Instructor: Eric Pallant, Department of Environmental Science
Office: Doane Hall of Chemistry 202
Office Hours: M,T: 1:30-3:30 P.M.; F 8:30-10:30 A.M.
E-mail: epallant@alleg.edu or click
on mailbox 
Click hand to go to Pallant home page 
| Texts | Grades | Class Description | Independent Research | Links |
| Acidification | Eutrophication | Hardness and Metals | Organic pollutants | |
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The objective of this course is to develop a thorough understanding of the techniques and instruments used to analyze water quality. The course revolves around the labo-ratory and as a consequence lectures, reading, and homework will focus on equipment, concepts, and procedures used by laboratory scientists. For example, we will look at what goes on inside an atomic absorption spectrophotometer so its numerical readout is not a mysterious production by a "black box", but the product of a machine whose inner workings are fully understood. We will do the same for uv-vis spectrometers, pH meters, gas chromatographs, and chemical reac-tions such as titra-tions. There will be two exams each worth 30% of your final grade. Following each lab, there will be a series of ques-tions. Typed answers to these questions are due at the start of the following week's lab session, and will be equal to 30% of your final grade, when totalled. You are ex-pected to work in groups during lab, and you may work together on the ques-tions that follow each lab, although you are required to write-up your own re-sponses. WARNING: YOU SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF ANSWERING THE QUES-TIONS ON YOUR OWN. EXAMS WILL MIMIC AND REFLECT THE STYLE OF QUESTIONS FROM THE LABS.
Technically the college requires me to post my attendance policy. Here it is: it's up to you whether to come or not. I predict you will learn more if you do attend class and are awake at the same time. You will need to check your e-mail regularly as I will be sending you catchy articles and timely announcements directly to your computer. Similarly, check this web site from time to time. I intend to add appropriate links as we discover them. There are thousands of environmental links out there to choose from and I will ask your assistance in filtering the most interesting and relevant ones. Non-electronic readings -- you may recall those that come on paper -- will be delivered to the library reserve shelf, whereupon you will be notified by a class announcement or an e-mail.
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Each member of the class must choose one of the following topics. The goal of the assignment is to build a class library of environmental applications of the laboratory and field techniques we are doing in class. By the assigned week you will need to provide me and the class with the following items.
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subject to modification as the semester progresses
| Date | Day | Topic | Reading (Chapter) | Links |
| Aug 26 | R | Introduction, Sampling | 2,3 |
There are several interesting links pertaining to pH, Acidity, Alkalinity, Acid Rain, and Acid Mine Drainage at the bottom of this document. Pressing this link will take you there. |
| Lab: Sampling | ||||
| 31 | T | Sources of Acidity, pH | 5 | |
| Sep 2 | R | pH meters | 6 | |
| Lab: Field pH | ||||
| 7 | T | pH vs. Acidity | 7 | |
| 9 | R | Total Acidity | 13 | |
| Lab: Total Acidity | ||||
| 14 | T | Alkalinity, Buffering | ||
| 16 | R | Acid neutralizing capacity | ||
| Lab: Alkalinity | ||||
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| Date | Day | Topic | Reading (Chapter) | Links |
| Sep21 | T | Beer's Law | 15 | |
| 23 | R | Alkalinity Review |
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| Lab: Orthophosphate | ||||
| 28 | T | Spectrophotometry | ||
| 30 | R | Spec 20 - how it works | ||
| Lab: Beer's Law | ||||
| Oct 5 | T | Dissolved Oxygen | Reserve: Redox | |
| 7 | R | Phosphorus Chemistry | 10 | Click Here to go to links at the bottom of this page on Dissolved Oxygen or Phosphorus. |
| Lab: DO, Set up BOD/Eh | ||||
| 12 | T | Fall Break | ||
| 14 | R | Redox Potential | Nitrates can contribute to eutrophication and can create health hazards by themselves. Here are a couple of links on nitrates. | |
