Three Important Parameters of Water Quality

Important Parameters of Water Quality

As we know it, Acer is vital for our survival on this blue planet. An adequate water supply (quantity) alone would not guarantee our well-being, as water quality would be a serious measure. One of the most comprehensive explanations is whether the water is safe for our body to use (through drinking) and free of harmful diseases that affect our health.

This particular engineering field aims to supply clean and safe water for public use. Clean in physical terms as colorless, odorless, tasteless, with no suspended solids, whereas it is safe from harmful microorganisms, pathogens, dangerous organic or inorganic, and with lesser mineral substances..

Water quality measurements would include the physical, chemical, and biological parameters. [Image via: Extension.usu.Edu]

Physical Parameters

Physical characteristics relate to the quality of water for domestic and are usually associated with the general appearance of the water.

Odor and Taste

It is the most common observation in water quality. The sources would be organic compounds, such as the degradation of organic matter or petroleum, and inorganic compounds, such as minerals, metals, and salts, which give the taste. In addition, certain types of algae, especially blue-green algae, can also impact foul tastes and odours. This would significantly affect our health, for example, gases like chlorine (Cl2) and feeling aesthetic.

pH

pH is a term used to indicate the alkalinity or acidity of a substance as ranked on a scale from 1.0 to 14.0. Normally it is caused by the balance of positive hydrogen ions (H+) and negative hydroxide ions (OH-) in water. The water will become acid if the scale falls below 7 and alkaline if it exceeds 7.

Turbidity

Turbidity measures the amount of particulate matter suspended in water. It is normally measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) or Formazin Turbidity Units (FTU). The sources are organic compounds such as plant fibre, human waste, etc., and inorganic compounds such as clay or sand. In addition to being aesthetic and affecting health, turbidity affects the adsorption point or centre for chemicals and microorganisms.

Temperature

Water temperature affects the ability of water to hold oxygen, the rate of photosynthesis by aquatic plants and the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms. The sources would normally be the effect of weather changes or heat and industrial activities such as cooling systems. The temperature effects would be upon the disturbance of biological activities (aquatic life and micro-organisms) and the chemical properties such as the degree of gas solubility, density and viscosity.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in water:

• Oxygen would be less in cold water, and oxygen content would be more in hot water.
• When the temperature rises, the dissolved oxygen decreases, eventually making the bacteria active…ready to rumble…

Total Suspended Solid

Total suspended solids (TSS) or minerals measure the amount of sediment moving along in a stream. The sources would be organic compounds such as plant fibre, human waste, etc. and inorganic compounds such as clay or sand. Besides feeling aesthetic and effect upon health, the adsorption point or centre for chemicals and micro-organisms would also affected. (It measured in mg/L)

Chemical Parameters

The chemical characterization of drinking water includes identifying its components and concentration. Water treatment plants normally monitor for a variety of inorganic and organic components.

Alkalinity

Alkalinity is a total measure of the substances in water that have an “acid-neutralizing” ability and are not pollutants. In other words, it is the quantity of ions in water that neutralize the acid. The main constituents are bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO32-), and hydroxide (OH—) ions.

Normally, the sources are minerals dissolved in water and air and also human activities such as detergent (in wastewater), fertilizers, pesticides, etc. The effects would cause a non-pleasant taste, and a reaction between an alkaline constituent and a cation (positive ion) would produce precipitation in a pipe.

Hardness

Hardness is defined as a measure of multivalent cations in water, such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, and Mn3+. Ca2+ and Mg2+ are very important and usually present in water. A natural mineral from Earth is the source, and the effects of hardness would be excessive soap usage, precipitate form on hardware and in pipelines, and increased temperature and pH.

Two kinds of hardness:

• Carbonate hardness; Temporary in character, such as Ca(HCO₃)₂ and Mg(HCO₃)_{2; precipitated through heating (boiling).}
• Non-carbonate hardness, such as CaCl2, CaSO4, MgCl2, and MgSO4, is permanent in character and is eliminated through the chemical softness method or ion exchange.

Inorganic Compounds

When placed in water, the inorganic compounds will dissociate into electrically charged atoms referred to as ions and classified as metal or non-metal.

Metal Inorganic Compounds:

1. Non-toxic Metal
   • If the concentration is high, dangerous metals include Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Al³⁺.
   • The source is normally readily available from nature and can affect colour, odour, and turbidity and, at high concentrations, deteriorate health.
2. Toxic Metal
   • Normally it is stored in the food chain, such as As²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cr²⁺, Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺.
   • The source of this is from our own doing, through mining and industries, which will promote dangerous diseases such as cancer, abortion, and deformation of the newborn baby (abnormal).

Non-Metal Inorganic Compounds:

1. The source is from Si4+, Cl-, and NO3-minerals.
2. The effects of non-metal:
   • Diseases which caused blue baby syndrome (with less oxygen supply) due to heavy metal such as NO₂^-.
   • Aesthetic due to Si⁴⁺.
   • Fluoride (F-) is not good for health if taken in high concentration, and excessive amounts will cause teeth colour change and problems in bone growth.

Organic Compounds

All organic compounds contain carbon in combination with one or more elements.

The sources came from:

• Nature includes fibres, vegetables, animal oils and fats, cellulose, starch, and sugar.
• Synthesis of various compounds and materials prepared by manufacturing processes such as polyvinylchloride and DDT.
• Fermentation of alcohols, acetone, glycerol, antibiotics, acids, etc.

The effects would be:

• Depleting the dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water would eventually reduce its percentage and concentration, thus destroying aquatic life and damaging the ecosystems.
• Upon our health where, some organics can cause cancer, which contains Trihalomethane (THM-carcinogenic compound) produced in water and waste-water treatment plants. This occurred due to a natural organic compound combined with chlorine (Cl₂) for disinfection.

Nutrients

It is a crucial element that living things, especially animals and plants, need to live and survive. Important elements are carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Carbon can be easily obtained from carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrogen is an important element in protein, chlorophyll, and biological compounds. Phosphorus exists in the form of orthophosphate, condensed phosphate, and organic phosphate, which is readily present in the soil, fertilizers, human waste and domestic waste.

Total Dissolved Solid

Water's total dissolved solids (TDS) consist of inorganic salts and dissolved materials. In other words, the solid was left in the water after it was filtered and dried. The sources would be organic compounds, such as products from the degradation of organic matter or gas, and inorganic compounds, such as minerals, metals and gases. The effect would cause taste, colour, and odour problems as well as our health, plus water would become corrosive to attain equilibrium due to a small amount of TDS matter.

Note: It is measured in either mg/L for organic and inorganic or mS/m for conductivity measurement.

Biological Parameters

From a biological aspect, microbiological agents are important to public health and may also significantly modify water's physical and chemical characteristics. Water for drinking and cooking must be free from any disease-producing organism called a pathogen. This group has very small quantities compared to other microorganisms. The experiment to determine the presence of all pathogens takes a long time and is often very expensive as it is only carried out for very specific cases. The presence of pathogenic microorganisms is shown by indicator microorganisms.

Indicator Micro-organisms

Their presence shows that popularization has occurred and suggests the type and level of pollution. The typical indicators used are the coliform groups, Fecal coliforms (E-coli) and Total coliforms (Fecal coliforms and others).

The Indicators Properties:

• It can be used for all types of water,
• Always present when the pathogen is present,
• Always absent when the pathogen is absent,
• Easily experimented with and gives reliable results.

These are the parameters used when sampling water taken from various resources. The data are recorded and further tested in a certified laboratory. Understanding these parameters could help ensure the quality of water being safely used by the public.