Water Quality & Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CEP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Water Quality & Management flashcards as text
Which international agreement provides a framework for shared management of transboundary water resources between the U.S. and Canada?
Answer: Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909
The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 established the International Joint Commission (IJC) to manage boundary waters and resolve disputes between the U.S. and Canada.
What is the primary environmental concern with chlorination disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water?
Answer: They may be carcinogenic and are regulated under the Disinfectants and DBP Rules
DBPs such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids form when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter and are regulated due to potential carcinogenic and reproductive health risks.
In watershed planning, what is the purpose of a Source Water Protection Plan?
Answer: To identify and protect areas that contribute water to public drinking water supplies from contamination
Source water protection plans identify potential contamination threats to surface water intakes and wellheads and establish management strategies to prevent contamination before it reaches the supply.
Which water reuse category presents the greatest public health risk and requires the highest level of treatment?
Answer: Direct potable reuse in drinking water systems
Direct potable reuse—introducing highly treated recycled water directly into a drinking water distribution system or treatment plant intake—requires advanced treatment and rigorous monitoring due to direct human consumption.
What monitoring approach uses biological communities (macroinvertebrates, fish, algae) to assess overall ecological health of water bodies?
Answer: Bioassessment or biological monitoring
Bioassessment uses the composition and condition of biological communities as indicators of cumulative ecological health, capturing impacts that episodic chemical monitoring may miss.
Under the Clean Water Act, what is the 'antidegradation policy' designed to protect?
Answer: Existing uses and high-quality waters from being degraded below current conditions
Antidegradation policy requires that existing uses be protected and maintained, and that high-quality waters not be lowered in quality unless economically and socially justified.
Which planning tool integrates water quality, quantity, and land use data to identify priority areas for conservation in a watershed?
Answer: Watershed Management Plan
A Watershed Management Plan synthesizes hydrologic, water quality, land use, and ecological data to prioritize and coordinate management actions across an entire watershed.