| Lab: BOD/Eh | ||||
| 19 | T | Redox - Midterm distributed | The Redox references are in the library. Please send me good websites on redox and water pollution if you find them. | |
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| Date | Day | Topic | Reading (Chapter) | Links |
| Oct 21 | R | Calcium Hardness | 9 | |
| Lab: Sewer Tour - Midterm Due | ||||
| 26 | T | Chelations | ||
| 28 | R | Total Hardness | 13 | There are some good explanations of hardness at these sites. |
| Lab: Total, Calcium, & Magnesium Hardness by EDTA | ||||
| Nov 2 | T | Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) | 18 | |
| 4 | R | AAS | Here are the links on heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems. | |
| Lab: Hardness by AAS | ||||
| 9 | T | Soap | ||
| 11 | R | Heavy Metals by AAS | ||
| Lab: Heavy metal of your choice | ||||
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| Date | Day | Topic | Reading (Chapter) | Links |
| 16 | T | Chromatography | 19 | |
| 18 | R | Chromatography | 20 | Here are the links on organic contaminants. |
| Lab: Gas Chromatogrpahy | ||||
| 23 | T | Gas Chromatography | 21 | |
| 25 | R | Thanksgiving | ||
| 30 | T | Pollutants and Toxicology | ||
| Dec 2 | R | Water quality standards and testing - Guest Lecture by Eric Botnick, Director of Free-Col labs | Here are the links to several EPA pages on Water Quality Standards | |
| Lab: Free-Col labs | ||||
| 7 | T | Summary | ||
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Links to General Sites on Water Quality
http://water.nr.state.ky.us/ww/ramp/rmtesls.htm This site is prepared and maintained by Kentucky River Watch a volunteer organization dedicated to protected watersheds. It contains a"table of contents" of a lot of the topics we are covering in class, more short and sweet summaries.
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/water/ This is an excellent site prepared by the University of Nebraska's Cooperative Extension. It contains a series of explanatory essays on several water quality matters as well as articles on regulations and laws.
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kirby/AMDtrmt.html This web site contains basic background information on the processes of acid mine drainage and should be a good introduction to the topic. It also contains links to information about active, passive, and semi passive treatment systems so that one can make a brief comparison.
http://www.enviromine.com/ard/welcome.htm There are a few examples of different wetlands in this web site that illustrate the capacity of a wetland to take up heavy metals that would be mobilized by acid from acid mine drainage.
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/waterq/wqalkalinity.html An excellent explanation of alkalinity and buffering. Start Here, if you really want to understand this stuff.
www.beloit.edu/~chem/Acidrain/Backyard/rocks.htm This site is a link from the Chem.dept. of Beloit College. The site is good for how bedrock and geology effects buffering on watersheds. It gives an experiment that you can do to see how the alkalinity of your backyard is, it is kind of interesting.
http://www.cmp.ca/neg/reports/acid-e.htm New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers:Acid Rain Action Plan Scroll down to the “Basis of Action” subcategory. This sections describes how acid rain is damaging New England lakes, especially due to the low alkalinity in the underlying bedrock of waterbodies.
http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain On-line data and reports on acid rain, atmospheric deposition and precipitation chemistry.
http://environment.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.adk.org/html/adk6b.html Adirondack Report Describes the effects that acid rain has on this acid rain sensitive region. Does not go into great deal about alkalinity, but describes how the area is not recovering as other lakes and streams are, the enhanced effects acid rain has had on the region, etc…which can all be linked back to alkalinity.
http://merlin.alleg.edu/FCEEP/FCEEP/alkalinity.html ALKALINITY FACT SHEET General overview on alkalinity, and the environmental ramifications associated with it.
