Physical And Biological Characteristics Of Water Quality

“The pH of a solution is a measure of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution and as such is a measure of the acidity or basicity (sic) of the solution. The letters pH stand for power of hydrogen and the numerical value defined as the negative base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions.” (PH, 2002). The pH scale is from 0 to 14. When the pH is higher, the hydrogen ions are fewer and the substance considered alkaline. This means when a pH unit increases by one, there is a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion. For example, if a substance has a 7 pH, it has 10 times as many as hydrogen ions available as 8 pH. A lake having a water pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is considered to be neutral. Researchers tested Peckham Park lake water monthly from August 2015 to April 2016 for water pH levels. A water quality PH test strip taken from a jar and dipped into the lake. After a few minutes, the strip will turn a color and this color determines the pH. The jar the strips came in has a chart of the colors on the back which compared to the color on the strip. The lake tested monthly using the PH test strips, which show the pH level, hardness, toxic, etc. using color-change

Conservative parameters of water which are hardness, alkalinity, salinity, and temperature are not affected significantly by activities of microorganisms. [30]

Water quality is based upon a set of standards that describe the kinds and amounts of minerals and other substances that may be present in the water.

One of the tests we conducted while I was at Lake Tonetta we learned about pH. Why is pH so important? pH is a good indicator of the lakes healthiness.pH is a way to measure how acidic or how alkaline a body of water pH scale goes from 0-14 a zero is the strongest acid.  A reading of 14 would be the strongest base. Pure water is considered neutral-rather an acid or a base with a pH reading of 7 Indicator measure the pH in watersheds to determine whether the water is acidic/neutral, or base.Most living things have adapted to a life in water with specific pH. If the pH changes the organisms may die. The best pH for water is between 6.5-7.5 right near neutral. The pH we tested on November 3, 2016, was 7.This is excellent because all creatures can live in that water it is the healthiest it can be.

Measuring the water quality is important because water quality is absolutely vital for the river to be a healthy environment for the organisms around it. Water quality, if good, will support native fish, various microorganisms, various species of plants, and bird populations. The quality of a river’s water is commonly decided by its physical, chemical, biological and aesthetic traits. A healthy environment is one in which the water quality supports a healthy ecosystem; many of our own personal uses depend on the quality of the water that will be used drinking, fishing, recreation, and many other important uses. [2]

Overall the objective of this lab exercise was to introduce students to watershed ecology and the ecological factors that affect water quality. Students used biotic (macroinvertebrates ) and abiotic indicators to asses the quality of water in a freshwater body. Specifically students collected water chemistry data (hardness, nitrate/phosphate concentrations, dissolved O2 and pH) to asses the quality of water. Additionally macroinvertebrates from the benthic environment of a respective field site were collected, analyzed as well as catalogued. Collectively the results indicated that a greater species diversity was indicative of greater water quality(Lenat). Likewise within a freshwater ecosystems a negative correlation was found to exist between fluctuating abiotic factors,species diversity and water quality. It can be concluded that amongst the three field sites the ranking of water quality from highest to lowest is as follows; Great Brook Farm, Russell Mill pond, Lawrence Street Stream.

The pH levels is “a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, numerically equal to 7 for neutral solutions, increasing with increasing alkalinity and decreasing with increasing acidity. The pH scale commonly in use ranges from 0 to 14 (Heritage, 2011). Dissolved Oxygen “refers to the level of free, non-compound oxygen present in water or other liquids” (Kemkar, 2013).Conductivity of the water “is a measure of water’s capability to pass electrical flow. This ability is directly related to the concentration of ions in the water” (Kemkar, 2013).The moisture and pH levels of the soil is simply “a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil” (QLD, 2013). While soil moisture just tests for how much liquid is contained in the soil. “Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by suspended solids that are usually invisible to the naked eye” (LaMotte, 2016). “The Secchi depth is a measurement of water clarity. Water transparency directly affects the amount of light penetration into a lake” (RMB,

While steps have been taken by the government to help bring standards to water treatment and wastewater treatment plants some of the contaminants seep into the water supply after it has been filtered. The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued standards for drinking water with policies like the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, but the standards are not foolproof and some municipalities are not in compliance with the standards. Another problem is the cost of setting up better filtration systems to catch some of the contaminants that are not being filtered at the present time.

Experiments were done on the water quality and the contamination of groundwater. First, I observed the effects that different pollutants had on groundwater. I predicted that the experiments with the oil and vinegar would create the most contaminations to the water. When the laundry detergent were mixed with the groundwater, it created a light green color with a pleasant smell. The second water treatment experiment were about filtering techniques to remove contaminants from water. I predicted to drain the water by removing all the contaminants

Having a variety of organisms is one of the most important things in a aquatic ecosystem. In order to have the you must have a ecosystem with little polutance so organisms can live. (River Watch) The water quality was 36, therefor the water quality was excellent. The index was so high because many organisms were found in the water.

The carbon dioxide comes from the air and the plant collects the carbon dioxide. The items that the plant produces are oxygen(O2), glucose(sugar, C6H12O6), and water. The oxygen is considered a waste product of photosynthesis and is released into the environment. Glucose is a sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates. Glucose can be converted into chemicals required for growth of plant cells such as cellulose.

In order to assess the water quality of Farm Pond the class collected a variety of data. The class

Turbidity refers to how clear water is. Turbidity determines how far light can penetrate into water. Excess soil erosion, dissolved solids or excess growth of microorganisms are most commonly the causes of high turbidity. Because water with a high turbidity can impede light, plants under the water may die as a result. Dead plants will not only result in less oxygen but the organic matter will only contribute to the microorganisms thus diminishing the oxygen even further. No dissolved oxygen means that other aquatic life forms will not be able to live in the water (National Library of Medicine, n.d.).

The CO2 is a common type of gas known as a greenhouse gas. A gas that traps in the heat from the sun, causing a warmer surface temperature.

Water possess prime importance in freezie production as a major ingredients as well as a suitable medium for microbial contamination. In production of freezies, Kisko Products utilizes water as a main constituent of recipe. Water is also used in cleaning of freezies as well as washing of side pumps for their easy movement. Kisko Products uses the water supplied from municipality with its treatment for softening. A diagram for water supply system was illustrated in appendix A. The company tested the source water sample for its physical, chemical and microbiological quality twice in a year at Maxxam Analytics laboratory. However, despite of standard quality at