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Water Pollution/ Water Monitoring

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A really nice introduction to the problems of water pollution is Clean Water - Life Depends on It! from Environment Canada. It is available in English or French. It has several diagrams, so it may take a while to download, but it is worth the wait.

Stream Biology and Ecology is a very readable, well organized introduction to the life forms that inhabit streams and rivers, how they interact with each other and the environment, and the negative impact that human activities can have on them.

This pdf document, from a study of the lakes in Tallahassee, Florida, gives a good explanation of lake biology, and of the biological, physical, and chemical parameters which are monitored in a water quality study.

The Water Pollution Guide contains useful information about the sources of water pollution and the potential dangers it causes. It also gives a number of tips on preventing it and ways to help keep our waters clean. This is one of a series from the UK-based Guides Network

While much progress has been made in the US to prevent pollution from "point sources", such as industries and municipal wastewater treatment plants, approximately 40 percent of our surveyed rivers, lakes, and estuaries still are not clean enough to meet basic uses such as fishing or swimming, according to a fact sheet published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Agriculture, forestry, grazing, septic systems, recreational boating, urban stormwater runoff, and construction are potential sources of "non-point source" (NPS) pollution. Careless or uninformed household management also contributes to NPS pollution problems. The EPA's Office of Water has a redesigned page about the problem of non-point sources. There is a lot of information for students and educators, and tips on what you can do to help.

The National Water Quality Inventory Report to Congress (305(b) report) is the primary vehicle for informing Congress and the public about general water quality conditions in the United States. This document characterizes our water quality, identifies widespread water quality problems of national significance, and describes various programs implemented to restore and protect our waters. The reports from 1992 through 2004, as well as the 2002 National Assessment Database are available. A summary of the findings of the 2000 report can be found in Oct. 1 issue of the EPA newsletter WaterNews.
See below for a booklet published in May 2001 which presents the key findings from the 1998 report in a format for children.
Click for an update January 27, 2009.

For a clear and thorough description of how runoff from agriculture causes water pollution, go to the USEPA's site which features the draft guidance manual, National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture, and click on Chapter 2. (It is a 108k pdf file, which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin)

The EPA's approach involves determining the "total maximum daily loads" (TMDL) of various pollutants a waterway can handle without deterioration of its water quality. A thorough, readable introduction to this subject is available as a free download in pdf format from YSI, Inc., a company which makes water monitoring equipment. [Note: free registration with YSI is required to download this particular file.] Click on Download the paper, "Getting Started with TMDL's". Pages 23-35 (pages 33 -45 of the pdf file) provide an excellent introductory discussion of the common types of water pollutants, their effects, and interactions. I highly recommend it. [If that direct link does not work, go to their home page, choose "environmental", then "applications", then "surface water", then "Getting Started with TMDL's".]

One of the most important reasons for preventing water pollution is that leads to contamination of our drinking water sources. December 16th, 1999 was the 25th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act in the U.S. The USEPA's Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water set up a web site to commemorate the occasion. You will find many fact sheets (in PDF format) for "Kids and Teachers" at all grade levels, an Information Kit, and discussions of future needs. There is an emphasis on protection of our water resources.
For more consumer and educational information about drinking water, see the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Consumer Water Center page.

The USEPA has a page about water quality monitoring, including volunteer monitoring programs, with issues of a semi-annual newsletter dating back to 1993 available for on-line reading. Their publication, Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual (EPA 841-B-97-003), formerly available only in print, can now also be accessed on line. The publication, Volunteer Estuary Monitoring, A METHODS MANUAL, is now available, as well.
"[T]he presence, condition, and numbers of the types of fish, insects, algae, and plants can provide accurate information about the health of a specific river, stream, lake, wetland, or estuary." The EPA site Biological Indicators of Watershed Health provides an educational introduction to the subject, including the types of species used, the design of a sampling effort, specimen collection, and data analysis. Many links are provided for more detailed study.
(See below for links to sites where volunteer monitors can learn to identify macroinvertebrates found in ponds and streams.)
The EPA also has a page which lists volunteer monitoring programs by name or by state. There is a great deal of information available about each program. If you or your organization runs such a program, you can add it to the list, and update the information at any time.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency partnered with America’s Clean Water Foundation and the International Water Association to urge people around the world to test the quality of their streams, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters. The first World Water Monitoring Day was held Oct. 18, 2003. Volunteers of all ages performed four key tests to measure dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity/clarity and temperature, and could then enter their findings on the Web. Test kits were available through America’s Clean Water Foundation.

