IMPACTS OF EFFLUENT DISCHARGE

ON WATER ECOSYSTEM
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, LAGOS. NIGERIA

OLANIYI RASHEED ABIODUN

MATRIC NO: 089071021

ADVANCED ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

(MIC 806)
IMPACTS OF EFFLUENT DISCHARGE ON WATER ECOSYSTEM

Water covers 71% of the earth’s surface and makes up 65% of our bodies. All organisms
contain it; some live in it; some drink it. Plants and animals require water that is
moderately pure, and they cannot survive if their water is loaded with toxic chemicals or
harmful microorganisms (Encarta Encyclopedia, 2009).If water becomes polluted it loses
its values to us economically and aesthetically, and can become a threat to our health, to
the survival of aquatic organisms living in it and the wildlife that depends on it.
Water pollution is a major problem in the global context. It has been suggested that it is
one of the worldwide causes of death of more than 14,000 people daily. In addition to
the acute problems of water pollution in developing, industrialized
countries continue to struggle with pollution problems as well. In the
most recent national report on water quality in the United States, 45
percent of assessed stream miles, 47 percent of assessed lake acres,
and 32 percent of assessed bay and estuarine square miles were
classified as polluted (EPA report, 2002).
Effluent discharge from different sources is the major cause of water
pollution. Water is typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired
by anthropogenic contaminants and either does not support a human
use, like serving as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its
ability to support its constituent biotic communities, such as fish.
Natural phenomena such as volcanoes, algae blooms, storms,
and earthquakes also cause major changes in water quality and the
ecological status of water. Water pollution has many causes and
characteristics. Water pollution has many causes and characteristics all
of which has direct impact on the water ecosystem.
CLASSIFICATION OF WATER POLLUTION
1. Point Source Pollution
Point source pollution refers to contaminants that enter a waterway
through a discrete conveyance, such as a pipe or ditch.

Fig. 1 Liquid waste discharged into a stream.

Examples of these are stated below:

• Discharge from a sewage treatment plant.
• Discharge from a city storm drain.
• Industrial discharge of by-products and chemical wastes.
• Discharge of heated water used for industrial process.

2. Non Point Source Pollution

Non-point source (NPS) pollution refers to diffuse contamination that
does not originate from a single discrete source. NPS pollution is often
a cumulative effect of small amounts of contaminants gathered from a
large area. Examples include:
• Surface runoffs containing pesticides.
• Slash and burn farm practices.
• Excess nutrients caused by runoffs containing detergents
or fertilizers.
• Surface runoffs from construction sites.

3. Ground Water Pollution

Interactions between groundwater and surface water are complex.
Consequently, groundwater pollution, sometimes referred to as
groundwater contamination, is not as easily classified as surface water
pollution (United States Geological Survey USGS Denver, CO. "Ground
Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource." USGS Circular 1139.
1998.) By its very nature, groundwater aquifers are susceptible to
contamination from sources that may not directly affect surface water
bodies, and the distinction of point vs. nonpoint source may be not be
applicable.
Examples include:
• Underground storage tank leakage, leading to soil
contamination, thence
aquifer contamination.
• A spill of chemical contaminant on soil, located away from a
surface water
body.

