Chemicals in Water Tests Manitou Spring Water And Fountain Creek

Ammonia Nitrogen Used in fertilizers. All plants need ammonia as a source of nitrogen. Humans add it to crops and gardens. In excess, it can cause blood anemia.

pH - Measurement of Acidity pH Scale __________________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1-6 Acids 7 Neutral 8-12 Bases

pH affect on Water Organisms Acidic water can kill fish eggs. pH 5.0 Most fish can tolerate a pH of 5.0 to 9.0 in lakes and river water. Acidity can leach heavy metals into the water or out of pipes. Rainwater is slightly acidic. pH 6

pH – Exponential Scale The pH scale is exponential. Each number away from neutral 7 increases the acidity or alkalinity by 10 times. For example: a pH of 3 (like vinegar) is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 4, 100 times more acidic than a pH of 5, 1000 times more acidic than a pH of 6 and 10,000 times more acidic than a pH of 7.

pH alkalinity Many western soils are alkaline with a pH of around 8 – 9. When rivers or springs run through alkaline soil, they also become alkaline. Bases feel slippery and taste bitter, while acids taste sour.

Chlorine (element # 17) Chlorine is a halogen. (That means it has seven valence electrons and will combine very quickly with other chemicals.) People add chlorine to city water supplies to kill bacteria. Chlorine has saved thousands of lives by destroying bacteria that cause diseases like cholera. It evaporates out of the water supply after a short time.

Chromium (element # 24) Chromium is a metal and is usually found in mineral form. Chromium is needed by the human body in trace amounts to help metabolize fats, lipids, and carbohydrates. Some people take chromium supplements. There have not been any health affects found for too much chromium in the human body. The EPA has not established upper guidelines.

Copper (Element #29) Copper as a mineral is essential to human health. Copper helps the body metabolize iron, which is part of blood. People get the small doses of copper needed from a good diet. Excess copper can result in liver, kidney and neurological disorders. Too little copper can result in abnormal heartbeat, bone and immune system disorders.

Cyanide – A dangerous organic molecule (Organic = carbon compounds) Cyanide is formed when a triple bond forms between carbon and nitrogen. C = N Cyanide is used to process gold and recover gold from the ore. Cyanide poisoning harms the brain and heart and may cause coma or death. If any cyanide was found in water supplies, the water cannot be used by humans.

Iron (Element # 26) Iron is the center of the hemoglobin molecule and in making muscles. It is essential to animals. Iron is found in meats, fish and poultry. Iron deficiency results in fatigue, weakness, headaches and anemia in severe cases. Iron is only toxic to people who have a genetic deficiency. Your body will just excrete extra Fe.

Nitrate Nitrogen Nitrogen (element #7) is one of the most abundant elements. 78% of the atmosphere is N. Nitrogen cannot be used by plants in the atmospheric form N2. It can only be used by plants as ammonia or nitrate.

Nitrate Nitrogen Humans fertilize plants – lawns, trees, crops – with nitrate nitrogen. Excess run off from fertilizer causes excesses in water. Excess nitrate nitrogen can also be put into water by faulty waste water treatment plants.

Nitrate Nitrogen Too much nitrate nitrogen in the water can have serious health hazards for aquatic organisms and for humans. Fish can develop brown blood disease. Algae can over reproduce. When they die, they cause oxygen depletion. Algae blooms cause many fish kills. Nitrates cause anemia in humans. The red blood cells cannot carry oxygen.

Phosphorous (Element # 15) Phosphorous is needed by plants and animals for energy production. It is part of the ATP molecule that is used by mitochondria to get the energy from food. Phosphates are a part of fertilizer that humans put on plants, such as lawns, trees, and crops.

Phosphorous cont. Too much phosphorous can cause algae blooms, excess growth and reproduction by algae. When the algae dies, it uses oxygen to decompose. Too little oxygen causes fish kills. Detergents have quit using phosphorous. Waste water treatment plants try very hard to remove phosphorous.

Silica (Element # 14) Silica is a natural part of sand. Silicon dioxide is melted to form glass. Silica is not needed by animals or most plants. It does not harm nor help living organisms. Interesting fact: Native Americans used horsetail reeds as scrub brushes, because this plant contains much silica. Diatoms (used in toothpaste) use silica in forming their “shells.”

Sulfide – usually found in water as Hydrogen Sulfide Hydrogen Sulfide in water does not really pose a health threat but does give water a strange “rotten egg” smell and taste. Naturally occurring sulfur bacteria use the sulfur in plants as a food source when the plant dies. During this process, hydrogen sulfide is produced. Chlorine quickly reacts with H2S. A yellow precipitant of sulfur will fall out of the solution.

Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved Oxygen is critical in a water supply for the fish and macroinvertebrates to be able to breath. The colder the water, the more dissolved oxygen can stay in solution. (Remember the gas solubility chart.)

Dissolved Oxygen Cont. Dissolved Oxygen gets into water as a waste product of photosynthesis, rapid motion of the water, or from being in contact with the air. If DO levels drop below 5 ppm, it starts to stress aquatic life. At 1-2 ppm, major fish kills occur. If DO levels reach too high, fish can develop gas bubble disease, where oxygen accumulates in bubbles beneath the skin.

Biological Oxygen Demand BOD determines how fast little organisms in the water use up Dissolved Oxygen. Sample is wrapped in foil and left for 5 days. Another DO test will determine if oxygen has been used by water organisms.

Nitrate in parts per million ppm This is a duplicate test to determine if there are any nitrates in the water sample. Nitrates are used in fertilizers to help plants grow. Too much nitrate will cause anemia in humans.

Phosphates can cause Eutrophication – Algae Bloom

Phosphates Phosphates are added to fertilizers to help plants grow. Too much phosphate in water supplies can result in an algae bloom. When algae die, the decomposition depletes oxygen supplies. Phosphate is used in energy production, ATP, in the mitochondria of cells.

Phosphates continued Too much phosphate can cause human digestive problems in very large doses. Phosphates occur naturally in many western soils. Phosphate is mined in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Total Dissolved Solids Includes dissolved salts such as calcium, chloride, iron, phosphates, nitrates, bicarbonates, and chlorine. Can come from farm, municipal (city), and industrial run off.

Total Solids Includes all solid particles such as silt and plankton, as well as dissolved solids. TS is especially a problem in farming communities where soil is eroded from farm lands and ends up in rivers. Industrial wastes may also contribute to particulate matter.

Total Solids in River

Fecal Coliforms – Bacteria From Feces from Animals & Humans.

Cities treat water with Chlorine to kill these bacteria. Fecal Coliform Bacteria in our lower digestive systems help us digest food. Many diseases are passed through fecal bacteria including typhoid fever, dysentery, and Hepatitis A. Cities treat water with Chlorine to kill these bacteria.

You Decide!! Safe Water to Drink? Is the Manitou Spring Water safe for people to drink as it comes out of the spring untreated? Is the water from Fountain Creek safe to drink untreated? You Decide!!