The Waterwatch network in Australia consists of over 3000 volunteer monitoring groups made up of individuals, community groups and school groups who undertake a variety of biological & habitat assessments and physical & chemical tests to build up a picture of the health of their waterways and catchments. Their library page includes a technical manual which explains the significance of various parameters and the methods for measuring them. Check out the links page, as well.

Girl Scouts in the U.S. can now earn a Water Drop patch through a collaborative effort with the USEPA. The project includes twenty different watershed activities in which Girl Scouts can get involved. To assist with the program, EPA published a Water Drop Patch Project booklet with detailed background information on watersheds, polluted runoff, wetlands, groundwater, and drinking water.
See also the EPA's "Linking Girls to the Land" page with a link to a new brochure on Girl Scouts and World Water Monitoring Day – October 18, 2005

The USEPA has prepared a simple introduction to the problem of contaminated sediments, which result from pollutants which settle to the bottom of a water body. They discuss the sources and types of materials, as well as the consequences for the wildlife and for human health.

Learn many facts about any watershed in the US at Surf Your Watershed . Find out how much water is used, and how it is used, and learn about any facilities located in the watershed which are regulated by the EPA for wastewater discharges,toxic releases, hazardous wastes, or "superfund" sites. For more information, see the EPA's main Watershed page. And if you would like to know what you can do right at home to help prevent water pollution, check out this page of Do's and Don't's.

The EPA's "Watershed Academy" has produced a series of free, on-line distance learning modules which provide "a basic but broad introduction to watershed management." The interesting, pictorial lessons are available for anyone to browse; people who complete 15 core modules and pass the self-tests may earn a Watershed Management Training Certificate.

You can get up-to-date and historical data, graphs, and maps of stream flow and water quality at USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) stations all around the country at the newly upgraded Water Resources of the United States site.
The USGS has also recently completed a survey of chemicals found in US streams. According to their fact sheet, "Chemicals, used everyday in homes, industry and agriculture, can enter the environment in wastewater. These chemicals include human and veterinary drugs (including antibiotics), hormones, detergents, disinfectants, plasticizers, fire retardants, insecticides, and antioxidants." The full study, “Pharmaceuticals, Hormones, and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: A National Reconnaissance”, published in the journal, Environmental Science & Technology, can be found at this site, along with the fact sheet and answers to frequently asked questions on the study. See their Research on Emerging Water Quality Issues page for more information and links to USEPA pages that deal with pharmaceuticals and personal care products as environmental pollutants.

You can learn about the current status of water quality in the countries of the European Union. The site includes directives issued with regard to wastewater treatment levels and deadlines for their implementation.
A list of links about water management and pollution with an international focus can be found at this site run by the UK-based Internet Biodiversity Service.

The UK Rivers Network-- an organization which aims to draw attention to problems with rivers in the UK and to campaign for solutions-- has many links to information and news articles about water pollution and rivers.

The International Rivers Network, an organization which promotes free-flowing rivers and opposes dam construction, provides information on current projects around the world.

The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network [GREEN] is an organization which promotes clean water through involving students in actual water monitoring projects. Relevant educational materials and monitoring kits can be purchased from them. See also the River Watch Network.