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/usgspr.html U.S. Geological Survey Deposition Report Report discusses how the pH of rain in Eastern United States is becoming more neutral, presumably by Section I of the Clean Air Act established in 1990.
http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/envben.html Environmental Effects of Acid Rain. Detailed description on what acid rain is, where it’s originates, what effect it has on surface waters & forests, and what is being done to combat the problem.
http://water.nr.state.ky.us/ww/ramp/rmalk.htm This is a site from the DEP of Kentucky, and its links to water testing and quality throughout the state. It has a short and sweet description of buffering and alkalinity. It also relates alkalinity to water hardness and aquatic life.
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http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/waterq/wqdissolvedo2.html This site prepared by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA Classroom of the Future™ is one of my favorites.
http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/do.html "Water Resource Characterization DSS - Dissolved Oxygen Levels." North Carolina State University. September 25, 1999. This page does a great job of laying out the basics of the importance of dissolved oxygen, what affects it, and its role in basic limnology. It also presents a chart of minimum dissolved tolerance levels for various organisms, along with providing a list of various methods that can be used to measure dissolved oxygen.
http://haywood.ces.state.nc.us/pubs/trout/do.html Thompson, Skip. "Dissolved Oxygen Saturation in Fresh Water." NC State University A&T State University Cooperative Extension. September 25, 1999. This site is an informative table showing the relation between water temperature, altitude, and maximum dissolved oxygen.
http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/G_Bay/DO.html "Greenwich Bay: Dissolved Oxygen" Rhode Island Sea Grant. September 25, 1999. This page also lays out the basics of dissolved oxygen as they pertain to the Greenwich Bay estuary, centering on the effects of temperature and nutrient loading.
http://www.vcnet.com/koi_net/do.html Meck, Norm. "Dissolved Oxygen." Koi Club of San Diego. September 25, 1999. Though this article mainly discusses dissolved oxygen as it pertains to raising Koi carp (a very low oxygen tolerant fish) it does provide a good outline for the metabolic effect of low oxygen on fish and for dissolved oxygen levels in small bodies of still water such as a koi pond.
http://www.courses.ncsu.edu/classes/wps460001/lec298. This set of pages appears to be from class notes at North Carolina State University and are superficial, but may be informative.
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One very interesting and large web page by the University of Missouri is very useful. The main page is http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/waterq/index.htm if you then go to WQ103 on that web page there is a page by Karen Mancl, a water quality specialist from Ohio State, that gives great descriptions on where you can find nitrates, who they affect....etc. Also, go to WQ256. This web page tells you how nitrogen enters groundwater. This page was written by Scott Killpack and Daryl Buchholz from the Department of Agronomy, at the U of Missouri. These both show how nitrates enter groundwater, by sewage, fertilizers etc. and it shows the affects and who it affects.
The US geological survey water resource page http://wwwrvares.er.usgs.gov/nawqa/wri94-4001/wri94-4001main.html from this main page you can find a lot of great info on nitrogen in watersheds. It talks about point source and non-point source pollution. It is also a real good site.
Nolan, Bernard, et.al. "Risk of Nitrate in Groundwaters of the United States-a national perspective". Environmental Science and Technology, August 1997 v31 n8: 2229- 2238. This article gives you factors that affect nitrate contamination and map them all across the US.
Williams, A. E. "Natural and Anthropogenic Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater in a Rural Community, California." Environmental Science and Technology, Jan. 1, 1998 v32 n1:32-40. This article shows how there is more nitrate contamination from humans than natural sources. This study takes place in California.
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www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/nutri/piframe.html This site details implementation of the so-called "P index", including information on phosphorus problems, its movement in watersheds, its relation to erosion and fertilizer application, and the different soil P tests.
www.waterrecycling.com/ This site details the ability and promise that the reuse of wastewater from sewage treatment plants presents. It gives case studies as well from places that have implemented these tactics such as Sweden.
Farnworth, Edward G. Impacts of sediment and nutrients on biota in surface waters of the United States. US EPA, environmental research laboratory; Springfield, VA: 1979. A good resource that provides the basics of the impacts and testing of phosphorus and nutrients on a few detailed case studies in the United States.
