Water Quality

Water Quality

Submitted by:

Oliveria, Ezekiel T.

Alba, Jun Alfred T.

Tayo, Peter John G.

Quimlat, Japerson Jun A.

Rovillos, Mark Kenneth V.

Baltazar, Jett B.

Submitted to:

Engr. Christopher V. Maglaque

February ,2018
 Water Quality

Water Quality

Water Quality refers to the chemical, physical, biological, and

radiological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of
water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to
any human need or purpose. It is 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 health of ecosystems, safety
of human contact, and drinking water.

Water Quality

A. Chemical – most important characteristics of water are alkalinity,

acidity, hardness and corrosiveness. Chemical impurities can be
either natural, man-made or be deployed in raw water sources by
enemy forces. Some chemical impurities cause water to behave as
either an acid or a base and it generally influences the
corrosiveness of the water and the ability to detect contaminants.

B. Physical – those characteristics of water that respond to the senses

of sight, touch, taste or smell.

C. Biological – used to describe the presence of microbiological

organisms and water-borne pathogens. Many organisms can cause
illness when consumed by humans and animals. Micro-organisms
and waterborne pathogens enter rivers and lakes either naturally or
via the release of untreated or partially treated sewage.

D. Radiological – this represents a very unique group of drinking water

characteristics as health threats posed by this group are not always
 Water Quality

from ingestion. The four most common radionuclides are Radon,

Radium-226, Radium-228, and Uranium. This vast majority of
radionuclides in drinking water come from natural sources and not
a result of human contamination.

Measurement of Water Quality

Quantitive measurements of pollutants are obviously necessary before

water pollution can be controlled. Measurement of these pollutants is, however
fraught, with difficulties. Sometimes specific materials responsible for the pollution
are not known. Moreover, these pollutants are generally present at low
concentrations, and very accurate method of detection are required.

Many water pollutants are measured in terms of milligrams of the substance

per liter of water (mg/L). In older publications pollutant concentrations were often
expressed as parts per million (ppm), a weight parameter. If the only liquid
involved is water, ppm is identical with mg/L, since one liter (L) of water weighs
1000 grams (g). For many aquatic pollutants, ppm Is approximately equal to mg/L;
however, because of the possibility that some wastes have specific gravity
different from water, mg/L is preferred to PPM.

A. Dissolved Oxygen
DO is the concentration of oxygen measured in its dissolved form. Fish and
other aquatic organisms required at least 5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of
dissolved oxygen to live. A DO level that is below this cannot sustain the
growth and productivity of aquatic life. Some factors that affect the
concentration of Do in water body are:

 Water movement – The more movement in water, the more oxygen

is dissolved.
 Temperature – Low temperature can hold oxygen more than high
temperatures
 Water Quality

 Pollution – The higher the level of pollution, the lower the

concentration of dissolved oxygen.

B. Biological Oxygen Demand

BOD determines the concentration of oxygen required for the
decomposition of organic matter from a pollution source. The demand for
oxygen does not occur directly where the effluent or run off water is
discharged. Instead, it is manifested downstream where the decomposition
finally occurs. Thus, a higher BOD value indicates a greater degree of
organic pollution. Most aquatic organisms cannot survive if the BOD level is
above 7 mg/L.

C. Total Solid Suspension

TSS measures the concentration of undissolved solid particles in water, such
as slit, decaying plant and animal matter, and domestic and industrial
wastes. It is indicative of the extent of sedimentation resulting from land
based activities. The higher the TSS value, the lower is the ability of the water
to support aquatic life due to reduced light penetration. This impacts
photosynthesis in aquatic plants, clogs fish gills, and increases the
absorption of heat that results in higher water temperatures, among others.

D. Nitrogen
Nitrate in the environment consists of salts of ammonium, sodium,
potassium, and calcium. Similar to phosphates, nitrates in water bodies
come from soil fertilizers during agricultural runoff as well as from sewage
discharge and septic systems where they are formed as by-products of the
decomposition of animal or human wastes. Consequently, high nitrate
concentrations can inhibit the growth of fish, impair the immune system,
and cause stress in some aquatic species.
 Water Quality

E. Pathogens

The bacteriological quality of water is as important as the chemical quality.

A large number of infectious diseases may be transmitted by water, among them
typhoid and cholera. Determining whether the organisms are present in water,
and whether they represent a health threat, is relatively complicated. First there
are many pathogens. Table 5-2 list just few of the most common waterborne
microbial pathogens. Each has specific detection procedure and must be
screened individually. Second, the concentration of these organisms, although
large enough to spread disease, may be so small as to make their detection
impossible, like the proverbial needle in haystack.
 Water Quality

Assessing water quality

Clean water is generally defined as water that is free from microbial, chemical
and physical contamination. This includes contaminants that present a health risk
(e.g. disease-causing bacteria, toxic metals) and those that have no health risk
but can make the water unpleasant to drink (e.g. poor taste resulting from high
iron levels).