The Secchi disk, a simple device for monitoring the transparency of water, has been in use for over a hundred years. The Great North American Secchi Dip-In takes place annually around the 4th of July/Canada Day period. The volunteer effort, which is coordinated from Kent State University (Ohio, USA), has had participation from over 2,600 volunteers in the U.S. and Canada. An organization which supports the Dip-In is the North American Lake Management Society.

American Rivers, a river-conservation organization, whose mission is "to protect and restore America's river systems and to foster a river stewardship ethic", has released a list of America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2005. The site features maps, descriptions of the problems, and what needs to be done to restore the health of these rivers. You can access reports from previous years-- back to 1998-- (and lists back to 1986) from that page, as well.

An educational site for "classrooms and kids" run by the Missouri Botanical Gardens has a "fresh water page" with information about rivers, lakes and wetlands. They have a page specifically about water pollution.

Some toxic pollutants and nutrients enter water from the atmosphere. A prime example is the metal, mercury. Learn about it in Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems at the web site of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The USEPA Office of Water has a site called Air Pollution and Water Quality which introduces this problem, with an emphasis on mercury and nitrogen.
At the EPA Great Waters Program page, you can read or download the publications "Frequently Asked Questions about Atmospheric Deposition: A Handbook for Watershed Managers", as well as much more in-depth documents on the subject, the EPA reports to Congress "Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters" , in pdf format.

An advocacy group which focuses on environmental issues as well as other topics, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (P.I.R.G.), has published a reports in recent years about toxic releases into America’s waterways based on the publicly available information which must be submitted by industries to the US EPA as "Toxic Release Inventories" under the national "right-to-know" laws. These reports can be accessed through their State PIRG Publications and Reports page. [Note: This page was not available as of March 24, 2002, but a search for http://www.PIRG.org/reports/index.htm at www.google.com will allow you to view their cached version of this page.] You can also access this information directly and learn more about the program at the EPA's TRI web page.

[Contamination of the sediments in a river by toxic organic chemicals is an issue that is very close to home in the Berkshires. The Housatonic River, into which our treatment plant discharges, has been heavily contaminated by PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls) from the former manufacture of large electrical transformers at a facility upstream. Click here to see some photos I took of how the contamination is being dealt with. Note:-- New photos added November, 2003. For extensive coverage with many more pictures, go to the EPA Region 1 GE Housatonic River website. The site also describes the various remediation projects to be undertaken as spelled out in a Consent Decree lodged Oct. 7, 1999 in U.S. District Court in Springfield, MA. The Housatonic River Initiative, a local advocacy group which has been instrumental in promoting the cleanup, also has a web site about the various problems involved.
Note: The Housatonic made the list of America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2004. See above.
Learn more about the chemistry of PCB's, the risks to human health and the environment and the contamination in the nearby Hudson River (New York,USA), as well, with links to sites about other contaminated waterways. EPA region 8 also has a site with information about PCB's.

The oceans may be vast, but water pollution originating from the watersheds on land has negative impacts on beaches, estuaries, coral reefs, and near-coastal waters. The USEPA has a series of on-line brochures that introduce the problems, what the EPA is doing about them, and what you can do, as well. Similar impacts on fresh water bodies are discussed, also.
Since 1991, the U.S.-based environmental advocacy group, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), has been publishing reports about incidents of beach pollution, including state-by-state information. The latest version has chapters with background information on sources of beach pollution, as well as the health effects and economic impacts. The EPA also has a BEACH Watch site with local beach information and reports.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a site about spills of oil and toxic chemicals, how they are controlled, and how coastal areas are restored. The site has many educational resources, including photos of major oil spills, explanations of treatment methods with diagrams, a kids' page with experiments and help for writing school reports, and even training manuals and software for spill responders.

