STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
TRANSPORT AND FATE
What Does Pollutant Transport And Fate Mean?
The transport of pollutants uses the chemical properties of a pollutant to predict how a pollutant will be moved throughout the environment. The fate of pollutants uses the same properties to predict the how pollutants will eventually be disposed of, either by destruction or long-term storage.
Having a good idea of how a pollutant will behave in the environment is important for water quality managers. It aids in noticing signs that a pollutant has been released, tracing the source of pollutants, determining control measures to put in place to prevent pollution, and determining the most appropriate methods for removal when pollution does occur.
How Can The Transport & Fate Of Pollutants Help?
By understanding how pollutants travel through the environment, water quality managers are able to notify drinking water treatment facilities, and take other steps to protect the health of the public if a significant pollutant release does occur.
Certain water pollutants will tend to be stored in the fatty tissue of fish. The higher up the food the chain, the greater the concentration of the pollutant, this phenomenon is known as biomagnification. Pollutant concentrations in tissue samples from fish like bass can be several times greater than the pollutant concentration in the water. These increased concentrations of pollutants can cause illness, or death, for people who catch and eat fish from polluted waters.
Some pollutants will remain in the environment a very short time after release. Ensuring people do enter contaminated areas, or water is typically an effective mitigation measure.
Other pollutants can remain in the environment for several decades after their initial release. The proper mitigation measure for these pollutants depends on the characteristics of the pollutant and the type of release.
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