EFFLUENTS DICHARGED AND THEIR EFFECTS

1. Industrial effluents: These are the effluents released into
the water bodies as a result of industrial processes. This
include;
i. Industrial Discharge Of Sulphur Oxide: Acid rain caused by
industrial discharge of fossil fuels(oil, coal and natural gas)
and smelting of sulphide ores are all caused by industrial
discharge of sulphur oxide. These activities release into the
atmosphere large quantities of sulphur and nitrogen oxide,
which when in contact with atmospheric moisture are
converted to sulphuric acid and nitric acid, two of the
strongest acids known. These fall to the ground in snow fog
and rain (Agrois, 1997). As the acid rain flows into rivers and
 water bodies algae, fishes, and other aquatic life may become
greatly reduced or die.
ii. Discharge Of Contaminated Water: Discharge of contaminated
water into water bodies is the main source of infectious water
borne diseases. Although these diseases are spread either
through flies or directly, water is the principal medium for the
spread of the diseases. These diseases are prevalent in areas
with poor sanitary conditions, especially the rural areas. The
pathogens travel through water sources and get distributed
by people handling food and water.
iii. Discharge Of Heated Water: This is also called thermal
pollution. Thermal pollution results primarily from electric power plants
that use large quantities of cooling water and discharge it at temperatures as
much as 10 Celsius degrees (18 Fahrenheit degrees) above that of the
surrounding water. The increase in water temperature disrupts the life cycle
of many marine organisms and encourages invasion by creatures that live in
warmer waters. These creatures then displace the original populations
(Encarta Encyclopedia, 2009). That is increase in temperature may
cause migration of some species that cannot tolerate the
change and be replaced by those who can. Another problem
caused by thermal discharge is the reduction of oxygen
available to the aquatic life.
iii. Spilled Petroleum Products: Surface runoffs containing
petroleum products is another type of effluent discharged into
the water bodies and it has profound effects on the aquatic
life. The high oil and grease concentration observed in
effluent receiving water bodies is responsible for the depletion
of fish and other aquatic life. The petroleum films flow on the
surface of the water cutting out sunlight for aquatic
photosynthesis and reducing oxygen concentration for aquatic
life in the water, thereby negatively affecting these aquatic
 life forms. Some marine animals and reptiles such as turtles
are predominantly vulnerable to adverse effects from oil
contamination because of their need to breath from the water
surface. Petrochemicals such as benzene can cause cancer
even at low exposure levels.
iv. Industrial byproducts and chemical wastes: Chemicals in
water can be both naturally occurring or introduced by human
interference and can have serious effects. Many industries
discharge their wastes and byproducts directly into water
bodies. As the wastes build up, the amount of oxygen
available to aerobic aquatic organisms decreases leading to
their death.
2. Effluent Discharge from Agricultural Practices: These
are effluents discharged as pollutants which result from
various agricultural practices by man. This is further
divided as follows:
i. Excess Nutrients From Runoff Containing Detergents or Fertilizers
Fertilizers enhance the growth of bacteria that are in water and increase the
concentration of bacteria to hazardous levels. Fertilizer runoffs and
manure from livestock operations also increase the level of
nutrients in water bodies and can cause eutrophication in the
lakes and rivers and continue on to the coastal areas.
Eutrophication takes place; this is defined as the process by
which a body of water becomes rich in dissolved nutrients
from fertilizers or sewage, thereby encouraging the growth of
oxygen-depleting organisms and resulting in harm to other
organisms. Eutrophication stimulates the growth of plants,
algae and bacteria. Because nitrogen and phosphorus
frequently limit the growth of microbes in freshwater habitats,
the addition of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds has a
 particularly large impact on aquatic systems (Prescott et al.,
1999).
ii. Runoff Containing Pesticides
Pesticides such as DDT are toxic and pollute water in different forms when
they find their ways into aquatic environments as runoffs. Aquatic plants
growth cause de-oxygenation of water and annihilate flora and fauna in
streams, lakes and rivers. The organophosphates and the
carbonates present in pesticides affect the nervous system
and can cause cancer.
iii. Slash and burn cultivation:
In slash-and-burn cultivation, subsistence farmers burn small plots of forest
for space to grow crops. After two or three years, when the nutrients in the
soil have been depleted, the plots are abandoned and other plots are cleared by
fire. Large-scale agricultural operations use similar methods to clear forested
areas. This method of farming introduces ashes which comprises of various
compound into water bodies and could be toxic to aquatic life when the
concentration is high.
3. Effluent Discharge From Homes:
Untreated or poorly treated municipal water sewage is a
major source of groundwater and surface water pollution in
developing countries. The organic material that is discharged
with municipal waste into the water bodies uses substantial
oxygen for degradation thereby upsetting the ecological
balance of rivers and lakes. Sewage also carries microbial
pathogens that are the cause of the spread of many diseases.
REFERENCES

Agrois, G.N (1997) Plant Pathology, 11th Edition, Academic Press pp

236.
Encarta Encyclopedia, 2009.
Denver, C.O. "Ground Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource."
 United States Geological Survey (USGS).. USGS Circular 1139.
1998.
Prescott, L.M., Harley, J.P and Klein, D.A. (1999)
Microbiology, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Washington,
DC. "The National Water Quality Inventory: Report to Congress for the
2002 Reporting Cycle – A Profile." October 2007. Fact Sheet No. EPA
841-F-07-003.
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