The United Nations Environmental Program's "Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities"(GPA) site states that "The major threats to the health, productivity and biodiversity of the marine environment result from human activities on land - in coastal areas and further inland. Some 80% of the pollution load in the oceans originates from land-based activities. This includes municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes and run-off, as well as atmospheric deposition... The GPA is designed to be a source of conceptual and practical guidance to be drawn upon by national and/or regional authorities for devising and implementing sustained action to prevent, reduce, control and/or eliminate marine degradation from land-based activities." You will find a wealth of information and links here concerning the sources and effects of pollutants and efforts needed to mitigate them. A 4.39 minute video is also viewable at the site.

There have been news stories of an outbreak of a disease which has been killing fish in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland and Virginia. Humans have also suffered strange neurological effects from a toxin produced by the microorganism responsible. Some experts feel that excessive nutrient runoff from chicken and hog farming may be to blame for the rapid growth of the pathogens. The situation has had a negative impact on the fishing industry in the area. Learn the latest news, as well as background information, about Pfiesteria piscicida at this site from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and from this EPA site.

Read about former US President Clinton's Clean Water Action Plan to combat the pollution caused by runoff. The site reviews the successes of the Clean Water Act up to that time and proposed initiatives to deal with remaining water pollution problems through control of agricultural and urban stormwater runoff, through a watershed management approach to pollution control, and through increasing the amount of wetlands. The Clean Water Action Plan Second Anniversary Report has been released, which highlights the progress that has been made toward implementing the plan so far and outlines the agenda for the coming year. A 35-image slide show explaining the plan is available for on-line viewing. There is also a text-only version, as well as a powerpoint version which can be downloaded.
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More information on Laboratory Analysis / Water Testing topics:
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Here is the Lab Links page for the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection training class which was held Oct. 31, 2000.   The page has links to EPA test procedures, regulations for certified environmental laboratories in Massachusetts and USEPA-certified drinking water labs, as well as other lab-related sites.

Acids, bases, and pH


Michael Dugan, a water and wastewater operator and laboratory analyst in the state of Georgia, has placed the latest version of his Field Training Manual for Laboratory Analysts online. It has been written, he states, for "the individual who may be a part-time lab analyst, part-time wastewater operator, part-time data entry clerk or one of many lab analysts in a big laboratory." The insight and detail that he provides on many of the topics, as well as his "hands-on" approach and conversational style, will be appreciated by people who are trying to gain a better understanding of wastewater lab work.

Microbiology sites

Read a report in an EPA newsletter describing how DNA analysis traced the "culprits" responsible for polluting a shellfishing area with bacteria.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene has on-line training available on the BOD test, dissolved oxygen measurement, and laboratory quality assurance. (Scroll down to "Environmental Laboratory Training Presentations") These are in the form of Powerpoint ® presentations which have been converted to html and gif files.
The Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources has their manual Quality Assurance Document For A Small Wastewater Lab available for downloading as a set of pdf files. While some of it is specific for that state's regulations, it serves as a general guide to "information regarding the essential elements of a quality control program in a wastewater laboratory." It includes procedures and sample bench sheets for common tests.

The USEPA publications mentioned above, Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual (EPA 841-B-97-003) and Volunteer Estuary Monitoring, A METHODS MANUAL, give instructions for the sampling and measurement of a number of important water quality parameters, as well as explanations of their significance. These include pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and BOD, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), temperature, salinity, turbidity, coliform bacteria, and aquatic organisms.



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Sewage and Plumbing


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Information about the history of plumbing. both ancient and modern, is available at this site, operated by Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine.

If you are interested in how toilets work and how to repair them,
visit the award-winning Toiletology 101 site.

More history, including harrowing descriptions of pre-sewer "sanitation" practices in London, can be found through links at a site operated by Miles Abernathy, an engineering professor at the University of Texas. In addition, this site contains links to a page about septic tanks, as well as to several mailing lists which deal with wastewater and sewers, environmental engineering, water distribution, and plumbing and home repairs.