Omernik, James. Stream nutrient level relationships: a nationwide study. US EPA, environmental research laboratory, Cornwallis, OR; 1977. A good read detailing the forms and relative amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen and the effects it had up until the point of publishing in natural waters of the United States.
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Wouters-Wasiak, K.; Heduit, A.; Audic, J.(1994). "Real-time Control of Nitrogen Removal at Full-Scale using oxidation reduction potential" Water Science & Technology: a journal of the internaitonal Association on Water Pollution Research. Vol. 30, no 4.
Calmona, W.; Hong, J; Forstner,U (1993). "Binding and mobilization of heavy metals in contaminated sediments affected by pH and redox potential" Water Science & Technology: a journal of the international Association on Water Pollution Research. Vol. 28, no 8-9.
Chuan, M.; Shu, G.; Liu, J. (1996). "Solubility of Heavy Metals in a contaminated Soil: Effects of Redox Potential and pH" Water, air and soil pollution. Vol. 90, no 3-4.
Wong, J,W.; Yang, C. (1997). "The Effect of pH and Redox potential on the release of nutrients and heavy metals from a contaminated marine sediment" Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry. Vol. 62, no 1-4
Jin, G.; Englande, A.J.(1996). "Redox Potential as a controlling factor in enhancing carbon tetrachloride biodegradation" Water Science and Technology: a journal of the international Association on Water Pollution Research. Vol. 34, no 10.
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http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/water/g1274.htm is prepared by the University of Nebraska cooperative extension which state the basics of water hardness, associated problems with water hardness, and a variety of ways how to fix these problems.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/khgh.html This is a wonderful site to wrap everything we have been learning together. It looks at Calcium Carbonate hardness and how it creates changes in pH, and what these changes mean to freshwater fishes that have the among the most unique renal systems of all organisms. The site is designed for tropical fish enthusiasts.
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http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/hmetals.html Start Here This site was very informative. It gave a lot of background information and then went into more specific topics, such as metal limits in water designated fo r different uses, human health hazards, environmentla effects, and analytical techniques. It gave a fairly detailed overview of each topic.
http://www.unep.org/unep/gpa/pol2a10.htm This site maintained by the United Nations Environment Program is useful because it showed the types of national, regional, and international actions that should be taken to regulate the amounts of heavy metals found in water. It addresses a reduction of the output of heavy metals at the source rather than waiting and trying to reduce the amount present through filtration.
http://water.nr.state.ky.us/ww/ramp/rmmetals.htm The site maintained by Kentucky Water Watch provides a general overview of what is involved in a metal scan and some of the environmental impacts of metal ions dissolved in water.
http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/lake/human/metal.html This site gave a list of pollutant sources and with links describing each site type in more detail. It is maintained by North Carolina State University.
http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/Biology/Harbour/WQMETAL/html/effects.html This site gave the specific effects some metals can have on organisms. It looked specifically at zinc and cadmium and the effects they would have. Maintained by McMaster Univesity.
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http://ucaswww.mcm.uc.edu/geology/maynard/organic/casestud.html This site provides case studies on organic contaminants, including some organic solvents. Effects on aquifers and the surrounding environment are discussed as well as methods of remediation.
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1225/html/wq_agric.html This site is maintained by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It identifies the currently used agriculture pesticides, some of the ways these pesticides affect aquatic systems, and the health problems that are associated with these pesticides.
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1225/html/wq_urban.html The USGS maintains this site. It identifies what pesticides are commonly used in urban areas, the impacts of these chemicals on aquatic systems, and the danger behind pesticides mixing in the environment.
