What water quality refers to?
The water we use for drinking, washing, and preparing food, comes from rainwater, surface water (rivers, dams etc.) and groundwater sources (springs and borehole water). The amount of fresh water available is limited.
Water quality describes water’s suitability for use, concerning its chemical, physical and microbial properties, for drinking, irrigation, bathing, and effluent.
Safe water should contain no chemical or radioactive substances, be free from disease-causing organisms and be non-corrosion and scaling forming.
Water quality is measured by;
Various analyses determine water quality and the suitability for the intended purpose, i.e. drinking, swimming, effluent, irrigation, bathing etc.
Poor water quality can pose health risks to all organisms, including flora and fauna.
Note: the suitability of water for gardening purposes depends on a number of other factors, such as climate and soil quality.
Properties of Water Quality
Chemical Water Quality: refers to the concentration of dissolved substances such as salts, metals and organic chemicals. Many chemical substances are essential for daily intake, but high concentrations make water unpleasant and cause illness.
Physical Water Quality: refers to water properties determined by physical methods such as conductivity, pH and turbidity. These qualities mainly affect the taste, odour and appearance (aseptic) of the water.
Microbiological Water Quality: refers to the presence of organisms that cannot be seen by the naked eye, such as viruses, protozoa and bacteria (pathogens). Many of these are associated with water-borne diseases. Microbial indicators indicate a potential risk for faecal pollution and infectious diseases, as it is costly and difficult to detect pathogens in water. Microbial indicators include Total Coliforms, E.coli, Faecal Coliforms and Heterotrophic Plate Counts.
Why is it important to test your water quality?
Water is the link between various communities and resources. What happens in catchment areas is reflected in the water quality throughout the entire system.
The results of human activities in industry, construction, lifestyle and agriculture ultimately end up in the nearby rivers through run-off. If pollution occurs upstream, it runs downstream and eventually into our oceans.
Water quality is dependent on the interaction within the river and its surrounding catchment area. The processes within the catchment area can either maintain a healthy ecosystem or disrupt it and degrade the water supply. Affecting water quality downstream and potentially, if severe enough, groundwater systems and our oceans as well.
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the concentration of dissolved oxygen
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bacterium levels
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salinity (amount of salt)
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turbidity (amount of material suspended)
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the concentration of microscopic algae
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presence of pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals and other contaminants