Water and the Environment Gibe III Hydroelectric Dam ...
March 19 2014
Earth Science 2WW3 – Lecture 8
Water and the Environment Gibe III Hydroelectric Dam Ethiopia Background • • • • • •
Located on the Omo River in Ethiopia Tallest hydroelectric dam in the world 150km long reservoir Construction began in 2006 supposed to end in 2012 1 of 5 projects currently under construction 80% of Ethiopia’s GDP comes from international aid o First large source of income for the coutnry
Impacts
What does ‘riparian’ mean? •
Big trees
•
Vegetation beside a river
•
Environmental o Eliminates natural flood cycle Basins have annual climatic cycle Affects fish spawning o Degraded riverine habitats/ecosystem productivity Wetland ecosystems (Omo National Park) Replenishing of natural minerals reduced • Affects agriculture – people have to move Lake dependent riparian dryland forests o Upstream flooding Trying to mimic natural flooding o Reservoir Will be one of the largest created reservoirs in the world Increased water level (climate change, bedrock geology) Increased CO2 emissions (submerged biomass) • And methane o Lake Turkana (desert lake) Reduced water level Reduced inflow Increased salinity
•
Social/Economic o Eliminates traditional farming techniques (flood retreat agriculture, grazing) Irrigation reduces lake levels and area for cultivation o Reduced fish catches o Conflict between indigenous tribes in Lower Omo River Valley o Resettlement upstream
March 19 2014
•
Benefits o Produce > 1800MW of energy Energy available for export o $407 million revenue Increase annual per capital income above $150 o Water storage (11.75 billion m³) Reduce impact of droughts o Reservoir used as a fishery o Clean energy source o Flood control o Regulate flow over annual wet/dry cycle More water able to flow in river Navigable all year
March 19 2014
Quotes: • • •
• • • •
“Nobody can touch the Nile from Alexandria (Egypt) down to its source at Jinja (Uganda). Egypt can even go to war if the river is interrupted. Why is our Government [Kenya] allowing this violation to our right,” o Ms Ikal Angelei, chairperson Friends of Lake Turkana (FLT) “There's a possibility of thousands of people losing their livelihoods and possibly losing their lives and no one is talking about it” o Ikal Angelei “The Environmental Impact Assessment…is fatally flawed in terms of its logic, in terms of its thoroughness, in terms of its conclusions. And it looks like an inside job that has come up with the results that they were looking for to get the initial funding for this dam." o Kenyan ecologist Richard Leakey “I don't think the government likes the Omo tribes. They are going to destroy us” o Bargaeri Mursi priest “Africa is in the dark. Give us a choice. Should we stay in darkness? Should we avoid all this development?” o Mihert Debeba, Ethiopia Electricity Corporation "We cannot afford not to have Gilgel Gibe III. We need that type of megaproject given the increased domestic demand and the requirements of export.” o Prime Minister Meles Zenawi “Our nation is too poor and suffering to be worried about environmentalism.” o Danny [visitor]
Lakes • • •
A lake is a body of standing water found within continental margins that is enclosed on all sides by land Ponds (which are small, usually shallow water bodies), marshes, and swamps with standing water can all be included under the definition of a lake Lakes receive water input from streams, overland flow, and ground water, and so are included as parts of drainage systems
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
Fun Lake Facts • •
Lake Baikal in Russia is largest and deepest freshwater lake on globe o contains as much fresh water as all Great Lakes combined o 1600m deep Great Slave Lake is deepest in North America o 614m deep
The Aral Sea of Uzbekistan • • • •
Used to be 4th largest in world (largest in area) In 1965 soviet officials divert runoff for irrigation Now 95% of runoff diverted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbSkR S8Ih7o
March 19 2014
Drinking Water
Drinking Water – History • • • •
Original concerns were taste, temperature and appearance Settling, boiling, adding alum initially used Greek physician Hippocrates promoted concept of ‘healthy’ drinking water Roman military leaders understood the need for quality drinking water o Roman cities had extensive system of removing wastewater and storm water runoff
•
In Middle ages concepts of cleanliness and healthy drinking water largely ignored o sanitation nonexistent o a large part of the history from this era revolve around disease, plague and death
• • •
The first water filter was given a patent in 1746 to Joseph Amy Living condition improved slowly but people generally polluted to local supplies In 1754 Bethlehem, PA first American city to develop a municipal waterworks system
March 19 2014 •
In 1804 Paisley, Scotland first city to provide treated filtered drinking water
March 19 2014 •
1806 Paris completed a water treatment plant with settlement and sand filters o 1834 in Richmond, Virgina o Little Water protection prior to the 1900’s
