Engineering Measurements of Particles Volumetric measure Units: mL/L Settleable solids 30 minutes settling in Imhoff cone Large particles
Gravimetric measures Total solids mass concentration = mass per volume of suspension mg/L = ppm by mass (approx) Total solids Mass of everything except the water Evaporate the water off; weigh the residual
Total suspended solids (TSS) Filter sample 0.45 to 1 m glass fiber filter Dry at 105C Tchobanoglous and Schroeder, Water Quality
Tchobanoglous and Schroeder, Water Quality
Total dissolved solids (TDS) What gets through the filter TS = TSS + TDS Not truly dissolved -- includes colloids TSS caught on filter TDS passes through
Light scattering Turbidity Color Turbidity Light scattering at 90 degree angle Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) Color Turbidity Photocell
Secchi disk clarity Assesses light penetration in water Drop a standard disk into water until it disappears Reported as “feet” (e.g., Lake Tahoe exhibits about 65 ft of clarity)
Many constituent-specific methods Chemical Measures Units for dissolved constituents Molar concentration = moles per unit volume Mass concentrations = mg/L or g/L Units for particles Mass concentrations = mg/L Many constituent-specific methods Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater EPA Methods
Inorganic vs. Organic Volatile Solids (VS) Burn off organics at 550C VS = TS - FS Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) Same thing except we burn the filter VSS = TSS – FSS Organics burn off (volatilize) Fixed (inorganic) solids remain
Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Chemically oxidize organics to CO2 Infrared detector reads the CO2 Works for: Dissolved Small particles CO2 detector Sample Oxidizers (ozone, UV light, hydrogen peroxide, etc.
Electroconductivity Conductivity of solution is proportional to the number of ions Correlates with TDS EC TDS