Watersheds - Research Paper Example

Watersheds A watershed is a basin-like landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower elevations and stream valleys. A watershed carries water "shed" from the land after rain falls and snow melts. Drop by drop, water is channeled into soils, groundwaters, creeks, and streams, making its way to larger rivers and eventually the sea. Mississippi river has watershed called Mississippi watershed which flows in the United States of America. The river emerges from the western part of Minnesota and flows southwards at 4,070 km/hr towards the delta of the Mississippi river. It has a number of tributaries that drains to approximately 31 states within the United States of America between the Appalachian Mountains and the rocky extending to the southern Canada region .The River Mississippi-according to the order of rivers-is positioned as the fourth longest and tenth largest river in the world (Carluer and De Marsily 87). Watersheds have since played a key role (Naiman 78) in various scientific studies on the impacts of anthropogenic and natural phenomenon on the quantity and quality of water. The effects of silviculture and agriculture have always been outlined basing on watersheds. Data to evaluate the effectiveness of various ecological regions on the basis of Watersheds have been used by researches in places such as Coweta .A number of people mind less to the safety and source of their drinking water implying little concern is put on domestic water channeled to their homes on the basis of treatment. In addition, prior awareness should be availed to people on treatment process the water they consume undergoes. Since water is life, clean water is paramount to every individual and issues concerning the degree to which water meant for consumption is cleaned should never be looked at with little respect. This view serves to limit the extent to which non-clean or un-treated water affects the livelihood/health of the parties concerned though many people have taken cleanliness of water/non-cleanliness of water at the expense of their health concerns for granted. This essay in particular will give an analysis of Mississippi watershed within Mississippi River with a goal of enlightening the society on the scientific process of water treatment and water resource forms within their reach. Carluer and De Marsily (95) refer to a watershed as that specific area of land that drains into river, stream, lake or other types of water bodies. Watersheds can either be large or small. For instance a small stream located in neighborhood may consist of a watershed. The Mississippi watershed of the Mississippi river covers approximately 31 states which represent about two thirds of the North America (Naiman 78). Figure 1: Mississippi watershed in Mississippi river (Schertzer, 124) In this case take an example of a small stream located at the top of the mountains. The watershed of this specified stream will be constituted by few underground springs and precipitation runoffs resulting from the lands that are up above the stream. As a result the stream continually flows down the hill and drains far and wide to bigger water bodies which include larger rivers, lakes and streams before finally discharging into the oceans and seas which significantly posses watersheds that are larger. It is important However, to point out that all watersheds be it large or small have complex processes arising from the presence of chemical compounds that in a way or the other may impact on the quality of water being drawn and used by the human fraternity for various reasons and usages. Sivapalan (2266) argues that the human population does not only use water for their domestic needs i.e. cleaning, cooking and drinking but also for cleaning and draining their waste systems. To attain proper sanctity of water and good levels of hygiene, treatment plants, dams and pipes have to be put in place to safeguard the water before and after it is directed to the homes of people in the society and also to factor in the issue of environmental safety i.e. to the entire mass of live water and land population. In additionally, water transport systems/ structures for the sole purpose of ensuring that the right channels are up to the required regulatory body standards for water transport systems. This is a necessity since human beings need to be health sensitive to avoid cases of illness from unclean water infections. For water to be safe, it has to be free from all forms of pollution for it to be fit for domestic use. This gives a solid reason for human population to implement worth watershed use practices and their management since watersheds is a source of water for both human and animal populations and the living population in general. According Sivapalan (2268) a number of cities and towns nowadays have put in place measures for controlling the watersheds with intent of making sure that both the quantity and quality of the water sources is not compromised. It is important however, to note that as the development of watersheds escalates storm water continues to drain from such areas as buildings, fields and park lots. This requires that the roadside ditches are designed in such a manner as to eliminate the possibility of the structures flooding by putting in place a provision that ensures increased flow of run offs. The effects which compromise both quality and quantity of water in lakes and streams are not put into consideration in the process of designing, building and construction of the drainage ditches. Included in the watershed are different types of soluble and insoluble matter which is usually in constant flow with the water. However, within the same environment there is presence of air, water and soil which contribute to a greater extent to the survival of human population. The physical aspect of the watershed includes hydrologic, geomorphic and climatic processes. Climatology is a vital element in getting the concept of watersheds. Prevailing Climatic conditions in one way or the other has an impact on the vegetative live in the watersheds. Other features of the watersheds include timing and size of the stream flow in addition to water temperatures (Sivapalan 2266). Accordingly fluvial, geomorphology is important in understanding the alteration and formation of the river or the stream in addition to flood plains. It’s justifiable to say that geology is an important aspect to achieving a good watershed management system. Hydrology which is the study of all states of water including solid, liquid and gas is a science that is directly linked with the hydrologic cycle. Nutrients and energy flow freely in the environment just like the flow of fluids in an open system and therefore we can term the flow of energy and nutrients in the environment as being open. Thus, streams, rivers and watersheds represent an open system whereby there is flow of both energy and nutrients (Sivapalan 2266). Factors that interfere with the natural sources of water such as the watershed include; impairment, destruction and removal of the ecosystems. Hydro logically processes are directly linked with the watersheds (Moussa 398) and therefore it is cumbersome to include ecosystems and hydro logically based processes in managing the