A wealth of information about the history of sewers can be found at Sewerhistory.org, a "dynamic collection of materials about the evolutionary development of sewers over the past 5500 years ." Included are time lines, historical articles and texts, photos and graphics, a bibliography, links, and even poems and the lyrics to the "Song of the Sewer" from the "Honeymooners." :)

Environment Canada also has a page describing sources and characteristics of Municipal Wastewater.

Learn about the many unpleasant consequences of overflowing sanitary sewers at this page from EPA Region 6.

Cities and towns which have combined storm and sanitary sewer systems are subject to overflows during wet weather, and the USEPA is involved in regulating this problem. The Sewer Overflow Community site includes a summary of Combined Sewer Overflow regulations, links to EPA guidance, case histories, an on-line university course about the subject, a discussion list, and links to sewer-related news stories updated daily. The site is affiliated with US Filter, a major supplier of equipment and services to the water pollution control industry.


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Wastewater Treatment

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Several other sites have provided descriptions of how the wastewater treatment process works. Some of them are part of sites maintained by public works departments of various cities, and may be specific to the particular system which they use. Examples are Metro Toronto and the Springfield, MA, Wastewater Treatment Plant .

For a Flash® tour of a wastewater treatment plant, with descriptions and animated visualizations of the various unit processes, go to the Water Environment Federation's Go with the Flow page (requires Adobe Flash Player).

The Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet Wastewater Treatment Principles and Regulations gives a brief overview of the typical wastewater treatment process, with a diagram. It also discusses related state regulations (for Ohio).

A good, short introduction to the sources, characterisitics, testing and treatment of wastewater can be found in this issue of Pipeline published by National Small Flows Clearinghouse, a site which offers information and newsletters for small and on-site wastewater treatment systems. You can read PDF versions of Pipeline and their other quarterly journals, as well as technical and general fact sheets about a variety of treatment processes. They also offer searching of extensive databases, including regulations, articles, manufacturers and consultants, facilities, and contacts and referrals.

Biological nitrification and denitrification are processes used for the removal of the nutrient nitrogen from wastewater. A good explanation with diagrams is available at this page from the company, Bord na Móna Environmental Products. They also supply on-site wastewater treatment systems featuring peat filters and membrane biofilters, as well as water reuse and rainwater capture systems.

Questions and answers about wastewater, from the Queensland, Australia EPA, gives a brief explanation of wastewater sources, properties, treatment-- and what you can do to help minimize problems. See also their brochure, Caring for Our Water.

A site which hosts home pages and provides links to wastewater treatment plants is Water -Wastewater Web. They also have links to consultants and commercial equipment manufacturers for the industry.

A very extensive list of links to treatment plants worldwide can be found at Sewage World. {Don't look for performing porpoises here. :) }

See also the Water Environment Federation's list of links to treatment plants.

Take a virtual tour of a small wastewater treatment plant in New York state. The site was developed as a project by engineering students at RPI.
An informative and nicely organized treatment plant site is that of City of Cortland, NY. Besides process diagrams and descriptions and photos of equipment, there is a page about wastewater treatment written by the biology department at the State University of New York at Cortland.
Another plant which provides an illustrated virtual tour is Johnstown, PA, which uses a pure oxygen system.
Learn about past, present and future operations at the nicely illustrated web site of the award-winning Holly, MI Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Take a tour and meet the staff at the Muncie, Indiana, Water Pollution Control Facility.

View a biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal plant at the University of Florida. A glossary and explanation of some wastewater testing are included.

Learn about the three large wastewater treatment plants in the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). The site has a number of detailed diagrams and equipment photos, along with process explanations.

Wastewater Treatment for Youngsters, a detailed illustrated tour of the St.Paul, MN treatment plant for grade school children, explains where sewage comes from and how it is treated.

The Activated Sludge Pages, an ezine started in 1998 and aimed at wastewater operators, planned to feature articles on a particular aspect of this important process with each issue. The first one deals with bulking, foaming, and filamentous organisms, with many photos and micrographs. Readers can register for a newsletter, as well. Unfortunately, it does not seem as though any future issues were published.

