The Effects of Land Use on Water Quality and Quantity - Assignment Example

 The effects of land use on water quality and quantity   Executive Summary      The objectives of this developmental urbanization project, falls within the scope of   international standards for new town developments, in that all relevant areas of concerns   are being, or has been addressed.   Significant Cost however, are expected to incur during the construction phase of the   operation, especially in the areas of material movements (inland and in the water   channel), labor, installations, and environmentally.      However, the recommendations for specific areas, should they be adopted, will in the   medium term lead to cost recovery, economic prosperity, and sustainable development for   this rural agricultural community.      Particular attention should be given to the demands that will be made on the quality and   quantity of water by the projected population growth, soil erosions, agricultural   production, heavy commuting, and the sharing of dump sites with the big city.      Efficiency in the operation of the water and sewage treatment plants will be crucial, as   failure in this area may lead to critical shortages, especially with the demands that will   made by the light industries, the hospital, clinics, offices, restaurants, and schools that will be built.     The leadership of the township is expected to approve the timely conductance of   scientific studies regarding the underground water supply in the area of the dump sites, as   a matter of priority, so that the future water plans can be developed base on accurate   information.      Urbanization has come with its attendant costs and benefits, but the excellent structure that is in place, and the possibility of generating revenues from even waste disposal areas, points to a   successful development for years to come. Me  Main Essay     The impact of the construction and urbanization on the Geneva Town Development Project on the water quality and quantity of the region will have far reaching consequences for several reasons.    Construction base on the projections of the Project, will cover a period of approximately three years, and during that time there will be massive movements of materials, labor, machines, garbage disposal, excavations of earth, sand ,rocks, as well as the consumption of million of gallons of water.    Lying between two mountains of over 5000 feet in elevation, the Geneva Development construction site has the main river flowing through it; so that there is an abundance of water to supply the demands of the project, and the future needs of then population. This will be accentuated by the proposal to build two catchments, and a dam at strategic points during the same period.    The Engineers for the project had utilized the Annual Probability Hydrograph to make the projections. The Annual Probability Hydrograph, according to Dunn and Leopold (1978) begins with a computation of the estimated water need, followed by an analysis of the water available as a function of the different probability graphs, and then a decision is made as to what and where to build the important facilities.    They have also used the statistic provided by Dunn and Leopold (1978), and it has revealed that a minimum of 100 gallons of water per person per day will be the normal consumption requirement for the town of 10, 000 people, which means that the rivers, catchments  and dam has to supply 2 million gallons of water each day. This according to Dunn and Leopold (1978) equates to 3cfs of water flowing into the system on a daily basis.    Preliminary test for the quality of water was to be done to determine its bacteriological and physical characteristics, and the Health Authority will be consulted with regards to the local and national standard requirements.    During the rainy season, which runs between September and March the following year, projections are that the catchments and dam will be filled to capacity, to supply the construction needs, which entails using sand, gravels, stones, and marl to build the hospital, hotels, restaurants, schools, offices, houses, repair garages and other buildings approved by the Housing Authority; under whose portfolio the projects falls.    However, there are concerns that the dredging activities will take place, will see massive soil erosions that will significantly reduce the water quality, incur greater maintenance and operational costs, as well as damage to the marine life of the river.    Dredging operations, according to Clark (2010), is centered on the removal of bed material and assorted vegetation from river channels. Such actions will increase the channel capacity of the rivers including the ability to deliver water at a faster rate.    The fluid mechanics, material properties, and sediment flows that results, according to Clark (1978), will cause serious alterations in the course of the river, because of the knock on effect prevails.  The energy of the river will therefore be greater, especially in the upper regions, and the Water Authority can expect significant increase in the turbidity, and percentage of dissolved solids in the water reaching the treatment station.    Soil Erosion, according to Clark (2010) disturbs the fish population, especially Salmonod that seasonally laid their eggs to repopulate the river. They will be forced to migrate to other areas, and this will disturb the economy of the fishing community in the long run. This statement regarding soil erosion, is also in line with Van Nostrand Scientific Encyclopedia (2002), which states that ground water moves from points of high pressure to low, is capable of dissolving large amounts of mineral matter, changes the composition of the water in contact with various solutes, as well as being a major change agent in the modification and alterations of underground water.    Reduction in the water quality here will force the Water Authority to consume larger quantities of chlorine, and other chemicals to prevent water quality failure, which according to Pennington and Czech (2010), directly results from volcanoes, soil erosions, and landslide floods. The objective to make the make the water potable to the construction companies, residents, as well as other businesses that provides services to the construction companies, will therefore be a challenging one, especially nearing the end of the rainy season when construction begins.   