Question

List four key sections of the Clean Water Act for watershed management, then briefly describe how each one you chose can assist with improving the physical and or biological condition(s) of the watershed.

Answer 1

Four key sections of the clean water act for watershed management :

1. Section 402

2. Section 404

3. Section 502

4. Section 311

They assists with improving the physical and biological conditions of watershed :

1. Section 402 : It regulates the direct point discharges from the construction sites, commercial, municipal and industrial facilities directly into a surface water body. example river, lake etc

It helps improving the physical condition :

a) As it keeps our water bodies clean to the extent possible.

b) Regulations and continuos monitoring makes the industries to treat their effluent before discharging them and amount to be discharged is also limited so the change in the flow pattern, physical parameters like suspended solids, color and odor etc and siltation behaviour is very less.

Improving Biological conditons :

a) Less waste is always favourable for the growth of flora and fauna in the water bodies.

b) The biochemical oxygen demand of the water then be in limit in order to treat it easily and then it can be used for domestic and municipal purposes.

2. Section 404 :This section is associated with flow of dredged and fill material waste ganerated by the infrastructure related activities. example flow of construction and demolition waste, flow of left over fill material by dam construction etc.

Improving physical conditions :

a) This helps maintain the self purification action of streams.

b) This unmanaged flow of fill materials and dredged waste into streams makes their flow highly turbulent and choppy by the time which results in the overflow condition even flood. So improves the flow of the water bodies.

Improving biological conditions :

a) Adding construction waste led to very high concentration of solids in the water which lowers the growth of algae by cretaing trouble in photosynthesis. Hence improves the health of stream as alglal growth is a symbol of good dissolved oxygen in the stream

b) The growth of phytoplanktons may be stopped which is source of aquatic life. So regulation of waste helps grow them.

3. Section 502 : Regulates the flow of hazardous solid waste into the streams which is generated within any community.

Hazardous waste is a waste is toxic, reactive, corrosive and ignitable.

Improving physical conditions:

Solids waste directly fed into streams makes them dirty, Imparts colour and bad odor while this section helps maintaing streams tiny steady and odor free.

Improving biological conditions :

a) It helps maintain the toxicity, hardness and don't let water corrosive.

b) Huge death of fishes inside the stream is avoided by regulation of untreated solid waste.

c) unwanted growth of microorganism is avoided.

4. Section 311 : Regulates the flow of chemicals and chemical derived waste into water bodies.

Improving physical conditions : avoids the smell in water due to chemicals and also avoids the taste of water to be alkaline and metallic side.

Improving biological conditions:

a) It don't let become the wate rbody dead by the flow of chemicals.

b) By the chemicals water starts becoming highly toxic on further usage risk of spread various diseases to communities like skin infections, respiratory disorders and even cancer is reduced.