Read about a new variation of the activated sludge process know as the "Membrane Bioreactor" at these three commercial sites. Zenon, Enviroquip/Kobuta, and GE/Ionics/Mitsubishi

A great deal of information about maintaining, inspecting, and designing septic systems can be found at The Septic System Information Website.

The Purdue Onsite Residential Wastewater Disposal site has both introductory and in-depth information about septic and other on-site systems, including an overview of the components that make up a conventional septic system, and some of the factors that affect the design and longevity of conventional systems; soil and site characteristics; designing a new system (including an interactive computer program you can use to actually design a system); the basics of septic system maintenance; as well as alternative non-conventional system designs such as recirculating sand filters, constructed wetlands, and drip irrigation.

See also below for a graphical tutorial on septic systems available from the U.S. EPA.

Alternative treatment: mimicking natural systems to treat wastewater:

The organization CEEP (Centre Europeen d'Etudes des Polyphosphates) sponsors a site promoting the recycling of phosphate removed from wastewater treatment plants for manufacturing fertilizer. Pilot and full-scale plants are operating in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

A basic introduction, with diagrams, explaining how groundwater becomes contaminated by hazardous wastes-- and how it can be cleaned up-- may be found in this USEPA brochure.

A global organization of engineers, scientists, utility managers and operators, academics and students, and equipment manufacturers involved in the field of water pollution control is the U.S.-based Water Environment Federation (WEF). The site hosts a popular set of technical discussion forums where people can asks questions and trade ideas on a variety of topics related to the nitty-gritty of the profession. There are also links to many wastewater treatment plant web pages.
WEF has added a section called Operations Central specifically for wastewater operations professionals. It features a comprehesive glossary of wastewater terms, conversion factors, mathematical formulas and common chemicals, as well as operator certification information for the U.S. and Canada.

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Multiple Topics and Links to More Links....
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You can find links and addresses for environmental organizations, including those involved with preservation of lakes, rivers and the ocean at the Environmental Organization WebDirectory web site.

A site which contains many links about various aspects of wastewater and its treatment, including plumbing, history, links to treatment plants, and detailed information about treatment processes, especially activated sludge and nutrient removal, is Science Traveller International - Wastewater World Wide. This site is run by an Australian company which sells science software, including software to model wastewater treatment processes.

The Wastewater Engineering Virtual Library is a site with many links to wastewater information, including municipal, academic, research, and commercial resources.

Much information is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
Read more about the Clean Water Act, which was passed in 1972. An introduction to the Act is available in this EPA "Watershed Academy" training module. Learn about the permits required of U.S. wastewater dischargers under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, Program. The USEPA Office of Wastewater Management has a page with links to over 80 very informative "Technology Fact Sheets" in pdf format covering many wastewater topics in considerable detail. Headings include Combined Sewer Overflows Treatment, Storm Water, Disinfection, Biological Treatment (Secondary and Advanced), Water Efficiency, Decentralized Systems Technology, Collection Systems O&M, Biosolids Technology, and Wastewater Technology.

Another U.S.government agency with links to information about water quality is the Dept. of Agriculture (USDA). The Water Quality Home Pages is a database of links to information which is available from "agricultural extension services" across the U.S. Some of the information can be accessed directly on line, some is multimedia, some is printed material. There are over 2,600 citations in all-- a wealth of information to browse through. The agency also has a page describing over sixty e-mail Water Resources Discussion Lists, and the Water Quality Information Center, with a searchable database of hundreds of online documents covering water and agriculture

Environmental Health and Safety Online, a commercial site, has useful summary information, FAQs and links about such wastewater topics as the NPDES permit system and pretreatment regulations-- as well as many other other environmental topics.

A real treasury of links can be found at Water Links We Like from the Kentucky (U.S.) Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Dept.

