of both water and land resources are functions of both the quantity/concentration and
toxicity of the discharges and atmospheric depositions on land. Runoffs over land surface
and industrial chemical spills can severely pollute receiving waters and groundwaters.
The Love Canal problem that surfaced in the 1970s is probably the irst well-publicized
hazardous waste dumping site in North America (Beck, 1979). Prior to this period, aware-
ness of the problems and seriousness of indiscriminate dumping of toxic materials were
not appreciated by the general public, and it was claimed that the Love Canal site was the
recipient of such hazardous materials for a period of at least 20 years. Tests conducted by
the New York Department of Environmental Concern showed severe contamination of
ground and waters in the area, resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency by the
governor of the State of New York, and the closing of schools and relocation of several

Precipitation falling
through atmosphere
with noxious gases and
airborne contaminants

Contaminant
plume from
leaching of
waste piles,
AMD, etc.

Ground surface
contaminated with
herbicides,
pesticides, etc.

Runoff

River

Unconfined aquifer

Aquitard

Confined aquifer

FIGURE 13.2
Some of the more prominent causes of contamination of recharge water for rivers, other receiving waters, and
groundwater (aquifers). Contamination of the conined aquifer depends on whether communication is estab-
lished with the unconined aquifer.