34 



Usinger: Introduction 



the cost. Under proper technical guidance, resultant 

 freedom from nuisance mosquitoes and encephalitis 

 hazard are dividends obtained at negligible cost to 

 society." 



Water Pollution 



The disposal of domestic and industrial wastes is 

 a major problem of modern civilization. The pollution 

 of surface and underground waters threatens the 15 

 billion gallons of water used by cities in the United 

 States each day. It also endangers recreational fish- 

 ing, boating, and swimming and may lower land values. 

 The enormity of the problem is difficult to grasp by 

 mere citing of figures. For example, the City of 

 Sacramento produces 45 million gallons of raw sewage 

 per day, and a single river such as the Delaware 

 (Eliassen, 1952) is estimated to receive each day 

 500 million gallons of domestic sewage and hundreds 

 of millions of gallons of industrial wastes. 



Legal basis. — To control the undesirable conse- 

 quences of water pollution (intro. fig. 49) California 

 operated for many years under a statute of the State 

 Health Department. In 1949 this was changed and the 

 Water Pollution Control Act was passed. This law 

 sets up a state board and nine regional boards. The 

 regional boundaries, shown on the accompanying map 

 (intro. fig. 50), are based on the major watersheds of 

 the state. The regional boards have four principal 

 duties: prescribing regulations for waste discharges; 

 obtaining coordinated action in controlling pollution; 

 enforcing orders for correcting pollution by means of 

 administrative hearings, followed, if necessary, by 

 court action; and formulating and adopting long-range 

 plans and policies for water pollution control (Water 

 Pollution Control Board Publication No. 5, 1952). 



According to California law there are two basic 

 aims of water pollution control: protection of public 

 health and conservation of water quality for various 

 beneficial uses. The first aim considers only the 

 health aspects of waste treatment and disposal. The 

 second considers the economic aspects and requires 

 that the cost of waste disposal be balanced against 

 the beneficial uses of the receiving waters. These 

 two aspects are recognized and defined in California 

 statutes as follows: Contamination is impairment of 

 water quality by sewage or industrial waste causing 

 an actual hazard to the public health. Primary respon- 

 sibility for reducing contamination rests with the 

 State Department of Public Health and the local health 

 agencies, although the State Water Pollution Control 

 Board may legally assume final responsibility in the 

 case of an uncorrected contamination. Pollution 



WATER POLLUTION CONTROL 



■° ■ *.._ I o o N 



WASTE USCHMHGt 



REGIONAL BOARD OFFICES 



1. Santo Roto 



2. Oakland 



3. San lull Obiipo 



4. Lot Angolas 



5. Socromonto 

 Bithop 



ndio 

 Santo Ano 

 Son Diogo 



STATE BOARD OFFICE 

 Sacramonto 



Intro, fig. 50. Water pollution control regions and loca 

 board offices (Water Poll. Contr. Board Publ. No. 5, 



tion of 

 1952). 



Intro, fig. 49. Through water pollution control domestic and 

 industrial wastes are treated and clean water is maintained 

 (Water Poll. Contr. Board Publ. No. 5, 1952). 



adversely and unreasonably impairs the beneficial 

 use of water even though no actual health hazard is 

 involved. The regional and state water pollution 

 control boards are the agencies primarily concerned 

 with reducing pollution. (The regional boards also 

 are responsible for controlling nuisance, such as 

 odors or unsightliness caused by unreasonable waste 

 disposal practices.) 



Since insects have little to do with the contamina- 

 tion of natural waters, the present discussion will 

 be limited to pollution. Insects do play an important 

 role at various stages in the treatment of polluted 

 waters and are used as indicators of pollution. 



Types of wastes. — Wastes are of three principal 

 types: physical, including silt and other erosive 

 agents; chemical, including toxic materials from 

 industry, and agricultural chemicals such as insecti- 

 cides and weed killers; and organic, including domes- 

 tic sewage, industrial wastes from canneries, and 

 fertilizers. 



Effects of physical wastes. — The effects of physical 

 agents are diverse and far-reaching. Silt, for example, 

 may be abrasive and injure the gills of aquatic organ- 

 isms; it may coat the gills and interfere with respira- 

 tion; or it may settle out and cover natural habitats. 

 It may also reduce light penetration and thus restrict 

 the photosynthetic zone with consequent loss of 

 oxygen and food supply for higher organisms. 



Excessive silting is usually caused by faulty 

 agricultural practices and by the deep cuts and ex- 

 posed banks now so characteristic of our countryside 

 along superhighways. Such uncontrolled erosion loads 

 streams, fills lakes, and eliminates some of the best 

 fish-food organisms (stonefly and mayfly nymphs, 