Desalination • • • •
•
Desalinisation is a relatively new technology used in California, Saudi Arabia, Florida, etc… Relatively high costs ($650 $1000 per acrefoot) o Expensive, use a lot of energy and is environmentally hazardous The issue is that many of the countries with a need for a desalination plant cannot afford them. Take polluted water, put it away from water sources and evaporate it
What happens to the salt? o Make salt products such as Epsom salts o Also have ‘brine’ (salty water) left which has no oxygen and is heavier than salt water o Must be dispersed and not simply dumped in calm water
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
Protecting Drinking Water • • •
• • •
First step is to acquire safe drinking water is to protect raw water at the source o Control local activities and waste disposal Second step is to intake form the source o Intakes not at surface Pretreating the water o Screens to remove large items o Flocculation/coagulation o Filtration is done by passing through layers of sand and gravel Fluoridation and disinfection o Fluorination is preventative medicine o Chlorination is when chlorine gas mixed with water to kill bacteria and some viruses Ozone and UV also used o UV kills almost 100% of organisms but slow and expensive Final step is delivering to consumers o system to avoid dead ends is constructed o stagnant water allows bacteria to grow and corrosion to increase o storage tanks often in topographic highs to allow gravity to be used for transport
Desalination in the Middle East • • •
•
Over 5000 desalinisation plants in Middle East (of 7500 world wide) Saudi Arabia is world’s largest producer Problems o cost for poorer countries o uses a lot of energy o the extreme saline waste New solutions needed to decrease energy use and cost o Ie. solar polar (selfsufficiency)
March 19 2014
Flow Train for Water Treatment for Potable Water
Potable Water Treatment Steps • •
Preliminary Treatment o Screening and settling Coagulation and Flocculation o After storage on fine particles remain
March 19 2014
•
•
o The particles have a negative charge o Clarification Solids Removal o By either sink or float
Filtration o Sand or even crushed recycled glass o Two types: Rapid (421 m/hr) or slow (0.1 – 0.4 m/hr) Depends on how clean the water is
March 19 2014
• • •
Activated Carbon o Removes organic material from the water o Pesticides, algal toxins, etc. Disinfection o Kill pathogens o Chlorine, Ozone, UV Membrane Treatment o A number of types with different pore sizes o Not always used o Very expensive and very slow
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
History of Wastewater Treatment • • • •
Some sociologists believe a civilization’s sophistication can be judged on sewage disposal practices o Usually 99.9% water and 0.1% dissolved waste Around 1200AD open sewers emptied into the streets of Paris In 1867 it was discussed to pipe sewage directly to farms Many, many detailed examples
Wastewater Treatment • •
•
Facilities are often found in geographic low points Three steps of treatment: o Primary o Secondary o Tertiary Refer to diagram on Slide 34
Primary Treatment • • • •
Screening, grit removal, primary settling Floating materials must be removed early in treatment process grit chamber allows cinders, sand and small stones to settle settling to remove suspended particles
March 19 2014
Secondary Treatment • • •
Microorganisms used to consume nutrients with two types o Trickling filters o Activated sludge Added to wastewater to take out excess nutrients, and they can easily be filtered out afterwards Microorganisms play a major role in wastewater treatment
Tertiary Treatment •
•
After secondary only 520% original content of organic content remains o Expensive o Chlorine and UV o Nutrient removal Not done as often, some places (ie. Victoria, BC) stop at primary
Septic Tanks • • • •
A buried tank capturing waste directly from home Leach fields are attached Type of substrate important What is being dumped down drain? o Some of the materials can kill things in the leaching fields
March 19 2014
Refer to Slide 4041 for Table on History of Stages in Water Quality
Why Harvest Water from the Air? • • •
•
Southwest united states has had a drought for the last 13 years Las Vegas particularly, was built in desert; lake is retreating severely o Need to build another intake pipe because the current one will soon be above the water line Places with o No Lakes o No Streams/Rivers o No Aquifers o Local water has high salinity Fog Harvesters and dew collectors… o Fog harvesters: 1 square metre of net can collect 10L of water
March 19 2014 •
Dehumidifiers? o In a large scale (with cleaning) is a possibility
•
“The atmosphere is a river full of water, even in the desert”
Use of the Colorado River The River • • • • •
Flows 2230 km from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California Water is used in seven U.S States (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California) and Mexico Supplies over 25 million people Desert region with