The impact of dredging however can be minimized according to Clark (2010), by placing temporary logs, board overhangs, trees or brushes, and riprap into the river. These, in conjunction with the re-vegetation deposited on the banks side of the river, will help to reduce the level of soil erosion.    The soil erosion which impacts directly on the water quality will also be reduced when operators deposit the dredged materials away from the sides of the channel, before they are removed to industrial, landfill or other locations. Such actions according to Clark (2010), will also reduce the probability flooding during the rainy seasons.    Flooding and the resultant reduction in water quality can also, according to Clarke (2010), be further reduced, if the Project Manager adopts the strategy the Scotland Water Authority used around the River Knaik in 1995.  They built settling ponds at strategic points to collect water overflowing from the river, and these ponds created a pool of slow moving water containing high volume of sand and silt that had settled in them. Settling ponds would therefore remove the high volumes of dissolved materials reaching the treatment plant, and later lead to improvement in the efficiency at which potable water and industrial waters are processed.    According to Todd (1980), the major constituents found in dissolved solids present in untreated water are Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Bicarbonate, Sulphate, Chloride, and Silica. These are found according to Todd (1980), in concentrations varying from 1.0gmg/l to 100mg/l, and need to be removed to within the allowable international limits, necessary to maintain life. The authority’s decision to facilitate the dredging operations during these moments will not be seen as viable and realistic, because of the high prices for chemicals and technological equipment that will be required to continue the operations.    Microbial Decomposition always occur when lands are cleared for industrial activities, and once the vegetation is removed according to Todd (1980), pathogenic microorganism will travel at slower rates through other mediums than they do in water, thereby contaminating those material that they come in contact with. The presence of these harmful organisms in the water supply will be a threat to the quantity and quality of the product during, and after the construction period.    The removal of the top soil, according to Todd (1980) also opens the way for pollutants to enter the shallow underground aquifers by percolation from the ground surface water, as well as from saline water intrusions. By locating the landfill site 25km from the new town, and the fact that it will be shared by the big city, the town authority runs the risk of seriously contaminating its underground water sources.    According to Todd (1980), the shape and size of plume (analogous to smoke from a smokestack as it drifts downward in the  atmospheric wind), depends on the local geology, the ground water, the type and concentration of pollutants, the connectivity of waste, and the human modifications (example the pumping from wells) of the ground water systems. This town’s water quality will be in jeopardy therefore, from sharing this landfill, because no scientific studies were conducted to determine the status of the underground water in the immediate vicinity of the site, before making the decision.    Todd (1980) tells us that an increase in the rate of discharge of waste will extend the boundary of the plume, and caused significant changes in the water table. It can be argued also, that and since both the town and city will share the same site, an increase in discharge will be a reality. Plume the author notes, becomes stable in areas where there are constant inputs of waste into the ground. This stability is achieved Todd (1980) argues, by counter balancing mechanism or during times when pollutants reach the ground water supplies, and are discharged into streams that emerge from the underground.    The present landfill may have also trapped pollutant after several years of use, and may have its plume extended outwards, to contaminate the quality and reduce quantity of water being supplied to the town.    It is therefore recommended that this decision be shelved. However, should there be no adequate alternative, the Project Manager should acquire according to Todd (1980), a quality monitoring program, which will be scientifically designed to survey the water quality, and report on all other relevant quality activities, so that timely actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate operating risks.    Following the close of the construction period, all plants should be commissioned into operation, and the town challenged to maintain the sanitation standards necessary to maintain the water quality and quantity. This is critical, because the town leadership may have to adopt the US Clean Water Act of 1972, which require every city with a population of 100,000 or over, to install a sewage plant according to Pennington and Cech (2010).   The downside of not having a sewage plant with a population (10,000) is the fact that industrial waste, sludge, blood waste, grease ball, and other chemical, physical and biological waste, may be released into the soil and eventually into the water supply by intrusion.    However, it is s necessary for the town to have this plant, as it will have additional water to replenish its supplies during the dry season when consumption demands are high.    Another reason is because the town is trending towards urbanization by building restaurants, hospitals, repair garages, clinics, supermarkets, and light industries.  These facilities will generate high volumes of industrial waste water, which if not treated, will contaminate both the surface and underground water supplies, and lead to outbreak of air and water borne diseases among the population in the near future. Sanitation according to Pennington and Cech (2010), was, and still is a matter of life and death, and the town leadership would do well to make the installation of the sewage treatment plant a matter of great priority.    