In many parts of Nova Scotia, people face a number of problems that are related to water contamination. Drinking water that is supplied to many homes has natural and synthetic substances. Impurities pose serious threats to the health of consumers.
Moreover, contaminated water has the capability of damaging construction equipments, including plumbing materials. Households would probably complain due to undesirable taste, odor, color, and stains in case water is dirty. In Nova Scotia, issues related to water contamination are caused by ineffective supply.
This is because supply of drinking water is controlled by the private sector. However, municipalities are also accused of supplying impure water. Since contaminated water could cause diseases, it is the role of the government to ensure that water supplied to people is pure and free from any impurities. In this regard, impurities that have the ability of harming the populace should be disinfected to prevent the spread of diseases.
It is recommended that before water is utilized, proper testing should be conducted by a licensed laboratory and the results made public. Testing would allow the authorities to determine the types of impurities available in drinking water. Moreover, the level of contamination would be determined (Foulkes, 2007).
Upon identification of impurities, the authorities should go a notch higher to treat drinking water using the most cost-effective methods. The main objective of this paper is to identify the main impurities in water that pose threats to the health of households. The paper would review available data to establish facts about water treatment methods and their effectiveness in Nova Scotia.
Relevance of Water Quality Issue
Water is a basic need that should be provided to each citizen in any part of Nova Scotia. Research shows that an individual requires at least twenty to fifty liters of clean water daily for home use. Water pollution is detrimental to the survival of human beings because it brings about diseases. In the United Nations Charter, water is considered a basic need, which should be provided to all citizens at an affordable cost.
Clean water is essential in any economy because without it, children cannot attend school and companies cannot operate effectively. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all citizens and stakeholders to ensure that clean water is provided. Waterborne diseases are better prevented through maintaining high hygiene and treatment of water before consumption.
In this regard, the public, the government, commercial bodies, construction companies, and water treatment utilities have a role to play as far as provision of clean water is concerned. They are all stakeholders that should be involved in policy formulation in case clean water is to be provided adequately.
The role of the government is critical. The government serves as the custodian of the public good. In this case, it should always come up with policies aimed at resolving issues related to water contamination. It should ensure that companies follow the laid down rules and regulations.
Whenever a company releases contaminants to water sources, it must be forced to come up with ways through which contaminated water would be treated. The role of the government is to regulate waste discharge through constant environmental monitoring and evaluation. Companies believed to be polluting water bodies should be deregistered as one way of ensuring compliance. Members of the public have a role to play in ensuring that citizens receive clean water.
In case supplied water is contaminated, they are the ones affected directly because they would suffer from waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea and cholera. Therefore, they have to ensure that wastes are disposed in accordance to the laws provided by Nova Scotia authorities (Cohen, & Locker, 2001). Any one violating the law should be reported to the authorities and proper action should be taken.
Water treatment utilities should provide information to members of the public as regards to slapdash disposal of waste materials. They have a role to play as far as information circulation is concerned. In Nova Scotia, water treatment companies are known to provide invaluable information to the public mainly because of limited resources.
Therefore, all stakeholders should be involved in the formulation of policies to ensure that clean water is always made available to the populace. For commercial manufacturers, they should always observe the set laws because they are the leading producers of waste materials. For instance, chemical manufacturing companies are known to release wastewater into the water bodies without treating.
This is very dangerous to the marine ecosystem and human life. Chemicals contain harmful substances that are hurtful to the skin and lungs. In this regard, they should exercise restraint and ethics whenever they carry out their daily activities. Their simple mistakes could be costly to the economy.
Lead is one of the most dangerous components that affect human beings in case it is present in drinking water. In fact, its effects are serious than many people would think. Smelting activities are known to emit harmful substances to water bodies such as arsenic deposits, copper deposits, and lead particles. These substances are harmful to human health, as well as the environment.
In one of the studies conducted in the US, it was found out that residential soil had high quantities of lead, copper, and arsenic substances. Arsenic deposits were found to be in low concentration of bout 12.5mg to 540mg/kg per sample. However, copper was in high concentration of about 1270mg/kg to 39,700mg/kg per sample.
Furthermore, smelter operation is associated with water discharges such as selenium and molybdenum. Measurements obtained from water samples within the smelter region had impurities of cadmium, chromium, and arsenic materials. Regions surrounding the smelter had high levels of arsenic acids, which were over 0.239ug/m3 while regions without a smelter had very little levels of arsenic acids of about 0.0004ug/m3.
