Natural freshwater bodies are an essential part of the environment we live in. They support aquatic ecosystems and human communities in multiple ways.
Unfortunately, as urbanization spread around the world, so did the discharge of highly polluted wastewater into local water bodies. With hazardous chemicals, organic pollutants, and pathogenic bacteria being discharged into water bodies several issues arose that affected multiple sectors ranging from aquatic life to public health.
In such situations, the treatment of domestic wastewater becomes an integral part of a responsible human lifestyle. This is why domestic wastewater treatment plants are becoming increasingly important all around the world.
The role of freshwater ecosystems in our environment
The environment we live in is comprised of several living and non-living elements i.e., air, light, soil, plants and animals, etc. All of these interact with each other and maintain a sustainable balance which then supports all life. Among others, water is considered to be the most precious resource for sustaining life on Earth. Freshwater resources ranging from lakes, rivers, groundwater, etc. spanning over several geographical locations, are responsible for supporting aquatic life i.e., flora and fauna, etc., wildlife, human communities and even economies.
In ancient times water was the key factor in human decision-making regarding the establishment of human settlements because it supported irrigation, cooking, washing, etc. Nowadays, it is even more important as it supports multi-million-dollar industries i.e., steel mills, cooking oil refineries, etc.
Domestic wastewater impact on freshwater ecosystems
One of the constituents of the wastewater is hazardous enrichment of nutrient, the most common among which are Nitrogen and phosphorus. These surplus-nutrient result in creating chemical imbalance in the waterbody which disturbs the water ecosystem. These nutrient cause Eutrophication, a phenomenon characterized by abrupt growth of algae in the water. Eutrophication affects the water ecosystem in several ways, i.e., it restricts sunlight from penetrating the waterbody, strips the waterbody of its oxygen, and causes the formation of a death zone (which claims the lives of flora and fauna) during its lifetime.
Organic pollutants are very common types of pollutants in domestic wastewater. Their decomposition in the waterbodies attracts several kinds of pathogens. The unregulated release of these pollutants results in widespread gastrointestinal diseases, i.e., dysentery, cholera, etc. causing public health emergencies.
Among various water pollutants, inert suspended solids may seem to be the least impacting kind of pollutants but this is not the case. Their presence in waterbodies restricts sunlight penetration into water. This results in poor growth of aquatic plants, which affects the fish that live on those plants, causing them to die off. So, even a change as small as the presence of seemingly inert solids in waterbodies can go this far.
Domestic wastewater treatment plants for local freshwater ecosystems
Domestic wastewater treatment plants have become increasingly important in today’s world. They make sure that the wastewater does not enter the local waterbodies without effective treatment. Domestic wastewater treatment plants remove all kinds of polluting elements from the wastewater including, chemical, organic, pathogenic, solid, etc. before the wastewater is discharged.
The removal of chemical pollutants means that the waterbody is not going to be chemically imbalanced and eutrophication is effectively hampered ensuring the healthy growth of flora and fauna. On the other hand, the removal of pathogenic pollutants means that water is safe for human consumption, whether it be for drinking, cooking, washing, etc.
It is because of the benefits that domestic wastewater treatment plants offer for both local waterbodies and human beings themselves, that they have now become integral part of homes and small businesses. They offer almost complete removal of common domestic wastewater pollutants before the treated wastewater enters local waterbodies. This way they ensure that the receiving waters are not impacted by otherwise highly polluted wastewater.
Conclusion:
When we introduce untreated domestic wastewater into local freshwater ecosystems, it causes imbalance in the composition of waterbodies which disturbs the aquatic ecosystem. The heavy chemical and nutrient load in the wastewater, pathogenic pollution, and organic contaminants in the wastewater collectively create such an environment which becomes uninhabitable for the aquatic flora and fauna on the one hand and unfit for human consumption.
Domestic wastewater treatment plants take care of this problem very effectively. They remove all the major chemical, organic and pathogenic pollutants from the wastewater before it even leaves the periphery of a home or a small business in which it is installed. As the treated wastewater that leaves the home, it is stripped of almost 95% of its pollutants. When this water enters the local natural water bodies it does not create havoc in the aquatic environment, but blends with it almost perfectly, and does not negatively impact the aquatic species. It is for this reason that the installation of domestic wastewater treatment plants has become a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable practice.
Frequently Ask Questions
