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Flip to reveal answersIn water pollution management, what is usually the best approach: prevention or cleanup?
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All 10 Flashcards — Water pollution management
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Question
In water pollution management, what is usually the best approach: prevention or cleanup?
Answer
Prevention is usually most effective and lowest-cost, because stopping pollution at source avoids widespread damage.
💡 Hint
Stop it at source.
Question
Water pollution management: what are the three broad approaches?
Answer
Prevention (stop at source), treatment (remove pollutants), and restoration (repair damaged ecosystems).
💡 Hint
Prevent, treat, restore.
Question
What is a riparian buffer zone and how does it reduce pollution?
Answer
A riparian buffer zone is a vegetated strip along a waterway that traps sediment and absorbs nutrients before they reach rivers or lakes.
💡 Hint
Vegetation filter strip.
Question
Give two nutrient-reduction strategies that work at the catchment scale.
Answer
Riparian buffer zones and cover crops (also precision agriculture and constructed wetlands).
💡 Hint
Landscape filters.
Question
Name three strategies to reduce nutrient pollution.
Answer
Examples include precision agriculture, improved wastewater treatment to remove N and P, and constructed wetlands (also buffer zones and cover crops).
💡 Hint
Farm + treatment + wetlands.
Question
Name two policy tools used to reduce water pollution.
Answer
Legislation (pollution limits) and economic tools such as fines/penalties or subsidies (also education).
💡 Hint
Rules + incentives.
Question
Why is prevention often cheaper than cleanup?
Answer
Because once pollutants spread through water bodies and food webs, removal is difficult and ecosystems may take years to recover, so stopping pollution earlier avoids larger costs.
💡 Hint
Hard to remove once spread.
Question
What does the polluter pays principle mean?
Answer
The polluter pays principle means those who cause pollution should cover the costs of preventing, controlling, and repairing environmental damage.
💡 Hint
They pay the costs.
Question
Why is diffuse (non-point) pollution especially challenging to manage?
Answer
Because it comes from many small sources across a landscape, so it needs catchment-wide solutions like land management changes, incentives, and monitoring rather than a single treatment point.
💡 Hint
Needs landscape solutions.
Question
Exam technique for management questions: what earns higher marks than listing?
Answer
Briefly explaining how each strategy reduces pollution and linking it to improved water quality/ecosystem protection earns higher marks than listing strategies only.
💡 Hint
Explain how it works.
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