The smelter affects the composition of water in greater extents (Carstairs, 2012). The following diagram shows the process used in treating drinking water in Nova Scotia.
The process used in treating drinking water in Nova Scotia.
The pollutants emitted during the process of smelting metals affect the environment and human beings in a number of ways. The pollutants affect the environment because the substances mix with air and other substances to form acidic rain. For instance, the smelting of sulfide metals would perhaps produce sulfur dioxide gases.
The sulfide gases are known to react with other chemicals in air to form a dangerous sulfuric acid mist. Acidic rains augment the levels of acids in soils, lakes, and rivers. These acids are dangerous to aquatic life and the vegetation. This would mean that smelter pollutants affect wildlife as well. Copper pollutants have harmful chemicals that can affect vegetation, even though plants and animals use it for nourishment.
Arsenic chemicals are toxic substances that affect the normal functioning of the heart and the nervous system. The table below shows various technologies employed in treating drinking water in Nova Scotia.
Technology Crypto- noted otherwise)
sporidium 1 Giardia 1 Virus
Credit 1 Individual Filter Turbidity Limit
(unless noted otherwise)
Conventional filtration 2 includes
chemical mixing, coagulation,
flocculation, clarification and
rapid gravity filtration 3.0-log 3.0-log 2.0-log Shall be less than or equal to 0.2 NTU in at least 95% of the measurements made or at least 95% of the time each calendar month
Shall not exceed 1.0 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste until below 0.2 NTU filters shall be capable of directing filtered water to waste immediately following a backwash for a period of time until the filtrate turbidity value is below 0.2 NTU 3.
Direct filtration 2 includes
chemical mixing, coagulation,
flocculation, and rapid gravity
filtration 2.5-log 2.5-log 1.0-log
Slow sand filtration 3.0-log 3.0-log 2.0-log Shall be less than or equal to 1.0 NTU in at least 95% of the measurements made or at least 95% of the time each calendar month
Shall not exceed 3.0 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste a be provided so that the filtered water immediately after filter cleaning is directed into a waste stream 3.
Diatomaceous earth filtration 3.0-log 3.0-log 1.0-log Shall be less than or equal to 1.0 NTU in at least 95% of the
measurements made or at least 95% of the time each calendar month
Shall not exceed 3.0 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste a filter-to-waste feature shall be provided so that filtered water immediately after filter backwashing is directed into a waste stream 3.
Micro-filtration Demonstration and challenge
testing 5 Demonstration and challenge
testing 5 No credit Shall be less than or equal to 0.1 NTU in at least 99% of the
measurements made or at least 99% of the time each calendar
month
If turbidity exceeds 0.1 NTU for more than 15 minutes, direct integrity testing shall be immediately conducted on the membrane treatment unit. 6
Shall not exceed 0.3 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste a filter-to-waste feature shall be provided for operational flexibility.
Ultra-filtration Demonstration and challenge
testing 5 Demonstration and challenge
testing 5 Removal
efficiency
demonstrate
d through
challenge
testing and
verified by
direct
integrity
testing Shall be less than or equal to 0.1 NTU in at least 99% of the
measurements made or at least 99% of the time each calendar month
If turbidity exceeds 0.1 NTU for more than 15 minutes, direct integrity testing shall be immediately conducted on the membrane treatment unit.
Shall not exceed 0.3 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste a filter-to-waste feature shall be provided for operational flexibility.
Reverse osmosis and nano-filtration No credit until direct integrity
testing is available No credit until direct integrity
testing is available No credit
until direct
integrity
testing is
available Shall be less than or equal to 0.1 NTU in at least 99% of the measurements made or at least 99% of the time each calendar month
Shall not exceed 0.3 NTU at any time
Filter-to-waste a filter-to-waste feature shall be provided for operational flexibility.
for
Medium Risk GUDI Sources 1.0-log 7 1.0-log 7 No credit Shall be less than or equal to 1.0 NTU in at least 95% of the measurements made or at least 95% of the time each calendar month at each individual GUDI wellhead
Continuous turbidity monitoring required at each individual
GUDI wellhead
Microscopic Particulate Analysis MPA testing is required every two years for each individual GUDI well, in spring following a rainfall.
