Deck 14: Water Pollution

Question 1

Why did Congress require the Environmental Protection Agency to establish minimum drinking water standards?

A)Long-term exposure to small amounts of chemicals was proven to be hazardous.
B)Levels of contaminants in municipal drinking water systems rose to toxic levels.
C)The long-term effects of small amounts of chemical contamination were unknown.
D)Laboratory detection limits of common contaminants became much more sensitive.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Biochemical oxygen demand reflects the amount of organic matter in water bodies.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What happened to the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland in 1969?

A)massive amounts of pig farm waste was discharged
B)acid mine drainage raised the water pollution to toxic levels
C)it caught fire
D)it was declared to be in violation of the Clean Water Act

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the principal cause of cultural eutrophication?

A)heavy metals in treated municipal water
B)elevated biochemical oxygen demand
C)elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria
D)elevated levels of phosphorus and nitrogen

Question 5

Acid mine drainage is a problem because

A)it dissolves limestone
B)it represents a waste of ore that could be mined
C)it adds sulfur to coal, making it less desirable as a fuel source
D)the acid water may mobilize hazardous heavy metals

Question 6

If sediment is from natural sources, why is it considered a water pollutant?

A)it is an out-of-place resource
B)it is toxic at its source, so it is also toxic in the water
C)it is usually laden with mercury
D)it is only a pollutant if it contains agricultural chemicals

Question 7

Saltwater intrusion results from

A)injection of brine wastes into aquifers
B)overpumping of groundwater
C)rising salinity of seawater
D)hurricane-induced flooding of land surfaces

Question 8

The biomagnification of mercury occurs as mercury moves through

A)the body of a fish
B)the aquatic food chain
C)tissues of aquatic algae
D)insect swarms

Question 9

Which of the following would be considered a point source of pollution?

A)industrial wastewater discharge
B)agricultural runoff
C)street runoff
D)yard fertilizer in runoff

Question 10

Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are removed from municipal wastewater by secondary treatment.

Question 11

Large pig farms in North Carolina caused no pollution problems prior to the arrival of Hurricane Floyd.

Question 12

Why is municipal wastewater sludge considered problematic?

A)it is too rich in nutrients
B)it sometimes contains heavy metals
C)it has no known use
D)it has a high biochemical oxygen demand

Question 13

All coliform bacteria are harmless.

Question 14

The level of decaying organic matter in water is indicated by what measure?

A)fecal coliform
B)eutrophication index
C)biochemical oxygen demand
D)nitrogen and phosphorus

Question 15

Wastewater renovation relies on what processes to purify water?

A)advanced treatment with carbon filters
B)well-designed septic systems
C)natural purification in the soil
D)anaerobic degradation in the groundwater

Question 16

What is the principal cause of septic system failure?

A)plugging of delivery pipes
B)poor soil drainage
C)failure of advanced treatment systems
D)poor tank design

Question 17

If MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) has such an impact on groundwater, why is it added to gasoline?

A)it helps decrease auto air pollutant emissions
B)it helps to dissolve other gasoline components if they enter the groundwater system
C)it burns much cleaner than other gasoline additives
D)it helps lubricate car engines

Question 18

Waterborne disease has been completely eliminated from the United States.

Question 19

What measures have largely eliminated waterborne diseases in the United States?

A)stringent pig farm regulations
B)separation of sewage and drinking water
C)the Clean Water Act
D)water renovation and conservation

Question 20

How did Hurricane Floyd contribute to dramatic water pollution in North Carolina?

A)Intense rain and river flooding caused poorly sited pig farm waste lagoons to overflow.
B)Intense winds damaged pig farm waste treatment facilities, rendering them inoperable.
C)Pig carcasses were washed into the ocean, where they decayed.
D)Careful preparation by pig farm operators prevented major water contamination despite the intensity of the hurricane.

Question 21

Eutrophication can occur in the absence of human influences.

Question 22

Wetlands are especially efficient at reducing ________ levels in wastewater.

Question 23

Thermal pollution is harmful to some organisms, but actually helps others survive.

Question 24

The main concern with organic chemicals in groundwater is their flammability.

Question 25

After ________ treatment of wastewater, 95% of pollutants have been removed.

Question 26

Because they are of smaller scale, non-point source pollution sources are more easily regulated and controlled than are point sources.

Question 27

________ and ________ are the two drinking water contaminants thought to pose an immediate health threat.

Question 28

Biomagnification is an especially important process in the concentration of ________ to toxic levels.

Question 29

The oil tanker ________ caused massive water pollution near Valdez, Alaska, in 1989.

Question 30

Heavy metals remain suspended in the water column indefinitely.

Question 31

Acid mine drainage results from the oxidation and dissolution of coal and ________ ores.

Question 32

The Cuyahoga River in Ohio has been degraded dramatically over the past 30 years.

Question 33

Septic tank systems can contribute nitrate contamination to groundwater.

Question 34

A cone of ________ is formed in saltwater as it intrudes fresh groundwater near a pumping well.

Question 35

________ sources of pollution are diffuse and intermittent.

Question 36

Groundwater pollution is better alleviated by prevention than by treatment.

Question 37

In the mid-1990s, Congress passed revisions to the Clean Water Act with broad public support.

Question 38

The source of ________ bacteria is typically animal fecal waste.

Question 39

A septic tank performs the equivalent of ________ treatment in the municipal wastewater treatment system scheme.

Question 40

Nitrogen and ________ are usually responsible for cultural eutrophication.

Question 41

________ is the process of reinjecting wastewater into the ground for natural removal of contaminants.

Question 42

________ pollution is a form of pollution typically associated with power plants and other industrial facilities.