Water Quality Management.pptx

Water Quality Management Reporters:

Melig, Franc Apollo Miasco, Kristian Baren Naringahon, Jofel John

Water Quality Defined 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.

Water Quality Defined Water Quality is: • Drinking • Agriculture • Etc.

According to certain characteristics: • Physical • Chemical • Biological

Water Quality Management Defined Water quality management concerns four major elements: • the use (recreation, drinking water, fish and wildlife propagation, industrial or agricultural) to be made of the water; • criteria to protect those uses; • implementation plans (for needed industrial-municipal waste treatment improvements) and enforcement plans; • and an anti-degradation statement to protect existing high quality waters.

Why Management? • Characterize waters and identify changes or trends in water quality over time • Identify specific existing or emerging water quality problems • Gather information to design specific pollution prevention or remediation programs • Determine whether program goals are being met • Respond to emergencies

Responsibilities Water pollution control management including establishing policy, developing strategic plans and water standards as well as monitoring water quality of the Earth’s water resources.

Water Quality Standards • In the case of natural water bodies, they also make some reasonable estimate of pristine conditions. 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 policymakers work to define legislation with the intention that water is maintained at an appropriate quality for its identified use.

Water Quality Standards • The vast majority of surface water on the Earth is neither potable nor toxic. This remains true when seawater in the oceans (which is too salty to drink) is not 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 complex subject, in part because water is a complex medium intrinsically tied to the ecology of the Earth. Industrial and commercial activities (e.g. manufacturing, mining, construction, transport) are a major cause of water pollution as are runoff from agricultural areas, urban runoff and discharge of treated and untreated sewage.

What affects Water Quality? Humans

• Industry • Agriculture • Hygiene

Climate

• Weather • Other Life Forms

Testing Water Quality Physical Parameters • Temperature • Total Suspended Solids • Turbidity • Odour • Taste • Flow (in the case of rivers)

How to test Physical Parameters • Temperature - Testing the temperature is always done in situ using analogue or digital thermometer • Odour - Should be done in situ or within 5 minutes of sample collection • Taste - Do this at your own risk - Often done at treatment plants

How to test Physical Parameters • Total Suspended Solids - Water is filtered, then the residue is dried and weighed then compared to the original sample • Turbidity - Is measured by the amount of light that is scattered by the sample

How to test Physical Parameters • Flow Gauging - The river is sectioned off and flow is measured at each section using an impeller. The readings for each section are then added together to produce a reading for the whole river section

How to test Physical Parameters • Units

Parameter

Unit

Temperature

°C – Degrees Celsius

Total Suspended Solids

Ppm – Parts per million

Turbidity

NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Units

Odour

Subjective but useful description

Taste

Subjective but useful description

Flow Gauging

m3/s – Meters Cubed per Second

Testing Water Quality Chemical Parameters • pH • Specific Conductance • Nutrients • Nitrates • Phosphates • Heavy Metals • Pesticides • Herbicides

• Industrial Wastes • Alkalinity • Pharmaceuticals • Surfactants • Oxygen • Etc.

How to test Chemical Parameters • Potential Hydrogen (pH): - Tested using Reagents or Calibrated Electronic Meters (CEM) 1 𝑝𝐻 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 ( ) 𝑎𝐻 +

How to test Chemical Parameters • Specific Conductance - Is a measure of the salinity of the water, the more ions in the water the more conductive it is - This is usually measured using a CEM in the field

How to test Chemical Parameters • Nutrients: Tested for in a Spectrophotometer Nitrates Phosphates - Samples of water are taken back to a lab (or mobile lab) where specific volumes of the sample reacts with a measured amount of reagent and the change between the original samples light scattering capacity and the regent mixed sample gives the concentration of nutrients

How to test Chemical Parameters • Nutrients: Tested for in a Spectrophotometer

How to test Chemical Parameters • Dissolved Oxygen (DO) - DO Meter measures the oxygen by how much it dilutes the charge (electricity Negative change, oxygen does not)

How to test Chemical Parameters • Units

Parameter

Unit

pH

The pH Scale (no Unit)

Specific Conductance

μS/cm – Microsiemens per Centimetre

Nitrates & Phosphates

mg/l – Milligrams per litre

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

ppm – Parts per million

Most Chemical Constituents

Mass per volume of water

Testing Water Quality Biological Parameters • Bio-indicators • Bacterial Life (health concerns)

