WASTE MANAGEMENT TSC Scored Activity 1. Date submitted:... Student identification. Name:... Address:... Tel.: Mark:...

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1 WASTE MANAGEMENT TSC Scored Activity 1 Date submitted:... Student identification Name:... Address: Tel.: Mark:... /100

2 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT This scored activity was produced by the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD). Production Team Project coordinator for the English version: Project coordinator for the French version: Author: Illustrations: Content revision: Translation: Layout and computer graphics: Proofreading: Jean-Simon Labrecque Alain Pednault (SOFAD) Judith Sévigny Marc Tellier Gilles St-Louis Claudia de Fulviis Daniel Rémy (I. D. Graphique inc.) Claudia de Fulviis Alain Pednault (SOFAD) Despite the following statement, SOFAD authorizes adult education centres using the related learning guide to reproduce this scored activity. This work is financed by the Ministère de l Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec. Part of this financing comes from the Canada-Quebec bilateral agreement related to minority language education and second languages instruction. SOFAD, 2013 All rights for translation and adaptation, in whole or in part, are reserved for all countries. Any reproduction by mechanical or electronic means, including micro-reproduction, is prohibited without the written permission of a duly authorized representative of the Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD). SOFAD

3 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 Most education centres require that students obtain an average mark of 60% or higher in order to write the official examination. Scored Activity 1 covers the subject matter in learning sequences 1 and 2 of the Waste Management learning guide. Once you have completed this activity, send it to your tutor together with any related documents. SOFAD 3

4 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT Instructions Fill in the Identification section. Carefully read each question before answering it. Write your answers in the appropriate spaces and give complete solutions, as applicable. The weighting for each question is indicated to the right of each section of the scored activity. You may use a calculator. 4 SOFAD

5 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 Scored Activity 1 /100 points Submit After learning sequences 1 and 2. Essential knowledge covered Ecological footprint, ecotoxicology, contamination (soil, water, air), wastewater treatment, biodegradation of pollutants, phosphorus cycle, soil depletion, buffering capacity of the soil, drainage basin, eutrophication, prevailing wind A. Explicit Evaluation of Knowledge 1. Multiple-choice questions /15 points 1. Which of the following actions can help to reduce your ecological footprint. a) Reusing recyclable materials b) Composting c) Buying only disposable batteries d) Using a bike for short distances 2. What is the difference between bioconcentration and bioaccumulation? a) In bioconcentration, food is the source of the contaminant that accumulates. b) In bioconcentration, the contaminant is accumulated through direct contact with the environment. c) In bioconcentration, the contaminant does not come from the environment. d) In bioconcentration, the source of the contaminant is both food and the environment. 3. Identify the air contaminant in the list below. a) Aerosols b) Dead organic matter c) Heavy metals d) Persistent organic products 4. Complete the following sentence: "A drainage basin is the geographic area drained by." a) a river b) a river system c) a lake d) a glacier SOFAD 5

6 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT 5. Which of the organisms below are used for soil remediation? a) Earthworms b) Bacteria and plants c) Rodents d) Algae 6. Select the best term to complete the following sentence: "Soil depletion involves a decrease in soil associated with a decline in organic matter and nutrients." a) ph b) permeability c) fertility d) humidity 7. True or false? A contaminant is an agent that alters the physical properties of an environment or an organism. a) True b) False 8. Hydrocarbons are contaminants that affect which type(s) of environment? a) Only the air b) Only the soil c) Water and soil d) Water, air and soil 9. Is the following statement true? "The eutrophication of a lake is a natural process that results in a gradual increase in the amount of nutrients available in the water." a) Yes b) No 10. Which of the following processes is not part of the pretreatment of wastewater? a) Screening b) Sedimentation c) Flocculation d) Oil removal 11. True or false? The buffering capacity of a soil is its ability to limit temperature fluctuations. a) True b) False 6 SOFAD

7 SCORED ACTIVITY The toxicity threshold is the minimum quantity of a substance that: a) has an appreciable deleterious effect on an organism. b) causes a genetic mutation. c) can kill an organism fast. d) modifies the colour of an organism. 13. The phosphorus present in the hydrosphere comes from: a) soil erosion and leaching. b) sedimentation of aquatic waste. c) the decomposition of dead animals. d) nutrients taken up by plants. 14. Indicate whether the following statement is true: "Antibiotics and synthetic hormones can contaminate water." a) Yes b) No 15. In Québec, the prevailing winds come from what direction? a) From the northwest b) From the south c) From the west d) From the southwest SOFAD 7

8 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT 2. Short-answer questions /10 points 16. What role does the clay-humus complex play in soils? 17. What does it mean if a population has an ecological deficit? 18. Name two soil contaminants and indicate their main source. 19. Nitrogen and sulphur oxides cause the formation of acid deposition. How is it that forests in the Lower St. Lawrence region show such negative effects from acid deposition when there is very little industry there? Québec Sept-Îles Rimouski Québec City Lower St Lawrence Ottawa Montréal 8 SOFAD

9 SCORED ACTIVITY Explain how biomagnification occurs. 21. What is the name given to the waste produced during primary and secondary treatment of wastewater? 22. Explain how deforestation contributes to soil depletion. 23. What contaminants can promote the accelerated eutrophication of a body of water? 24. What unit is used to measure a population's ecological footprint and what does it mean? SOFAD 9

