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Water quality
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Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking water, safety of human contact, and for health of ecosystems.
he setting of standards, agencies make political and technical/scientific decisions about how the water will be used.
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Encyclopedia
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking water, safety of human contact, and for health of ecosystems.
Standards
In the setting of standards, agencies make political and technical/scientific decisions about how the water will be used. In the case of natural water bodies, they also make some reasonable estimate of pristine conditions. Different uses raise different concerns and therefore different standards are considered. Natural water bodies will vary in response to environmental conditions. Environmental scientists work to understand how these systems function which in turn helps to identify the sources and fates of contaminants. Environmental lawyers and policy makers work to define legislation that ensure that water is maintained at an appropriate quality for its identified use.
The vast majority of surface water on the planet is neither potable nor toxic. This remains true even if sea water in the oceans (which is too salty to drink) isn't counted. Another general perception of water quality is that of a simple property that tells whether water is polluted or not. In fact, water quality is a very complex subject, in part because water is a complex medium intrinsically tied to the ecology of the Earth. Industrial pollution is a major cause of water pollution, as well as runoff from agricultural areas, urban stormwater runoff and discharge of treated and untreated sewage (especially in developing countries).
Categories
The parameters for water quality are determined by the intended use. Work in the area of water quality tends to be focused on water that is treated for human consumption or in the environment.
Human consumption
Contaminants that may be in untreated water include microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria; inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals; pesticides and herbicides; organic chemical contaminants from industrial processes and petroleum use; and radioactive contaminants.
Water quality depends on the local geology and ecosystem, as well as human uses such as sewage dispersion, industrial pollution, use of water bodies as a heat sink, and overuse (which may lower the level of the water).
In the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits the amounts of certain contaminants in tap water provided by public water systems. The Safe Drinking Water Act authorizes EPA to issue two types of standards: primary standards regulate substances that potentially affect human health, and secondary standards prescribe aesthetic qualities, those that affect taste, odor, or appearance. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.
Some people use water purification technology to remove contaminants from the municipal water supply they get in their homes, or from local pumps or bodies of water. For people who get water from a local stream, lake, or aquifer (well), their drinking water is not filtered by the local government.
Environmental water quality
Environmental water quality, also called ambient water quality, pertains to water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. Ambient water quality standards vary significantly due to different environmental conditions, ecosystems, and intended human uses. Toxic substances and high populations of certain microorganisms can present a health hazard for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation, swimming, fishing, rafting, boating, and industrial uses. These conditions may also affect wildlife which use the water for drinking or as a habitat. Modern water quality laws general specify protection of fishable/swimmable use and antidegradation of current conditions.
There is some desire among the public to return water bodies to pristine, or pre-industrial conditions. Current environmental laws focus of the designation of uses and therefore allow for some water contamination as long as the particular type of contamination is not harmful to the designated uses. Given the landscape changes in the watersheds of many freshwater bodies, returning to pristine conditions would be a significant challenge. In these cases, environmental scientists focus on achieving goals for maintaining populations of endangered species and protecting human health.
Measurement
The complexity of water quality as a subject is reflected in the many types of measurements of water quality indicators. Some of the simple measurements listed below can be made on-site — temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, Oxygen Reduction potential (ORP)— in direct contact with the water source in question. More complex measurements that must be made in a lab setting require a water sample to be collected, preserved, and analyzed at another location. Making these complex measurements can be expensive. Because direct measurements of water quality can be expensive, ongoing monitoring programs are typically conducted by government agencies. However, there are local volunteer programs and resources available for some general assessment. Tools available to the general public are on-site test kits commonly used for home fish tanks and biological assessments.
The following is a list of indicators often measured by situational category:
Drinking water
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- Alkalinity
- Color of water
- pH
- Taste and odor (geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), etc)
- Dissolved metals and salts (sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium)
- Microorganisms such as fecal coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli), Cryptosporidium, and Giardia lamblia
- Dissolved metals and metalloids (lead, mercury, arsenic, etc.)
- Dissolved organics: colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC)
- Radon
- Heavy metals
- Pharmaceuticals
- Hormone analogs
Environmental
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Chemical assessment
Physical assessment
Biological assessment
Biological monitoring metrics have been developed in many places, and one widely used measure is the presence and abundance of members of the insect orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. (Common names are, respectively, Mayfly, Stonefly and Caddisfly.) EPT indexes will naturally vary from region to region, but generally, within a region, the greater the number of taxa from these orders, the better the water quality. EPA and other organizations in the United States offer guidance on developing a monitoring program and identifying members of these and other aquatic insect orders.
Individuals interested in monitoring water quality who cannot afford or manage lab scale analysis can also use biological indicators to get a general reading of water quality. One example is the IOWATER volunteer water monitoring program, which includes a benthic macroinvertebrate indicator key.
Standards and reports
United States
In the United States, Water Quality Standards are created by state agencies for different types of water bodies and water body locations per desired uses.
In the United States each governing jurisdiction (states, territories, and covered tribal entities) is required to submit a set of biennial reports on the quality of water in their area. These reports submitted to, and approved by, EPA are known as the 303(d), 305(b) and 314 reports. These reports are completed by the governing jurisdiction, typically a Department of Environmental Quality or similar state agency, and are available on the web. In coming years it is expected that the governing jurisdictions will submit all three reports as a single document, called the "Integrated Report." The 305(b) report () is a general report on water quality, providing overall information about the number of miles of streams and rivers and their aggregate condition. The 314 report has provided similar information for lakes. Under the Clean Water Act, states are required to adopt water quality standards for each of the possible designated uses that they assign to their waters. Should evidence suggest or document that a stream, river or lake has failed to meet the water quality criteria for one or more of its designated uses, it is placed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters. Once on the 303(d) list states are required to develop management plans establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads for the pollutant impairing the use of the water. These TMDLs establish the reductions needed to fully support the designated uses.
More information about water quality in the United States is on the EPA's website.
European Union
United Kingdom
In England and Wales acceptable levels for drinking water supply are listed in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989.
South Africa
Water quality guidelines for South Africa are grouped according to potential user types (e.g. domestic, industrial) in the . Drinking water quality is subject to the South African National Standard (SANS) 241 Drinking Water Specification
. More information about the application of guidelines and legislation is available at Water supply and sanitation in South Africa.
International standards
Water quality regulated by ISO is covered in the section of ICS 13.060 , ranging from water sampling, drinking water, industrial class water, sewage water, and examination of water for chemical, physical or biological properties. ICS 91.140.60 covers the standards of water supply systems .
See also
External links
International organizations
- - World Health Organisation
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United States
- - Partnership of federal and state agencies
- - National Water Quality Assessment Program
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Europe
Other organizations
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- , an online nutrient trading tool developed by , designed to address nutrient-related water quality issues. See also the website designed for Pennsylvania's nutrient trading program.
- - Australian Government funded initiative supporting water management decision support tools
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