How to test Biological Parameters • Bio-indicators - These are large insects and animals that live in the water body, if they are present then the water must be of a certain quality • Bacterial Life (health concerns) E Coli Coliform Bacteria

How to test Biological Parameters • Bio-indicators - Stratified locations of fish could mean • A Thermocline layer (temperature boundary) • A Hypoxic layer (Oxygen boundary) • A Eutrophication layer (Nutrient boundary)

- No presence of previously present animals • Water quality has dropped and either moved the animals away or killed them off These are all indicators, they do not produce numbers but they show the water has changed and can provide clues to the problems

However, • This requires a lot of study: In a well studied ecosystem, change in numbers of organisms can give very accurate information about pollutants and other stresses from the environment

How to test Physical Parameters • Bio-indicators - Stratified locations of fish could mean • A Thermocline layer (temperature boundary) • A Hypoxic layer (Oxygen boundary) • A Eutrophication layer (Nutrient boundary)

- No presence of previously present animals • Water quality has dropped and either moved the animals away or killed them off These are all indicators, they do not produce numbers but they show the water has changed and can provide clues to the problems

How to test Biological Parameters • Bacterial life 1. A sample is taken 2. Kept cool and away from exterior contamination 3. Brought back to the lab ASAP 4. Sample is shaken to allow for minimum settling 5. Sample is added to agar plate (pour or scrape) 6. Plate is incubated for 24 to 48 hours 7. Count the colonies of bacteria

Urban Contribution Runoff contributions due to impervious surfaces • Driving and Vehicle Maintenance • Gardening • Waste Disposal • Hygiene (Poor or failed septic systems) • Construction sites

Urban Impacts Runoff contributions due to impervious surfaces • Riverbank/bed erosion • Increased siltation • Aesthetic degradation • Disruption of aquatic life • Increased water temperature • Human health • Harm to coastal environments (Coral etc.) • Fisheries • Tourism

Water Pollution Sources

Water Pollution Management • Reduce waste at pollution sources by the simple technologies (Ex. Grease Trap and On‐site treatment) • Rehabilitate the existing municipal wastewater treatment facilities • Construct new wastewater treatment system using appropriate technology (Cluster/ Central wastewater treatment plant) • Promote clean production/technology and Best • Management Practices to farmers/Industrial sector

Water Pollution Management • Regulations and laws enforcement • Encourage use of economic instruments (PPP, environmental tax) • Inspect and control effluent from pollution sources • Monitor and evaluate water quality in water resources • Increase capacity of local administrative organization and network • Public participation

Water Quality Management Goals • Science-based goals or performance indicators for regional, national, or international management strategies for toxic substances • Interim management objectives for persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances to track progress toward their virtual elimination • Indicators of eco-toxicologically relevant concentrations of persistent, bio-accumulative, & toxic substances for the purpose of improving analytical detection & quantification capabilities

Water Quality Management Goals • Tools to evaluate the effectiveness of point-source controls • Scientific basis for environmental regulations & benchmarks or targets in the assessment & remediation

Water Quality Management Guidelines Water quality guidelines - values for indicators & are designed to ensure that Environmental Values (EV) of waters are protected.

Main nationally recognized EV for waters are: • Ecosystem values • Ecosystem protection (aquatic plants, fish and other flora and fauna, habitat). • Human use values: Agricultural; Recreational use; • Drinking water supply • Cultural values.

Water Quality Management Guidelines Recognized guideline documents for the above EVs are: • Ecosystem protection • Recreational use: Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Waters: • Human consumption: National standards eg: Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code: • Drinking water supply: Indian Drinking Water Guidelines • Cultural values: No recognized guidelines

Steps in Water Quality Management Step I: Step II: Step III: Step IV: Step V: Step VI:

Setting Water Quality Goal Water Quality Monitoring Identification of Nature and Magnitude of Pollution Source Inventory Water Quantity information Selection of Technology

Steps in Water Quality Management Step VII: Step VIII: Step IX: Step X: Step XI:

Financing Waste Management Maintenance of sewage treatment plants Pollution from industrial sources Pollution from non-point sources Some other Important Options for Water Quality Management

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