When we build according to Middlebrook Gardens, we disturb and remove nature plants from sites, and alter millions of years of microbial activity.  This disturbance according to Middlebrook Gardens, affects water quality and the air we breathe. Once the construction period ends, the natural plant life of the town will be disturbed, in that the rate of transpiration of water into the atmosphere will be reduced, and consequently the frequency of rainfall.     The plants also will become susceptible to constant soil erosions, because their roots are weak, according to Middlebrook Gardens. Soil erosion reduces the quality of water reaching the dam and catchments, in that high levels of dissolved solids and minerals are transported into it and has to be removed to maintain high levels of purity..    The town will undergo a transition period according to USCID, and residents will take some to change their sanitary practices to the current sewage disposal system. As a result, there will be contamination of the rivers and underground water by residents using the old fashion means of disposal. This will also reduce the quality of water being supplied to the system, as well as increase the operational processing cost.    Commuting to and from work in the city by 50% of the population also pose a threat to the quality of water supply, as according to the National Academy of Science (1985), oil grease, and other hydrocarbon related to vehicle use, and maintenance, contaminates the water and these contaminants flow into the underground water supply from storm runoffs, as well as from spillage of gasoline, and leaks from vehicular transmissions.    The significance of the threat is shown in a report from AB Tech Industries, which revealed that for every square m of road and parking lot, 20,000 gallons of residual oil is released annually into the ground water supply, according to the National Academy of Science (1985).    Additionally, according to the National Academy of Science (1985), run offs from residential car washing contribute to oil, grease, grit, and detergents entering the water system, and the Water Authority will have to bar financial cost to acquire and maintain the most technically efficient filtration system to preserve the water quality.    The recommendation of NRDC (1999) therefore, to combine to use the high quality synthetic filter media, in conjunction with sand, peat and compost to efficiently complete the task on a daily basis, is well worth accepting. However filtration according to NRDC (1999), only address the quality and not a quantity problem, and the authority will do well to accept this recommendation, as well as that of sewage treatment plant.    The issue of dumping of solid waste will negatively impact the town in that throw-away methods like incineration, land filling and ocean dumping, as well as low waste methods like composting, and recycling are available according to www.globalchange .com, but there are downsides to their uses.    Incineration produces air pollution, and landfills contribute to global warming and the pollution of underground water supplies according to The University of Michigan (2005).    The best solution in this case, to preserve the quality and maintain the quantity of water supplies, according to the University of Michigan (2005), is to reformat the solid waste dumped, and use it for agricultural purposes, so that the fertility of the soil can be increased to enhance agricultural productivity. This will also reduce the level of air pollution that occurs from the generation of greenhouse gases, as well as leaching of chemicals from the solid wastes into the underground water system.    During the operation of the hospital, offices, garages, restaurants and other industries, the town will see a dramatic increase in the quantity of waste water entering its sewage system, but according to Elias and Jad (2009), this is an opportunity. Waste water they note, may be a major source of pollution, but is also a sustainable valuable resource that should be collected, treated, and re-used, not only for the preservation of the environment, to  supplement the water supplies. The effects of land use on water quality and quantity on the town is indeed a challenging one, but if these recommendations are followed, and the building plans executed as designed by the engineers, success in terms of sustainability and economic prosperity will be assured going forward.              Reference 1. Clarke, J. Information Advisory Note Number 23,” Rivers and their catchments: river dredging operation”  web: www.snh.org.uk/publications/online/23/23.html 01/13/11 2. Dunn, T., Leopold, L.B. Water in Environment Planning , “Design of small water supply system” W.H Freeman and Company , New York , NY (1978)  print pp.445-448 3.  Elias, A., Jad, I., Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Energy    and Environmental Protection in Sustainable Development , “Locally made Small Scale Activated Sludge Waste water Treatment Plants: An Alternative Solution to Problems of Untreated Domestic Water” print 11/09 4. Middlebrook Gardens Disturbed, “Construction Sites and the impact on Healthy Ecosystems “ online: www.middlebrook-garden.com/disturbed-construction-sites-and-their  1/13/11 5. National Academy of Science, “Sources of Urban Non Point Pollution” (1985) online: www.nationalacademies.org/publication 01/14/11 6. Pennington, K.L., Cech, T.V, (2010) “Water Resources and Environmental Issues” University Press Cambridge, MA. print  p.122 7. NRDC Chapter5 (1999) online: www.nrdc.org 0/14/11 8. Todd, D.K., “Groundwater Hydrology” 2nd Edition (1980) John Wiley and Sons New York NY print pp.242 -270. 9. University of Michigan, “The Urban and Industrial Environment: Hydrological Effects  and Waste Management” online: www.umich.edu/globalchange2/ 04/04/2005 10. Van Nostrand Scientific Encyclopedia “Hydrology”  (2002) john Wiley and Sons New York NY print p.1873 11. USCID ( The US Society for irrigation and drainage professionals) Summaries of Past Meetings,  “The Role of Irrigation and Drainage in  a Sustainable Future”(October 2007) online: www.uscid.org/uscid-a.html 0114/10         Read More