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1225/html/human.html This site briefly explores some of the health effects that have been reported in humans and aquatic organisms due to pesticides.
http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/uba-info-presse-e/pressemitteilungen-e/p-1497-e.htm This site gives a good explanation of the process in which organic air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds eventually end up in groundwater.
http://abe.www.ecn.purdue.edu/~epados/ground/src-copy/quality2.htm This site covers sources of and specific types of groundwater contamination. It offers a good overview of all types of contaminants but seems to focus on organic pollutants and their sources.
http://www.worksafe.gov.au/worksafe/fulltext/docs/h3/53.htm - This site was written by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and offers a thorough description of industrial organic solvents. It discusses their uses, physical properties, associated hazards, and prevention and control measures.
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/solvents/index.html - This site was created by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). The site focuses more on specific hazards of organic solvents, safety measures, and sampling and analysis. It allows you to search by chemical and offers links to related sites. "OSHA Summary Sheet" provides a good overview.
Malaiyandi, Murugan; Suffet, I.H. Organic Pollutants in Water. Washington, DC, American Chemical Society, 1987. This book offers information on a variety of organic pollutants, including solvents. It focuses on methods of isolating organic chemicals in water samples, analysis, and examples of case studies.
Jordan, Otto. The Technology of Solvents. New York, Chemical Publishing Co. of NY Inc., 1937. This contains everything you ever wanted to know about organic solvents and more. It is arranged according to products and what solvents are used in their formation.
Colburn, Theo and Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson. Our Stolen Future. New York, Penguin Books, 1996. This source explains how man-made pesticides interact with the environment. This is currently one of the best pesticide resources available.
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http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW This is the office of ground water and drinking water's general homepage. It will take you anywhere you need to go in the topic.
http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/standard/setting.html This site provides general information on how drinking water standards are set and who must comply with them.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html This site provides a specific listing of primary and secondary drinking water contaminants and their numerical standards.
http://www.epa.gov/watrhome This is the general EPA office of water homepage
http://www.epa.gov/unix0008/water/wqs/stathist.html This site provides a brief statutory history of water quality standards.
http://www.epa.gov/unix0008/water/wqs/wqsimp.html This site gives a brief description of why water quality standards are important.
http://www.epa.gov/unix0008/water/wqs/wqsdef.html This site describes what a water quality standard (non-drinking water) is exactly and what it consists of.
http://www.epa.gov/OST/standards/2000guid.html, Both this site and the one below describe plans for strengthening and modernizing standards for the new millennium.
http://www.epa.gov/OST/standards/planfs.html See entry immediately above.
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Halstead, Judith A. "Rain, Lakes, and Streams: Investigating acidity and buffering capacity in the environment" Journal of Chemical Education V 74 (Dec. '97) p1456A. This article is nice because it is something we could relate class topics to. It is a good example of how the natural environment deals with acid rain.
Ostmann, Robert. Acid Rain, A Plague Upon the Waters. Dillon Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1982
Rudd, J.W.M., C.A. Kelly, D.W. Schindler, M.A. Turner. “Disruption of the nitrogen cycle in acidified lakes.” 1988. Science. Vol 240. p1515. Rudd et al. presents an interesting case of the indirect effects of acidity on geochemical processes of the environment, let alone biological effects.
Schindler, D.W., K.H. Mills, D.F. Malley, D.L Findlay, J.A. Shearer, I.J. Davies, M.A. Turner, G.A. Linsey, D.R.Cruikshank. “Long-term ecosystem stress: the effects of years of experimental acidification on a small lake.” 1985.Science, Vol 228. p1395. This article is quite long but it traces the history of effects of intentional acidification of a lake. It is interesting to see what organisms are affected by the acidity and how they are affected because once the acid neutralizing capacity is overcome by the acid, a lot of unexpected disruptions in the ecosystem arise.
Thurston, R.V., R.C. Russo, C. M. Fetterolf, Jr., T. A. Edsall, & Y.M. Barber, Jr. A review of the EPA Red Book: Quality criteria for water. Water Quality Section, American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD. 1979