Water/Wastewater Links, intended especially for the needs and interests of wastewater plant operators, is maintained by an operator in Wisconsin.
Tips from wastewater operators on how to overcome common problems and help your treatment plant run better, some with photos or diagrams, can be found at this page on his site, as well as at the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association "Tips & Ideas" Page

Erik Schiff's Wastewater Homepage contains an extensive, alphabetized list of links divided into categories such as Wastewater Links, Municipal Plants, and Health and Safety.

Dr. John Capece manages a water quality site which includes descriptions of watershed monitoring projects, sampling procedures, and links to water quality education resources-- as well as a page about trihalomethanes in drinking water. He is an assistant professor at the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

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Education
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The Environmental Literacy Council, an organization of scientists, economists, educators, and other experts, was established to help introduce students to scientific and economic concepts needed to understand environmental concerns. Their web site is intended to help students and teachers study environmental issues by guiding them to the best resources available on the Internet, including essays, activities, lesson plans, and reviews of environmental education resources. A number of water quality topics are covered, including laboratory exercises.

The USEPA has pages on pollution topics for kids at their site, and educational aids and links for students and teachers. EPA's Student Center opened for business on Earth Day, 1998. "Designed to help middle and high school students, this site puts many of the Agency's best resources in one location. For students working on homework or a science fair project, or just curious about the environment, this is a `must see'". On the page about water "you can learn how water is polluted, treated, and protected."
A team of EPA environmental educators created the High School Environmental Center to help students find good environmental information--not just on EPA’s Web site, but on other reliable sites as well. The team used guidelines developed by the North American Association for Environmental Education to ensure that the materials included were truly educational. This site complements other educational resources developed by EPA for kids and teachers, and is linked from their Environmental Education page.
Another EPA educators' resource is Environmental Curricula Handbook: Tools in Your Schools.    The publication covers air, water, land & soil (see the Table of Contents.)    The water-based projects for teachers and students contains lessons and activities, including water monitoring and access to water monitoring data in Boulder, CO; Lake Champlain VT; Dallas-Ft. Worth;Minneapolis;Long Island Sound(NY/CT);Online Dynamic Watershed Atlas (Seminole County, Florida) and Onondaga Lake/Seneca River (Syracuse, New York
They also maintain a site called Software for Environmental Awareness. Programs have been developed by Purdue University and include educational titles as well as practical planning guides. They are available for downloading (free, $15 for registration if you want further support), as well as on diskette (free, send blank disks), or on CD ($25). One very informative program here, called "onsite", is a pictorial introduction to septic systems.
The topic of pollution caused by stormwater runoff is presented at the EPA's Non-Point Source Pollution kids' page . The page now includes information about an interactive game called "Splash", which allows the player to make decisions and see how they affect the aquatic environment. A demo can be downloaded, or the game can be ordered on CD ($12 for one, $7 for additional copies on the same order)

EPA has produced a 24-page booklet, What's Up With Our Nation's Waters?, designed primarily for children aged 10 to 15, that presents key findings of the National Water Quality Inventory in an easy-to-read format. The booklet includes projects for school or for fun, a water quiz, a glossary, and a list of resources for more information. It can also be viewed or downloaded as a pdf file , and is also available in hard copy from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications at 1-800-490-9198; please include the publication number when ordering: EPA 841-F-00-005

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a series of colorful posters available for elementary and middle school use covering various aspects of the water environment. Their latest education-based web site is called "WaterScience for Schools".   According to a description found on the EnviroLink Library,   "The site is available for students of all ages and for anyone who wants to find out more about the many aspects of water, from what it is to how we use it." Most relevant to the topics discussed on this web site are descriptions of water pollution problems under "special topics", "Urbanization and Water Quality" and descriptions of common water quality measurements.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has produced an educational tool for middle- and high school use. It is presented in the form of a time line which links to an illustrated database of historical information. According to the teachers' guide, "Aqua Venturer tells the remarkable multi-cultural story of human ingenuity that developed the technologies for collecting, distributing and treating water that allowed civilizations to flourish... Aqua Venturer can change the attitudes of students that believe they "don’t like science," by making connections between science, social science and the real world." It can be viewed on line as a Macromedia Flash® presentation, or ordered as a CD-ROM from the WEF web site. The Aqua Venturer site also provides a rich list of water links for educators and students.
For educational information about drinking water from the USEPA and the AWWA, see above.

