Chapter 20 Activity 1: Water Pollution
Introduction: In this activity you will investigate the location of polluted surface water and location of point sources of water pollution.
Instructions: Create the maps and respond to the questions below. Be sure to use a distinct font color or highlighting of your responses so I can identify them within the document. Once completed, save your answers and upload to Blackboard before the deadline.
Explore Polluted Surface Water Impairments
- Log into your ArcGIS Online account and search for and add the following layer from the Living Atlas layer:
- USA Polluted Waters (by Esri)
- Zoom into your home location (Bridgewater or whichever town area you’d like)
- Notice that both polluted rivers and polluted lakes show up in an orange color as you zoom in.
- Take a screenshot of your map and paste below:
- Click on a river to view the impairment(s) it experiences listed in the popup window. Give the name of the river and list the impairments below.
- Click on the “more information” link given in the popup window. In the EPA window that opens, click on “Causes of Impairment”. List the causes of impairment for this river.
- Now click on a lake/pond to view the impairment(s) it experienceslisted in the popup window. Give the name of the lake/pond and list the impairments below.
- Click on the “more information” link given in the popup window. In the EPA window that opens, click on “Causes of Impairment”. List the causes of impairment for this lake/pond.
Explore Point Sources of Water pollution
- Now search for and add the following layer from the Living Atlas layer:
- USA Permitted Point Source Water Pollution (by Esri)
- You should still be zoomed into your home location, but if not, please do so (Bridgewater or whichever town area you’d like)
- Notice that the point sources of pollution show up as different colored points.
- Take a screenshot of the map and paste below:
- Go to the legend (Details>Legend) to identify what the different colored points designate. List the designations below.
- Find the closest “Major” pollutant facility to your zoomed-in area. In order to see these orange points, you might want to turn off the river/lakes layer (click on Content and uncheck the box next to USA Polluted Waters). Click on your closest “Major” pollutant facility and then click on the “FRS Facility Detail Report” link in the popup window. Find the table entitled “Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC).” What is the description for this facility? What is the name of this facility?
- Continue finding 3 more “Major” pollutant facilities in your region. You might need to zoom out a bit. Just like you did in the previous question, list the name and description of each of the additional 3 “Major” pollutant facilities.