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Published byClifton Eric Banks Modified over 8 years ago
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Monitoring Water Quality
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Water quality is determined by its use. Governments set the guidelines for water quality based on the following 5 categories: 1. Human drinking water (potable) 2. Recreation (swimming etc.) 3. Livestock drinking water 4. Irrigation 5. Protection of Aquatic Life
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Biological Indicators The number and type of organisms found in water can indicate the health of an aquatic ecosystem Microbiological Indicators Presence of bacteria / protozoans in large numbers may cause illness / death in people who use the water
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Aquatic Invertebrates The type and number of invertebrates indicates the level of pollution in water A pond with few insects and many worms has little oxygen Below pH 5 = no fish Invertebrates are animals without backbones
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The diversity of all organisms decreases as acidity increases and dissolved oxygen decreases.
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Chemical Indicators The concentration of organic and inorganic compounds Has an impact on the water quality Indicators of Water Quality - dissolved Oxygen - acidity - plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus - pesticides - heavy metals - salts such as sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate
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Measuring Chemicals in the Environment Parts Per Million Measuring the concentration of chemicals in the environment (ppm) or milligrams per litre (mg/L) One part per million means that one unit of an element or chemical can be found in one million units of solution
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Monitoring Water Quality Parts per million One drop of food coloring in a half-full bathtub 32 seconds in a year! Parts per billion One drop of food coloring in a swimming pool One hamburger in a chain of hamburgers circling the Earth 2.5 times (on their side!) Parts per trillion One second in _________ years One 20cm jump on a trip to the sun 100,000
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