watersheds. Natural and human acts contribute to a rise in the level of impurities in water bodies and if the quantity of the sediments is not within allowable limits, water sources are likely to affect. Nonetheless, the watersheds are likely to be impacted on negatively by resultant changes in agricultural land practices and activities. In a broad perspective, sediments impact negatively on coastal habitats, freshwaters, coral reefs and fish in the marine environment (Sivapalan 2267). The society has in the recent past become greatly worried of the effects of chemicals discharged from various households including; hospitals, industries, homes and agricultural firms on watersheds and other water sources. Quite a number of pharmaceutical products and other forms of medication disposed materials have had their way into drainage systems and thus into watersheds (Johnson and Van Hook 89). However, higher percentages of pharmaceutical products such as the antibiotics have resulted from agricultural practices. Leeched manure and fertilizers find their way into sources of water such as lakes, rivers and streams (Moussa 396). The pollution of watersheds and ground waters are as a result of human and natural activities have further resulted into pollution of the surface water (Moussa 396). It is important to point out that conventional water treatment methods is not reliable in treating water collected in the watersheds. This is because water pollutants do not always have replicable pollution patterns and therefore using one indicator for all the water contaminants renders the method ineffective. In order to remove contaminants from watersheds, advanced and modern technological techniques have to be employed. The main concern round the globe is pollution of ground water and the watersheds by the actions of human population. Contamination of water has largely been brought about by the rise in industrialization, urbanization, mining and agricultural practices. Contamination of watersheds has resulted in further pollution of other water bodies such as lakes, rivers and streams and this has threatened the life of aquifers. However, it is vital to note that there are distinct strategies that control the mobility of the contaminants within the water surfaces (Johnson and Van Hook 199). According to study treatment of watersheds should involve processes, incentives, technical, and awareness in order to handle the invisible contaminants and ensure that the water channeled to the human population is safe for consumption. Urbanization is another human activity that has contributed to contamination and hence pollution. Most of the towns and cities around the world have been put up not only along the waterways but also within the watersheds (Moussa 394). This has resulted into floods and other environmental hazards that have claimed human lives. In the research done by Johnson and Van Hook (199) two distinct ways are displayed and are the ways through which human activities causes pollution of watersheds. These methods are categorized as non-point and the point sources. Point source pollution is a type of pollution where the cause of the pollution can be traced from either the leaking pipes or the site of disposal. In the recent past, technological and law advances have made it possible to detect the different sources where pollution originate and thus the problem has been contained in most of the watersheds and the extent of pollution decreased (Moussa 394).Non point source pollution is a pollution caused by water runoff from parking lots, crops and other parts of the land. . It can also be as a result of atmospheric particulars reaching the land surface without undergoing the process of precipitation (Sivapalan 2266). Human activities have also impacted on the environment by reducing and interfering with the flow of water within the watersheds, rivers, lakes and streams (Moussa 394). It has been argued that the process of human beings harvesting water from the aforementioned water sources has resulted into a decrease in the river flow and as a result the cycles that take place in the natural rivers such as flooding may cease to occur (Johnson and Van Hook 199). This in turn affects negatively on the ecosystem as a whole and specifically those that depend on cycles of the natural rivers. Pollution of watersheds can be hazardous not only to the human population but to the ecology as a whole. Consumption of Polluted water can result into throat inflammation, respiratory diseases, pain in the chest, congestion and even respiratory diseases that can cause death. According to World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 14, 000 deaths that occur on a daily basis are as a result of water pollution (Johnson and Van Hook 199). Mostly it is as a result of untreated sewage, contaminated water which flows freely into watersheds without any precautionary measures being taken into account. Studies reveal that oil spills from industries can drain into water sources such as rivers, streams, lakes and watershed and as a result cause skin rashes and irritations when used for bathing. Metals such as mercury which can be present in the waters can cause neurological problems and development deficiencies especially among children. Radioactive metals which can find their way into sources of water can result into cancer not only among children but also among adult (Carluer and De Marsily 76). Watershed management is the act of organizing and planning all forms of human activities on the watersheds and establishing any existing association between the health of the watershed and the activities of the human population. It is therefore vital for organizations and government officers to take the initiative of restoring watersheds so that their natural state is preserved (Johnson and Van Hook 199). This is possible if the laws, policies and regulation are adhered to so that pollution rates are reduced without prejudice. Works cited Johnson, Williams and Van Hook, Analysis of biogeochemical cycling processes in Walker Branch Watershed. Springer-Verlag, New York. 1989. Naiman, Robert (ed.) Watershed Management: Balancing Sustainability and Environmental Change. Springer-Verlag. 1992. Anderson, Edwards. Patterns of water table dynamics and runoff generation in a watershed with preferential flow networks. PhD thesis, Univ. British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. 2008. Schertzer, Michael. Freshwater lakes. In: The surface climates of Canada. W.G. Bailey, T.R.Oke, and W.R. Rouse (editors). McGill-Queen’sUniv. Press, Montreal, Que. And Kingston,Ont., Can. Assoc. Geogr. Ser. Can. Geogr. No.4, pp. 124–148. 1997. Carluer, Nadia, and De Marsily, G., Assessment and modeling of the influence of man- made networks on the hydrology of a small watershed—Implications for fast flow components, water quality, and landscape management: Journal of Hydrology, v. 285, p. 76–95. 2004. Sivapalan, Beven, K., et al. `On hydrologic similarity 2. A scaled model of storm runoff production’, at. Resource. Res., 23, 2266 -2278. 1987. Moussa, Roger et al. Effects of spatial organization of agricultural management on the hydrological behavior of a farmed catchment during flood events: Hydrological Processes, v. 16, p. 393–413. 2002. Read More