Research shows that wastes and slag, which are by-products of smelter plants, are simple to manage. One of the recommendations is that wastes and slag should be recycled to prevent their effects to the environment and human beings. If this option were adopted, the waste material to be disposed would be little. Therefore, the environment would not be affected.
Another recommendation is that the smelter plant should adopt the current technologies, which have been proved to prevent smelter pollution. New technologies have the capability of capturing sulfur dioxide. The new devises, such as electrostatic precipitators, should be used to capture chemical particles. The particles could perhaps be returned to the boilers for more processing.
In one of the studies conducted in 1993, it was found out that over 800 drinking water systems are vulnerable to contaminants. Recent studies show that many Canadians are exposed to potentially hazardous quantities of lead in the drinking water. However, the government has come out strongly with legislations aimed at resolving the issue.
In the US, the government came up with a plan in 1991 aimed at reducing the levels of chemicals and microorganisms in drinking water. The new standards aimed at reducing specifically lead, which was believed to be the most dangerous substance. In the new regulations, the level of lead in drinking water must not go beyond 15 parts per billion (ppb).
Recent studies in the US and Canada suggest that the level of lead in drinking water is still high. This means that lead is still the most dangerous substance found in drinking water. In fact, studies show that lead is more harmful than many would think.
Bacteria are organisms that are found in almost all forms of food, including water. Chemical tests show that there are over a million types of bacteria, which would be found in foodstuffs and water. A bacterium is a single-celled organism, which is found in water in large quantities. The size of a bacterium is very small yet it has the capability of causing serious sickness.
Whenever people undertake their activities, they come across bacteria meaning that their lives are always in danger. The risk is high when consuming untreated water. It should be noted that some bacteria are harmful than others, particularly those that come from the sewage. In fact, those that originate from sewages are very harmful, even if they are present in small quantities.
In many parts of Nova Scotia, sicknesses such as cholera are attributed to bacteria. However, the availability of improved sanitation methods is changing the state of affairs. In Canada, the dangers posed by cholera and other hygiene related diseases are in decline, thanks to the efficient water treatment techniques. The tests are conducted in case water quality exceeds the following:
UV 254 nm Absorption 0.155 cm-1 (equivalent to a minimum UVT of 70%)
Dissolved Iron 0.3 mg/L
Dissolved Manganese 0.05 mg/L
Hardness 120 mg/L
Hydrogen Sulfide Non-detectable
Iron bacteria None pH 6.5 to 9.5
Suspended Solids 10 mg/L
Turbidity 1.0 NTU
Total Coliforms 1,000/100mL
E. coli *
Cryptosporidium *
Giardia *
In the developing world, hygiene related diseases are the major cause of deaths in many villages. This means that efficient water treatment techniques are critical as far as the health of the population is concerned. Studies show that individuals tend to develop immunity at an early age, which helps them in fighting the effects of bacteria.
However, studies show that people suffering from killer diseases such as cancer and AIDS are vulnerable. Moreover, newborns are unlikely to resist the effects of bacteria meaning that proper treatment of water is inevitable in case the community is to live peacefully.
Those with poor health due to chemotherapies suffer from bacteria related diseases quite often since their immunities are weak. It should be noted that bacteria found in drinking water originate from many sources. On the other hand, the main source is the top soil that surrounds the water system (Swan, 2005).
Bacteria have the ability of inhabiting every accessible surface meaning that they can easily grow under any climatic condition. It is very dangerous to consume water without treating because bacteria could have found their way into the soil through natural processes. During erection and refurbishment of water lines, microorganisms can get into drinking water causing infectivity.
Therefore, water treatment companies should ensure that they check the water lines regularly. In many parts of Nova Scotia, the municipal councils should test drinking water for the harmful type of bacteria referred to as E. coli. E. coli is a very harmful type of bacteria that should always be taken care of whenever it is found in water samples. The existence of E. coli implies that sewage infectivity could have taken place.
In the cities, the municipal councils should check for the presence of the bacteria several times a day. Bacteria are mainly categorized into two major classes. Pathogenic microorganisms can overcome the bodys common resistance meaning that healthy tissues are attacked.
Additionally, opportunistic or inferior pathogens are those that could perhaps lead to a disease when a strange chance, such as an open injury or censored immune structure, presents itself. It should be observed that few categories of bacteria are pathogenic.
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