10 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT 25. During a highway accident, some sulphuric acid was spilled in the location shown by a star on the map below. Blue Lake Yellow River Green River Black River White River Indicate the body of water or bodies of water that will be affected by this spill. 10 SOFAD

11 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 B. Evaluation Sequence: Refinery Disaster! Goal To apply problem-solving skills and knowledge of ecology and the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, in order to assess sources of contamination following an explosion at an oil refinery You are woken by the telephone ringing in the middle of the night. You are informed that there has been an explosion at an oil refinery in your region. Fortunately, no one has been injured. However, officials are concerned about the risk of an environmental disaster, particularly since the site is very close to a major river. You have been called to the site to prepare an environmental emergency response plan. Your task You will prepare an environmental emergency response plan following the refinery explosion. To this end, you will: identify the contaminants that could affect the soil, water and air; detail the possible impacts of these contaminants on the environment and human health; suggest actions that will make it possible to reduce the impact of the disaster on the environment and the population. Identification of contaminants /15 points On your way to the refinery site, you find out that the explosion occurred in the area where the refined petroleum is stored. The explosion has severely damaged a refined petroleum storage tank and a propane pipeline. A fire has been raging ever since, and a thick plume of smoke is rising from the site. Here is a list of contaminants. 1. Aerosols 2. Hydrocarbons 3. Persistent organic products 4. Furans 5. Nitrous and sulphur oxides 6. Carbon dioxide 7. Organochlorinated compounds 8. Heavy metals Which of these contaminants are likely to affect the following environmental components in the wake of the disaster? a) The lithosphere: b) The hydrosphere: c) The atmosphere: SOFAD 11

12 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT The impacts of contamination /30 points All these contaminants can have deleterious effects. They affect animals and humans the same way. a) Explain how the previously identified water and soil contaminants can be harmful for the health of animals and humans. b) Air contaminants have an effect similar to smog. Explain how smog represents a threat for humans. The map below shows a plan of the refinery and the surrounding area. The main agglomerations are shown on the map, along with watercourses. N City C V City D River City A Refinery City B c) On the map, draw the trajectory in the soil, air and water that certain contaminants could follow from the site of the explosion. 12 SOFAD

13 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 d) Explain your reasoning for the spread of the contaminants you just illustrated on the map. The emergency response plan /30 points Now that you have all the relevant information, you can draft an environmental emergency response plan. a) What are the three steps you must take immediately at the refinery site to put out the fire and limit the environmental impact of the disaster? b) While the fire is raging, what priority action should be taken immediately in order to protect the people living near the refinery? SOFAD 13

14 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT c) Once the fire has been brought under control, what are the two main actions to be taken to minimize the environmental impact of the catastrophe? Do you have any other recommendations to make? 14 SOFAD

15 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 Review of competencies What is a competency? A competency is defined as the development of a set of skills, knowledge, perceptions and attitudes needed to be able to effectively deal with relatively complex situations. In this course, you will develop three types of competencies that you will be able to apply not only in this subject, but also in other academic subjects as well as in your everyday life. They are: Seeks answers or solutions to scientific or technical problems Makes the most of his/her knowledge of science and technology Communicates using the languages of science and technology The third competency is not evaluated separately, but as part of the other two competencies. With regard to learning sequences 1 and 2, which you have completed, indicate whether you were able to develop the following key features of the competencies. Activity Competency Key features developed Yes No In part 1.1 My Ecological Footprint Makes the most of his/her knowledge I learned about the assignment to be done in this activity. I gave a definition for an individual's ecological footprint and described a way to measure it. I gave my opinion on the possibility of evaluating a community's ecological footprint. I identified the links between an individual's footprint and a community's footprint. I described and ranked actions that can have an impact on the ecological footprint. I drafted an action plan to reduce my ecological footprint. SOFAD 15

16 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT Activity Competency Key features developed Yes No In part 1.4 Remediation of Contaminated Land Seeks answers or solutions I learned about the assignment to be done in this activity. I identified the soil contaminants that needed to be removed. I ruled out the company whose soil remediation method was not suitable. I recognized the advantages and drawbacks of the proposed soil remediation methods. I selected the remediation project with the best ecological footprint. I showed that the selected soil remediation method was suitable for the remediation project at hand. 16 SOFAD

17 SCORED ACTIVITY 1 Activity Competency Key features developed Yes No In part 2.3 Cyanobacteria Makes the most of his/her knowledge I learned about the assignment to be done in this activity. I described how human activities can disrupt the phosphorus cycle. I identified household products containing phosphates. I identified the contaminants that can contribute to accelerating the eutrophication of a lake. I applied the concept of drainage basin to explain the leaching of soil contaminants into watercourses. I identified the potential sources of contamination of the lake and proposed solutions for reducing the contamination. SOFAD 17

18 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT Activity Competency Key features developed Yes No In part 2.4 Smog Seeks answers or solutions I learned about the assignment to be done in this activity. I determined the different sources of atmospheric contamination and the associated contaminants. I described what smog is and I identified the causes. I described how the prevailing winds influence the movement of atmospheric contaminants. I explained how regulations pertaining to wood stoves could help to improve the air quality in cities. 18 SOFAD

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20 TSC WASTE MANAGEMENT Student's questions or comments Tutor's remarks September 2013