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Sediments in Your Water?

Experts believe that contaminated sediments are a widespread and serious problem. Areas of concern are found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes, and along inland waterways.

 What are Sediments?

Sediment is the loose sand, clay, silt and other soil particles that settle at the bottom of a body of water. Sediment can come from soil erosion or from the decomposition of plants and animals. Wind, water and ice help carry these particles to rivers, lakes and streams.

  • The Environmental Protection Agency lists sediment as the most common pollutant in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs.
  • While natural erosion produces nearly 30 percent of the total sediment in the United States, accelerated erosion from human use of land accounts for the remaining 70 percent.
  • The most concentrated sediment releases come from construction activities, including relatively minor home-building projects such as room additions and swimming pools.
  • Sediment pollution causes $16 billion in environmental damage annually.

What's the problem?

Sediment entering storm water degrades the quality of water for drinking, wildlife and the land surrounding streams in the following ways:

  • Sediment fills up storm drains and catch basins to carry water away from roads and homes, which increases the potential for flooding.
  • Water polluted with sediment becomes cloudy, preventing animals from seeing food.
  • Murky water prevents natural vegetation from growing in water.\
  • Sediment in stream beds disrupts the natural food chain by destroying the habitat where the smallest stream organisms live and causing massive declines in fish populations.
  • Sediment increases the cost of treating drinking water and can result in odor and taste problems.
  • Sediment can clog fish gills, reducing resistance to disease, lowering growth rates, and affecting fish egg and larvae development.
  • Nutrients transported by sediment can activate blue-green algae that release toxins and can make swimmers sick.
  • Sediment deposits in rivers can alter the flow of water and reduce water depth, which makes navigation and recreational use more difficult.


What species are affected?

Contaminated sediments affect small creatures such as worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae that inhabit the bottom of a water body in what is known as the benthic environment. Some kinds of toxic sediments kill benthic organisms, reducing the food available to larger animals such as fish.

Some contaminants in the sediment are taken up by benthic organisms in a process called bioaccumulation. When larger animals feed on these contaminated organisms, the toxins are taken into their bodies, moving up the food chain in increasing concentrations in a process known as biomagnification. As a result, fish and shellfish, waterfowl, and freshwater and marine mammals, as well as benthic organisms, are affected by contaminated sediments.

Species that cannot tolerate the toxic contaminants found in some sediments simply die, reducing the variety of organisms, also known as biodiversity, in the affected environment. Animals that survive exposure to contaminated sediments may develop serious health problems, including fin rot, tumors, and reproductive effects.

Possible long-term effects of eating contaminated fish include cancer and neurological defects.


Are these contaminants a threat to human health?

Single Sediment Filter w/Housing
Sediment-Bacteria-Iron-Chlorine-VOCs Double Filter w/Housing
Sediment Filter

When contaminants bioaccumulate in trout, salmon, ducks, and other food sources, they pose a threat to human health. In 1998, fish consumption advisories were issued for more than 2,506 bodies of water in the United States. Possible long-term effects of eating contaminated fish include cancer and neurological defects.

Contaminated sediments do not always remain at the bottom of a water body. Anything that stirs up the water, such as a storm or a boat's propeller, can re-suspend some sediments. Re-suspension may mean that all of the animals in the water, and not just the bottom-dwelling organisms, will be directly exposed to toxic contaminants.

Every year, approximately 300 million cubic yards of sediment are dredged to deepen harbors and clear shipping lanes in the United States. Roughly 3 - 12 million cubic yards of these sediments are so contaminated they require special, and sometimes costly, handling. If dredging to improve navigation cannot be conducted because sediments are contaminated, the volume of shipping on these waterways will decline.

No single government agency is completely responsible for addressing the problem of contaminated sediments. A variety of laws give federal, state, and tribal agencies authority to address sediment quality issues. Private industry and the public also have roles to play in contaminated sediment prevention. Increasing public awareness of the problem is crucial to developing an effective solution.


Filtering ut Sediments




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