Earth Science 2WW3 – Lecture 8
Water and the Environment Gibe III Hydroelectric Dam Ethiopia Background • • • • • •
Located on the Omo River in Ethiopia Tallest hydroelectric dam in the world 150km long reservoir Construction began in 2006 supposed to end in 2012 1 of 5 projects currently under construction 80% of Ethiopia’s GDP comes from international aid o First large source of income for the coutnry
Impacts
What does ‘riparian’ mean? •
Big trees
•
Vegetation beside a river
•
Environmental o Eliminates natural flood cycle Basins have annual climatic cycle Affects fish spawning o Degraded riverine habitats/ecosystem productivity Wetland ecosystems (Omo National Park) Replenishing of natural minerals reduced • Affects agriculture – people have to move Lake dependent riparian dryland forests o Upstream flooding Trying to mimic natural flooding o Reservoir Will be one of the largest created reservoirs in the world Increased water level (climate change, bedrock geology) Increased CO2 emissions (submerged biomass) • And methane o Lake Turkana (desert lake) Reduced water level Reduced inflow Increased salinity
•
Social/Economic o Eliminates traditional farming techniques (flood retreat agriculture, grazing) Irrigation reduces lake levels and area for cultivation o Reduced fish catches o Conflict between indigenous tribes in Lower Omo River Valley o Resettlement upstream
March 19 2014
•
Benefits o Produce > 1800MW of energy Energy available for export o $407 million revenue Increase annual per capital income above $150 o Water storage (11.75 billion m³) Reduce impact of droughts o Reservoir used as a fishery o Clean energy source o Flood control o Regulate flow over annual wet/dry cycle More water able to flow in river Navigable all year
March 19 2014
Quotes: • • •
• • • •
“Nobody can touch the Nile from Alexandria (Egypt) down to its source at Jinja (Uganda). Egypt can even go to war if the river is interrupted. Why is our Government [Kenya] allowing this violation to our right,” o Ms Ikal Angelei, chairperson Friends of Lake Turkana (FLT) “There's a possibility of thousands of people losing their livelihoods and possibly losing their lives and no one is talking about it” o Ikal Angelei “The Environmental Impact Assessment…is fatally flawed in terms of its logic, in terms of its thoroughness, in terms of its conclusions. And it looks like an inside job that has come up with the results that they were looking for to get the initial funding for this dam." o Kenyan ecologist Richard Leakey “I don't think the government likes the Omo tribes. They are going to destroy us” o Bargaeri Mursi priest “Africa is in the dark. Give us a choice. Should we stay in darkness? Should we avoid all this development?” o Mihert Debeba, Ethiopia Electricity Corporation "We cannot afford not to have Gilgel Gibe III. We need that type of megaproject given the increased domestic demand and the requirements of export.” o Prime Minister Meles Zenawi “Our nation is too poor and suffering to be worried about environmentalism.” o Danny [visitor]
Lakes • • •
A lake is a body of standing water found within continental margins that is enclosed on all sides by land Ponds (which are small, usually shallow water bodies), marshes, and swamps with standing water can all be included under the definition of a lake Lakes receive water input from streams, overland flow, and ground water, and so are included as parts of drainage systems
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
Fun Lake Facts • •
Lake Baikal in Russia is largest and deepest freshwater lake on globe o contains as much fresh water as all Great Lakes combined o 1600m deep Great Slave Lake is deepest in North America o 614m deep
The Aral Sea of Uzbekistan • • • •
Used to be 4th largest in world (largest in area) In 1965 soviet officials divert runoff for irrigation Now 95% of runoff diverted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbSkR S8Ih7o
March 19 2014
Drinking Water
Drinking Water – History • • • •
Original concerns were taste, temperature and appearance Settling, boiling, adding alum initially used Greek physician Hippocrates promoted concept of ‘healthy’ drinking water Roman military leaders understood the need for quality drinking water o Roman cities had extensive system of removing wastewater and storm water runoff
•
In Middle ages concepts of cleanliness and healthy drinking water largely ignored o sanitation nonexistent o a large part of the history from this era revolve around disease, plague and death
• • •
The first water filter was given a patent in 1746 to Joseph Amy Living condition improved slowly but people generally polluted to local supplies In 1754 Bethlehem, PA first American city to develop a municipal waterworks system
March 19 2014 •
In 1804 Paisley, Scotland first city to provide treated filtered drinking water
March 19 2014 •
1806 Paris completed a water treatment plant with settlement and sand filters o 1834 in Richmond, Virgina o Little Water protection prior to the 1900’s
