Topic 2

Water Quality
Causal factors & Urban Impact

Fish Elec 2: Chemical Evaluation of Waters

Michael Skeete
What is Water Quality?
 Water Quality is
• The condition of water for a purpose1
– Drinking
– Agriculture
– Etc.
• According to certain characteristics1
– Physical
– Chemical
– Biological

1. http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/scisummaries/wqfaq.pdf
Will this Reduce the Water Quality?

Maybe?
YES!
 Water Quality Standards
• Standards (WQS) are what the Water Quality test
results are compared to2
• Different purposes have different standards:
– WRMA Ambient (Environmental) WQS
– WASCO Drinking WQS
– Hotel Industry Recreational WQS

2. http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/rev.cfm
What affects Water Quality?

• Humans
– Industry
– Agriculture
– Hygiene
• Climate
• Weather
• Other Life Forms
 Testing Water Quality
Physical Parameters3
• Temperature
• Total Suspended Solids
• Turbidity
• Odour
• Taste
• Flow (in the case of rivers)

3. Davis et al.(2005)
How to test
Physical Parameters
• Temperature
– Testing the temperature is always done in situ using
analogue or digital thermometer
• Odour
– Should be done in situ or within 5 mins. of sample
collection
• Taste
– Do this at your own risk
– Often done at treatment plants
 How to test
Physical Parameters
• Total Suspended Solids
– Water is filtered, then the residue is dried and
weighed then compared to the original sample
• Turbidity4
– Is measured by the amount of light that is
scattered by the sample

4. http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ent/gallery/pop4/
Turbidity_MWRA.pdf
 How to test
Physical Parameters
• Flow Gauging:
– The river is sectioned off
and flow is measured at
each section using an
impeller. The readings for
each section are then
added together to
produce a reading for the
whole river section
How to test
Physical Parameters
Units
Parameter Unit
Temperature °C – Degrees Celsius
Total Suspended Solids Ppm – Parts per million
Turbidity NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Units
Odour Subjective but useful description
Taste Subjective but useful description
Flow Gauging m3/s – Meters Cubed per Second
 Testing Water Quality
Chemical Parameters3
• pH • Industrial Wastes
• Specific Conductance • Alkalinity
• Nutrients • Pharmaceuticals
– Nitrates • Surfactants
– Phosphates • Oxygen
• Heavy Metals • Etc……..
• Pesticides
• Herbicides

3. Davis et al.(2005)
 How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Potential Hydrogen (pH): Tested using Reagents or
Calibrated Electronic Meters (CEM)5

𝑝𝐻=𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ¿

5. http://www.all-about-ph.com/what-does-ph-stand-for.html
 How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Specific Conductance
– Is a measure of the salinity of
the water, the more ions in the
water the more conductive it is
– This is usually measured using a
CEM in the field
 How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Nutrients: Tested for in a Spectrophotometer
– Nitrates
– Phosphates
• Samples of water are taken back to a lab (or mobile lab)
where specific volumes of the sample reacts with a
measured amount of reagent and the change between
the original samples light scattering capacity and the
regent mixed sample gives the concentration of nutrients
 How a Spectrophotometer Works6

6. http://lsteam.org/
How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
– DO Meter measures the oxygen by how much it
dilutes the charge (electricity Negative change,
oxygen does not)
How to test
Chemical Parameters
Units
Parameter Unit
pH The pH Scale (no Unit)
Specific Conductance μS/cm – Microsiemens per Centimetre
Nitrates & Phosphates mg/l – Milligrams per litre
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ppm – Parts per million
Most Chemical Constituents Mass per volume of water
 Testing Water Quality
Biological Parameters3
• bio-indicators
– These are large insects and animals that live in the
water body, if they are present then the water
must be of a certain quality

• Bacterial Life (health concerns)

3. Davis et al.(2005)
 Testing Water Quality
Biological Parameters
• Bio-Indicators7
– Stratified locations of fish could mean
• A Thermocline layer (temperature boundary)
• A Hypoxic layer (Oxygen boundary)
• A Eutrophication layer (Nutrient boundary)
– No presence of previously present animals
• Water quality has dropped and either moved the animals away or killed them off

NB: These are all indicators, they do not produce numbers but they show the water has
changed and can provide clues to the problems

7. Barbour, M.T et al (1999)

8. Holt, E. A. & Miller, S. W. (2011
Testing Water Quality
Biological Parameters
• Bacterial life
1. A sample is taken
2. Kept cool and away from exterior contamination
3. Brought back to the lab ASAP
4. Sample is shaken to allow for minimum settling
5. Sample is added to agar plate (pour or scrape)
6. Plate is incubated for 24 to 48 hours
7. Count the colonies of bacteria
 Urban Contribution9

• Runoff contributions due to impervious surfaces:

9. http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap3.asp
 Urban Impacts9
• Riverbank/bed erosion
• Increased siltation
• Aesthetic degradation
• Disruption of aquatic life
• Harm to coastal environments (Coral etc.)
– Fisheries
– Tourism
• Increased water temperature
• Human health

9. http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap3.asp
 Thank You

Any Questions?
References
1. NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. (2009). Water Quality: Frequently Asked
Questions. <http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/scisummaries/wqfaq.pdf>
2. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (nd). Water Quality Standards Review and Revision.
Available at: United States EPA Website. <http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/rev.cfm>
(updated October 2012, accessed 20 th November 2013).
3. DAVIS, ALLEN P., MCCUEN, RICHARD H. (2005). Stormwater Management for Smart Growth. Maryland:
Springer.
4. HARVARD ENT GALLARY. (nd). Turbidity Test 7. Available at: Harvard ENT learnweb website
<http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ent/gallery/pop4/Turbidity_MWRA.pdf> (Accessed 20th October 2013)
5. ALL ABOUT PH. (nd). What does pH stand for and calculating pH. Available at All About pH Website
<http://www.all-about-ph.com/what-does-ph-stand-for.html> (Accessed 20 th October 2013)
6. LEARNING SOLUTIONS NC COMMUNITY COLLEGES. (2013). How does a spectrophotometer work. Available
at Learning Solutions website <http://lsteam.org/projects/videos/how-does-spectrophotometer-work>
(Accessed 20th October 2013)
7. Barbour, M.T., J. Gerritsen, B.D. Snyder, and J.B. Stribling (1999). Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in
Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Periphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. 2nd Edition. EPA 841-B-99-
002. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water; Washington, D.C.
8. Holt, E. A. & Miller, S. W. (2011) Bioindicators: Using Organisms to Measure Environmental Impacts. Nature
Education Knowledge 3(10):8
9. NATURAL RESOURCE DEFENCE COUNCIL (nd). Stormwater Strategies , Community Responses to Runoff
Pollution. Available at NRDC Website. <http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap3.asp> (Accessed
3rd March 2015).