Canada's community learning network Water Quality Theme Page has links to many educational resources for K-12 teachers. One of the links, Water What-If's, including a table of warning signs of pollution, as well as lessons on the topics of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrates/phosphates, and macroinvertebrate surveys, along with instructions for test kit use.

The Yarra Valley Water company, which serves the Melbourne, Australia, area, has an educational web site that should be bookmarked by anyone involved in teaching about environmental science at the primary or middle school level (grades 1 - 7). Topics include the nature of water, the water cycle, water pollution and conservation, and water and wastewater treatment processes-- including plant tours and diagrams. The pages with illustrated descriptions of the plants and animals found in freshwater ponds are very informative. There are also links and other resources for teachers. You can also get there from their main site by clicking on "Education" on the left side of the page.

The Spring `99 Issue of the EPA Volunteer Monitor has a feature called "Bugs in the Web!" which has links to two websites which offer "macroinvertebrate descriptions and drawings specifically aimed at volunteer monitors. Volunteer groups are welcome to `steal' these materials for use in their own manuals and brochures." 1)The Field Guide to Freshwater Invertebrates, prepared by Leska S. Fore and illustrated by Annabel Wildrick. The drawings can be downloaded in GIF format and opened in a word processing or drawing program. 2)The second site that is "full of bugs" is Major Stream Invertebrates.

You can search for information on the environment, geography, and the physical sciences through The Resource Discovery Network, the UK's free national gateway to Internet resources for the learning, teaching and research community. Resources include tutorials, case studies, lecture notes and courses, as well as many other web links.
GEsource is the geography and environment hub, while
PSIgate (Physical Sciences Information Gateway) is the physical sciences hub. The sites are affiliated with the University of Manchester,UK.

Wastewater Operations Training and Practice Certification Tests
Online Courses: Students can obtain an Associate degree in Environmental Science, with a specialization in water/wastewater, entirely on the web through Mountain Empire Community College, a part of the Virginia Community College System. In addition, anyone can access course materials, some with self-grading practice tests, from the Subjects & Courses page. Or access some of the tests directly.

[Advanced Distance Learning Environmental Engineering courses are available from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Mass., USA)]

Print-based training: The Office of Water Programs at the California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) College of Engineering and Computer Science provides distance learning courses for persons interested in the operation and maintenance of drinking water and wastewater facilities. These training programs were developed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency... Course manuals are available alone, or can be purchased as credit courses for CEU's which may be accepted as training by many state departments of environmental protection.

Practice wastewater and laboratory certification tests can be taken at the Water Environment Federation's SkillsBuilder site available at at their SkillsBuilder page. "The SkillsBuilder is a FREE, easy-to-use and confidential way to test your knowledge, sharpen your test-taking skills, and practice those pesky math calculations."
On their Training Products page they offer a variety of training materials for certification preparation - workbooks, study guides, training manuals, and CD-ROM courses.

A large collection of wastewater exam questions with answers can be found at Eric Schiff's exam page

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection has a pagewith several practice quizzes for wastewater and drinking water certification.

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Professional Software....

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Computers find extensive use in the field of water pollution control. Software is available for

Here is my own listing with descriptions of over 50 such programs.

Let me know about other links you think should be included here, or any listed ones which don't work.

Where to Next?
Introduction: "What is Water Pollution?" The Wastewater Treatment Plant How Are Pollutants Measured? Flush Gordon's Secret Identity
Intro Treatment lab Author
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Last update July 14, 2009

This page accessed times since Nov. 23, 1997.