1. Water Quality Testing
Unit 1: The hydrosphere

2. Why is it important to test water quality?
Our bodies are 70-80% water
Diverse use and increased demand of available freshwater
Pollution directly usurps the water cycle
Where does this pollution come from?
Impacts the diversity of aquatic life – why is this important?
Recreational use as well
Food chain

3. Today’s Water Quality Tests
Turbidity pH
Dissolved oxygen
Nitrate
Phosphate

4. Points of Reference White Perch Drinking Water Turbidity – <50 NTU
pH –
DO – >5 mg/L
Nitrate – mg/L
Phosphate - <0.1 mg/L
Turbidity - <0.5 NTU
pH –
Nitrate – <10 mg/L
Phosphate - <0.1
mg/L

5. Turbidity
Cloudiness of the water, caused by suspended (in the water column) sediments
Caused by disturbed/eroded sediment AND microorganisms
Blocks sunlight from reaching Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
Shallow water test with a turbidity “target” measured in JTU (approx. equivalent to NTU)
Trying to match the “fuzziness” of the targets (shake before testing)
Shake the water once you get back inside; collect from middle of water column!

6. pH What is the pH of “normal” water?
An indication of a sample’s “acidity”
Logarithmic scale
Wide-range pH kit
Will probably take pH strips to Goose Creek
As data is collected, a more narrow-range kit can be substituted
Why would we want to do this?

7. Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Necessary for aquatic organisms to live (respiration)
Comes from atmosphere and aquatic photosynthetic organisms
Dispersal rate is related to the movement of the water
The warmer the water, the lower the potential DO level
Winkler methods – “fixing the sample”
Producing iodine in direct proportion to DO

8. Nitrate and Phosphate
Enter from human/animal waste, decomposing matter, and fertilizer runoff
Eutrophication – adding of nutrients to increase plant growth
Is this always good?
Color matching tests

9. Outside/Inside As a class, we will have three sites
Upstream = 3
Middle = 2
Downstream = 1
Each group should take a temperature at each data site and make observations about where they collect the water from
In your plastic Erlenmeyer flaks, collect a sample of water at each site.
Where in the water column should we collect from?
When we return inside, each group will run their respective water quality tests and enter their data on the class data sheet

10. Testing Groups – Period 2
Turbidity – Vaughn, Max, Bradley, Jimmy
pH 1 – Noah, Stephen, Josh, Isaiah T.
pH 2 – Ethan, Ceci, Ashley, Alex T.
Dissolved Oxygen – Kristen, Isaiah S., Teresa, Sarah
Nitrate 1 – Ryan, Alex O., Arefa
Nitrate 2 – Freddy, Bryanna, Zohair
Phosphate – Tyler, John, McKenna

11. Testing Groups – Period 4
Turbidity – DJ, Jordan, Armeen, Daemon
pH 1 – Alex, Adnan, Daniel, Nick
pH 2 – Emily, Nina, Abel, Rachel
Dissolved Oxygen – Amy, Phoebe, Carlos, Christine, David
Nitrate 1 – Isaiah, Zaid, Blerta, Imad
Nitrate 2 – Brady, Sam, Marc, Neshanti
Phosphate – Veronica, Nader, Lauren, Mitch

12. Testing Groups – Period 6
Turbidity – Yaquob, Seena, Ayoub
pH 1 – Anthony, Ryan
pH 2 – Cameron, Isa, Nick
Dissolved Oxygen – Michael, Lindsey, Caitlin
Nitrate 1 – John, Elmer, Josh
Nitrate 2 – Rae, Emily, Louis
Phosphate – Angel, James, EJ