Water Quality Of Ground water and Surface water

Physical Characteristics Color Odor Taste Temperature Turbidity: cloudiness or haziness

Turbidity Measure of the cloudiness of water. Caused by suspended solids –Soil particles and plankton May indicate some health of surface water, but may carry nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants. If too turbid, can block sunlight.

Chemical Characteristics Dissolved Oxygen Alkalinity pH Nitrates/Nitrites Hardness

Testing Chemical properties of water quality are often measured as ppm (parts per million) Ex: ppm=4 –For every million particles (molecules, etc) 4 of them would be of the substance being tested.

Elements Copper-commonly found in drinking water –Levels > 1ppm cause jaundice, pancreatitis, RBC poisoning, and anemia, stains sinks and toilets. Iron-leaches into drinking water –Essential to good health (blood cells) –Levels > 0.3 ppm cause water to taste bitter, stain laundry, fixtures, and hair.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) First limiting factor for growth and aquatic health Solubility decreases with increasing temperature and elevation This is an inverse relationship. Same is true for the carbon dioxide in your pop! In general the minimum DO should be ≥ 60% of saturation or ≥ 5 ppm (mg/L)

Alkalinity Is the buffering capacity of water – ability to resist changes in pH High alkalinity prevents wide pH fluctuations Maintain levels between mg/L as CaCO 3

pH Measure of the acidity

Nitrites and Nitrates Nitrite : NO 2 and Nitrate: NO 3 Naturally can be added to water systems through animal feces or decaying plant matter Humans increase levels through sewage output and use of fertilizers Nitrates >10ppm reduce oxygen available to the fetus in pregnant women causing “blue baby syndrome”

Nitrites and Nitrates EPA sets guidelines for the amount of nitrite and nitrate in drinking water called maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG) Nitrite = 1 mg/L or 1 ppm Nitrate= 10 mg/L or 10 ppm

Hardness Caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals Hard water requires more soap and synthetic detergents for home laundry and washing, and contributes to scaling in boilers and industrial equipment.

Water quality standards 1. Microorganisms 2. Disinfectants 3. Organic Compounds 4. Inorganic Compounds 5. Radionuclides 6. disinfection by-products >>

Top 10 Causes of Outbreaks in Public Water (cdc) (Microorganisms) 1. Giardia1. Giardia (protozoan) 2. Legionella2. Legionella (bacterium) 3. Norovirus3. Norovirus (virus) 4. Shigella4. Shigella (bacterium) 5. Campylobacter5. Campylobacter (bacterium) 6. Copper6. Copper (element) 7. Salmonella7. Salmonella (bacterium) 8. Hepatitis A8. Hepatitis A (virus) 9. Cryptosporidium9. Cryptosporidium (protozoan) 10.E. coli (bacterium), excess fluoride (element) (tie)E. coliexcess fluoride CDC website for other contaminantCDC website for other contaminants >>

Water Treatment Water Treatment Video >>

Water Treatment Process 1. Sedimentation and Flocculation (with coagulants) 2. Filtered 3. Disinfected with chlorines, lime and alum (also corrosion control) 4. Storage and distribution >>

Filtering water when hiking/camping Filters can filter out larger microorganisms. Be mindful of the size when purchasing one. Boiling the water for at least 1 minute (at sea level) or at least 3 minutes (at high altitudes) UV light Disinfection with chlorine or iodine >>

Check for understanding 1. What is added to water in order to get the solid material to aggregate and sink? 2. What type of microorganism is Cryptosporidium? 3. What element is primarily involved in disinfection? 4. Which test indicates the amount of calcium, magnesium, and carbonates in water? >> coagulants protozoan chlorine hardness

Check for understanding 1. What chemical property of water decreases when the temperature increases? 2. A pH of 5 would be what type of water? (acidic, basic) 3. What compounds primarily come from fertilizer runoff? 4. Nitrates over 10ppm can cause what condition in babies? >> Dissolved oxygen acidic Nitrites and nitrates Blue baby syndrome