Exploring Water Quality

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.

We did 3 different test to help conclude the water quality. The first testing/station i did was to see what kind of critters were living in the water. Then, my next group was to take a test to see if eutrophication was in the water. We also took

Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living organism requires oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as streams, lakes and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in units of parts per million (ppm). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish observed in the body of water the sample was taken from; finally, answer the questions below.

Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living organism requires oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as streams, lakes and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in units of parts per million (ppm). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish observed in the body of water the sample was taken from; finally, answer the questions below.

Dissolved Oxygen is highly essential for a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Aquatic organisms need oxygen dissolved in water to stay alive. The need for Oxygen is dependent on species and life stage. While some organisms adapt to low oxygen level, others do not. Amount of dissolved Oxygen in a system can affect the solubility and availability of nutrients (Fondriest Environmental, 2014). The Oxygen content of water bodies varies with temperature, turbulence, salinity, photosynthetic ability of algae and plants and atmospheric pressure, decreasing with rising temperature and salinity, and increasing with rising atmospheric pressure (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, 2012). In water it usually is expressed in milligrams per

My lab report was based on how ground water could be affected by contaminants that surround us everyday. “ Access to safe drinking water depends not only on the quality of water at source but also on contamination throughout it's way to the user and practices related to purification and sanitation” ( Mishra, S., & Nandeshwar, S. 2013).I was very surprised that the detergent contaminated the water. I thought that the detergent would stay in the soil but it ended up going through the soil into the water. Which then left the water bubbly and dark. These labs may show that we may need to look into more

The primary purpose of Experiment 22: An Analysis of Water Quality was to determine the quality of four different samples of water using multiple tests. During the experiment we tested to find the pH, nitrate, chloride, conductivity, alkalinity and hardness levels of all samples. Since all of these techniques have been previously used, the secondary purpose of this experiment was to review and combine these techniques. Knowing and understanding the purpose behind these testing practices allows us to apply them to real world situations.

During lab on Monday, April 9, 2002 our class conducted a lab on water chemistry and pollution. The two bodies of water that were choose as samples where, the Wall pond and the HGTC pond. Each group had to test the water for Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrate, Phosphate, pH, and Turbidity. Only two people where chosen to test the waters for Coliform bacteria. “Coliform bacteria are not pathogenic (disease causing) organisms, and are only mildly infectious. For this reason these bacteria are relatively safe to work with in the laboratory”. (Wilkes, 2001) This experiment is closely related to the study of science because it is a direct study of the environment. “The World Heath Organization estimates that 80 percent of

Non-point source pollution is pollution that cannot easily be tracked back to its original source. Since it cannot be easily tracked, like industrial sources, it is very difficult to prevent. Non-point source pollution can be from agricultural fields, cars, construction sites or the dust particles in the rain. (Farrell-Poe 1995) The pollution is usually introduced into the bodies of water through run-offs, rain, melting snow or drainage from ditches. It is often like this because when construction is planned, the affects it might have on the ecosystems around it are rarely thought of.

All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.

Water is necessary to sustain life, but not all water is safe for drinking. Unclean water helps to spread pathogenic diseases. It is especially dangerous in less populated areas where purified water may not be readily available. In these areas, it may fall on the responsibility of the individual to find their own water. People can collect water from streams, rivers, or lakes. The water from these sources, however, is considered unprotected and cannot be consumed right away. Unprotected water sources can easily become contaminated and are unfit for drinking. That is why this water has to be put through purification methods to withdraw all bacteria, chlorine, nitrates, and phosphates in the water. If a person consumes contaminated drinking water

Biological Sampling: A very good indicator of water quality is the species that live in the water. The species we were looking for where divided into three categories: sensitive, somewhat sensitive, and tolerant. Sensitive means an animal is sensitive to pollution and tolerant mean an animal has tolerance against pollution. In lake Herrick, we found only found sensitive and what sensitive animal. These results are an indicator that the water quality is not that bad.

The city of Long Beach has approximately 7 miles of public beaches all through out the city. Due to the mild climate thousands of residents and tourists visit the beaches and bays. The beaches are one of the cities most popular attractions; so this raises the concern of what the water quality is like at the beaches and bays. Roughly every week the Health Department’s Environmental Health Water Quality Monitoring Program collects samples of water and analyzes them to determine the quality of the water. Many different factors effect the water quality in Long Beach, the geographical location of the city, the man made structures, the urban runoff, and the Port of Long Beach. All of these things change and or make the water quality worse in Long Beach but there are ways in which it can be improved.

Water quality is the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics in a body of water. It describes the condition of the water and the measure of the biotic species or human needs. If a lot of excessive nutrients enter the water, the water quality will lead to water pollution. Water is contaminated by contaminants and pesticides which are used to measure the water quality. Drinking water and the health of ecosystems are some things included in the water quality.

The question this report is based off is, “What is the water quality of the U-High creek, based on the invertebrates found in the water?” Water quality is measured by levels of pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is simply oxygen molecules that have mixed in with water molecules (Riverwatch). First, there are measurements for finding the ratio between oxygen and water molecules. The ratio is milligrams per litre. For every litre of water there should be 1-14 milligrams of oxygen. This will help sustain a healthy water to oxygen ratio. Bacteria also use oxygen when they decompose dead organisms (Riverwatch). With this data, it is known that when the amount of bacteria increases, then the water quality will slowly decrease. The definition of pH is measurement of the relative acidity of solutions such as water which is a unit of measurement that relates to the acidity of solutions (Riverwatch). The pH range for water is 6.5-8.5ph. If the pH level is in this range, one could conclude that the water in question is healthy. pH is important for water quality because with less pH, the solution might have more acid. With more pH, there is more alkalinity. Alkalinity is the way and capability to neutralize acids in solution. Nitrogen is an element on the periodic table that is abundant on Earth and enters the water through run offs when it rains. Organisms need nitrogen because this element is necessary to make proteins and nucleic acid. The