Roughly speaking, water quality can be divided into three domains:

 Microbial contamination refers to the presence of disease-causing (or

pathogenic) microbes, which are generally introduced to water sources by
contact with faecial material. Common examples include Salmonella Typhi
and Vibrio cholerae, which respectively cause typhoid fever and cholera,
as well as pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The World Health
Organization (WHO) considers microbial pathogens the highest priority in
water treatment given their ability to cause infectious disease.
 Chemical contamination refers to metals, organic compounds and other
chemicals that present potential health risks. Water naturally contains many
chemicals (sodium and calcium, for example), most of which present no
health concerns. A few chemicals, however, do present human health risks,
especially for children and when contaminated water is consumed over
time. They can stem from both natural sources and human activity like
industrial waste disposal and agriculture.
 Physical contamination refers to conditions relating to the water’s physical
condition, for example colour, odour, temperature and turbidity
(cloudiness resulting from the presence of small particles like pieces of soil).
Most of these present no direct health risk, but they can influence other
factors (e.g. soil particles in turbid water can shelter bacteria) and
sometimes make water unpleasant to drink.
 Water Quality

Water Quality Standard

Water quality standards are provisions of state, territorial, authorized tribal or

federal law approved by EPA that describe the desired condition of a water body
or the level of protection or mandate how the desired condition will be expressed
or established for such waters in the future.

These standards form a legal basis for controlling pollution entering the waters of
the United States from a variety of sources (e.g., industrial facilities, wastewater
treatment plants, and storm sewers).

Water quality standards consist of the following:

 Designated Uses of the water body

 Criteria to protect designated uses
 Anti-degradation Requirements to protect existing uses and high quality
waters
 General Policies to address implementation issues.

Designated Uses
The Water Quality Standards Regulation requires states, territories and authorized
tribes to specify goals and expectations for how each water body is used.
Typical designated uses include:

1. Protection and propagation of fish, shellfish and wildlife

2. Recreation
3. Public drinking water supply
4. Agricultural, industrial, navigational and other purposes.

Criteria
States, territories and authorized tribes adopt water quality criteria to protect the
designated uses of a water body. Water quality criteria can be numeric (e.g., the
maximum pollutant concentration levels permitted in a water body) or narrative
(e.g., a criteria that describes the desired conditions of a water body being “free
 Water Quality

from” certain negative conditions). States, territories and authorized tribes typically
adopt both numeric and narrative criteria.

Anti-Degradation Requirements

One of the principal objectives of the Clean Water Act is to “maintain the
chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation's waters.”
Antidegradation requirements provide a framework for maintaining and
protecting water quality that has already been achieved.

Designated uses and water quality criteria are the primary tools states and
authorized tribes use to achieve the objectives and goals of the Clean Water Act,
and antidegradation requirements complement these tools by providing a
framework for maintaining existing uses, for protecting waters that are of a higher
quality than necessary to support the Clean Water Act goals, and for protecting
waters identified by states and authorized tribes as Outstanding National Resource
Waters (ONRWs).

General Policies
States, territories and authorized tribes may adopt policies and provisions
regarding water quality standards implementation, such as mixing zone,
variance, and low-flow policies. Such policies are subject to EPA review
and approval.

CLEAN WATER ACT (RA 9275)

Purpose
The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 aims to protect the country’s
water bodies from pollution from land-based sources (industries and
commercial establishments, agriculture and community/household
activities). It provides for a comprehensive and integrated strategy to
 Water Quality

prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory

approach involving all the stakeholders.

Overview

 As early as 1996, monitory of the country’s rivers showed that only

51% of the classified rivers still met the standards for their most
beneficial use. The rest were polluted from domestic, industrial and
agricultural sources
 Most studies point to the fact that domestic wastewater is the
principal cause of organic pollution (at48%) of our water bodies.
Yet, only 3% of investments in water supply and sanitation were
going to sanitation and sewage treatment.
 A recent World Bank report pointed out that Metro Manila was
second to the lowest in sewer connections among major cities in
Asia and less that 7% compared to 20% for Katmandu, Nepal and
30% for Dhaka, Bangladesh.
 Thirty-one percent (31%) of all illnesses in the country are attributed
to polluted waters. Clearly, to ensure access to clean water for all
Filipinos, it was imperative that government put together a
comprehensive strategy to protect water quality.
 Water Quality

References:

Book

R. Weiners and R. Matthews Environmental Engineering 4th Ed. Elsevier Science

(USA) 2003

Electronics:

https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/html/vms52.html

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/waterq3/WQassess1.html

http://www.tools4dev.org/resources/how-to-assess-drinking-water-quality/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oxygen_demand

https://www.epa.gov/standards-water-body-health/what-are-water-quality-
standards

https://www.slideshare.net/EnPRageneAndreaPalma/water-quality-in-the-
philippines-20082015