Desalination • • • •
•
Desalinisation is a relatively new technology used in California, Saudi Arabia, Florida, etc… Relatively high costs ($650 $1000 per acrefoot) o Expensive, use a lot of energy and is environmentally hazardous The issue is that many of the countries with a need for a desalination plant cannot afford them. Take polluted water, put it away from water sources and evaporate it
What happens to the salt? o Make salt products such as Epsom salts o Also have ‘brine’ (salty water) left which has no oxygen and is heavier than salt water o Must be dispersed and not simply dumped in calm water
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
Protecting Drinking Water • • •
• • •
First step is to acquire safe drinking water is to protect raw water at the source o Control local activities and waste disposal Second step is to intake form the source o Intakes not at surface Pretreating the water o Screens to remove large items o Flocculation/coagulation o Filtration is done by passing through layers of sand and gravel Fluoridation and disinfection o Fluorination is preventative medicine o Chlorination is when chlorine gas mixed with water to kill bacteria and some viruses Ozone and UV also used o UV kills almost 100% of organisms but slow and expensive Final step is delivering to consumers o system to avoid dead ends is constructed o stagnant water allows bacteria to grow and corrosion to increase o storage tanks often in topographic highs to allow gravity to be used for transport
Desalination in the Middle East • • •
•
Over 5000 desalinisation plants in Middle East (of 7500 world wide) Saudi Arabia is world’s largest producer Problems o cost for poorer countries o uses a lot of energy o the extreme saline waste New solutions needed to decrease energy use and cost o Ie. solar polar (selfsufficiency)
March 19 2014
Flow Train for Water Treatment for Potable Water
Potable Water Treatment Steps • •
Preliminary Treatment o Screening and settling Coagulation and Flocculation o After storage on fine particles remain
March 19 2014
•
•
o The particles have a negative charge o Clarification Solids Removal o By either sink or float
Filtration o Sand or even crushed recycled glass o Two types: Rapid (421 m/hr) or slow (0.1 – 0.4 m/hr) Depends on how clean the water is
March 19 2014
• • •
Activated Carbon o Removes organic material from the water o Pesticides, algal toxins, etc. Disinfection o Kill pathogens o Chlorine, Ozone, UV Membrane Treatment o A number of types with different pore sizes o Not always used o Very expensive and very slow
March 19 2014
March 19 2014
History of Wastewater Treatment • • • •
Some sociologists believe a civilization’s sophistication can be judged on sewage disposal practices o Usually 99.9% water and 0.1% dissolved waste Around 1200AD open sewers emptied into the streets of Paris In 1867 it was discussed to pipe sewage directly to farms Many, many detailed examples
Wastewater Treatment • •
•
Facilities are often found in geographic low points Three steps of treatment: o Primary o Secondary o Tertiary Refer to diagram on Slide 34
Primary Treatment • • • •
Screening, grit removal, primary settling Floating materials must be removed early in treatment process grit chamber allows cinders, sand and small stones to settle settling to remove suspended particles
March 19 2014
Secondary Treatment • • •
Microorganisms used to consume nutrients with two types o Trickling filters o Activated sludge Added to wastewater to take out excess nutrients, and they can easily be filtered out afterwards Microorganisms play a major role in wastewater treatment
Tertiary Treatment •
•
After secondary only 520% original content of organic content remains o Expensive o Chlorine and UV o Nutrient removal Not done as often, some places (ie. Victoria, BC) stop at primary
Septic Tanks • • • •
A buried tank capturing waste directly from home Leach fields are attached Type of substrate important What is being dumped down drain? o Some of the materials can kill things in the leaching fields
March 19 2014
Refer to Slide 4041 for Table on History of Stages in Water Quality
Why Harvest Water from the Air? • • •
•
Southwest united states has had a drought for the last 13 years Las Vegas particularly, was built in desert; lake is retreating severely o Need to build another intake pipe because the current one will soon be above the water line Places with o No Lakes o No Streams/Rivers o No Aquifers o Local water has high salinity Fog Harvesters and dew collectors… o Fog harvesters: 1 square metre of net can collect 10L of water
March 19 2014 •
Dehumidifiers? o In a large scale (with cleaning) is a possibility
•
“The atmosphere is a river full of water, even in the desert”
Use of the Colorado River The River • • • • •
Flows 2230 km from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California Water is used in seven U.S States (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California) and Mexico Supplies over 25 million people Desert region with
