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    What Is Turbidity?: Frequently Asked Questions: Turbidity in Surface Waters

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    mohammad zulfikar raffee
    Turbidity refers to water clarity and is caused by suspended particles in water. It is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Natural sources of turbidity include sediment, dead plant material, and phytoplankton, while human activities like development and construction can also increase turbidity levels. Alaska law regulates turbidity, prohibiting human-caused increases above 5 NTU in most waters. High turbidity can negatively impact fish, humans, and water quality by reducing visibility, increasing water temperatures, and spreading contaminants. Managing turbidity sources through best practices can help improve water clarity.

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    What Is Turbidity?: Frequently Asked Questions: Turbidity in Surface Waters

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    mohammad zulfikar raffee
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    Turbidity refers to water clarity and is caused by suspended particles in water. It is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Natural sources of turbidity include sediment, dead plant material, and phytoplankton, while human activities like development and construction can also increase turbidity levels. Alaska law regulates turbidity, prohibiting human-caused increases above 5 NTU in most waters. High turbidity can negatively impact fish, humans, and water quality by reducing visibility, increasing water temperatures, and spreading contaminants. Managing turbidity sources through best practices can help improve water clarity.

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    Attachment f Faq Turbidity in Surface Waters 110813

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    Turbidity refers to water clarity and is caused by suspended particles in water. It is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Natural sources of turbidity include sediment, dead plant material, and phytoplankton, while human activities like development and construction can also increase turbidity levels. Alaska law regulates turbidity, prohibiting human-caused increases above 5 NTU in most waters. High turbidity can negatively impact fish, humans, and water quality by reducing visibility, increasing water temperatures, and spreading contaminants. Managing turbidity sources through best practices can help improve water clarity.

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    34 views2 pages

    What Is Turbidity?: Frequently Asked Questions: Turbidity in Surface Waters

    Uploaded by

    mohammad zulfikar raffee
    Turbidity refers to water clarity and is caused by suspended particles in water. It is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Natural sources of turbidity include sediment, dead plant material, and phytoplankton, while human activities like development and construction can also increase turbidity levels. Alaska law regulates turbidity, prohibiting human-caused increases above 5 NTU in most waters. High turbidity can negatively impact fish, humans, and water quality by reducing visibility, increasing water temperatures, and spreading contaminants. Managing turbidity sources through best practices can help improve water clarity.

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    ALASKA WATER QUALITY STANDARDS

    Frequently Asked Questions: Turbidity in Surface Waters

    What is Turbidity?
    Turbidity is a measure of water clarity in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Turbidity describes the
    amount of light scattered or blocked by suspended particles in a water sample. Clear water has low
    turbidity and cloudy or murky water has a higher turbidity level. Turbidity is caused by particles of soil,
    organic matter, metals, or similar matter suspended in the water column.

    How Do We Measure Turbidity?


    Turbidity is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The nephelometric method
    compares how light is scattered in a water sample against the amount of light scattered in a reference
    solution. An electronic hand-held meter is often used to measure turbidity. Measurements can also be
    conducted by use of a Secchi disc or similar instrument.

    What are the Sources of Turbidity?


    Watersheds may have diverse physical landscape features that can affect the amount of suspended
    material in the water that can then cause the water to be cloudy or turbid. Natural sources of material
    include sediment from the weathering of rocks (e.g., glacial outwash), dead plant material, and
    phytoplankton. Human-caused sources include substances in stormwater from urban areas (e.g. roads,
    parking lots), upland industrial activities, construction and land clearing, and activities occurring directly
    in water bodies such as power boat use and vehicle use. Turbidity may vary over time, seasonally or on a
    geographic basis depending on differences in precipitation, gradient (slope), geology, flow, and
    disturbances such as landslides.

    What are the Effects of Turbidity on Fish?


    Organisms, including fish, are generally
    adapted to the levels of turbidity naturally
    found in the specific water body they inhabit.
    While some turbidity is natural and not
    dangerous to fish (e.g., glacially influenced
    streams), studies in Alaska1 have
    demonstrated that when relatively low levels
    (0-5 NTU) of turbidity are present in naturally
    low turbidity streams, the unnatural increases
    can interfere with fishes’ ability to find food
    and to avoid predators. Algae, a primary
    source of food for certain fish and macro-
    invertebrates, are affected because turbidity
    reduces its growth rate due to decreases in
    light availability for photosynthesis. Turbidity
    also increases water temperature because suspended particles absorb heat. Higher temperatures can
    result in lower dissolved oxygen in the water, and can cause physical stress in fish and decreased egg

    1
    Lloyd, Denby, J. Koenings, J. LaPerrire (1987) Effects of Turbidity in Fresh Waters of Alaska. Journal of Fisheries Management.
    7:18-13

    Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation  410 Willoughby Ave, Suite 303, Juneau, AK 99811
     www.dec.alaska.gov  Available in alternative formats. November 8, 2013
    ALASKA WATER QUALITY STANDARDS

    Frequently Asked Questions: Turbidity in Surface Waters

    survival rates. Excessive sediment found in highly turbid waters can clog the gills of fish and bury bottom
    dwelling creatures and fish eggs if it settles to the bottom.

    What are the Effects of Turbidity on Humans?


    Particles in turbid waters can carry disease-causing pathogens or toxic pollutants. High turbidity in
    drinking water can shield bacteria or other organisms so that chlorine treatment at water treatment
    plants cannot disinfect the water as effectively. Some pathogens found in water with high turbidity can
    cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, and headaches. Particles can also absorb toxic pollutants that
    may come from urban and industrial discharges and stormwater runoff. Many common contaminants
    that increase turbidity can also change the taste and odors of the water. Water that has high turbidity
    may cause staining or even clog pipes over time. It may also foul laundry and interfere with the proper
    function of dishwaters, hot water heaters, showerheads, etc.

    How do we Regulate Turbidity?


    Turbidity is addressed in Alaska’s Water Quality Standards regulations at 18 AAC 70.020. The regulation
    states that human-caused turbidity may not exceed 5 NTU above natural conditions when the natural
    turbidity is 50 NTU or less, and may not result in more than a 10% increase in turbidity when the natural
    turbidity is more than 50 NTU, not to exceed a maximum increase of 15 NTU. Turbidity may not exceed
    5 NTU above natural turbidity for all lake waters. This is the most stringent of the applicable criteria.

    What Can We Do to Lower Human-caused Turbidity?


    The best approach to managing turbidity is to address its source. This includes reducing stormwater
    run-off from roads, parking lots, and upland industrial activities; restoring eroding stream and lake
    shorelines; and applying industry-specific best management practices (BMPs). BMPs are activities that
    help minimize the effects of a particular activity upon the environment. Examples include use of settling
    ponds, re-vegetating steep slopes, maintaining a minimum
    of 25 feet of vegetation around streams, lakes, and other
    Source: Queensland Gov’t. Wetland Info
    waterbodies, and maintaining all drainage systems.

    Waters with unnaturally Waters with natural


    high levels of turbidity levels of turbidity

    Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation  410 Willoughby Ave, Suite 303, Juneau, AK 99811
     www.dec.alaska.gov  Available in alternative formats. November 8, 2013

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