Fundamental Concepts: Overview of Water Quality Ann Kenimer Texas A & M University University Curriculum Development for Decentralized Wastewater Management
NDWRCDP Disclaimer This work was supported by the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) with funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01 01-0) 0) with Washington University in St. Louis. These materials have not been reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These materials have been reviewed by representatives of the NDWRCDP. The contents of these materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute their endorsement or recommendation for use.
CIDWT/University Disclaimer These materials are the collective effort of individuals from academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have been peer-reviewed reviewed and represent the current state of knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a series of writing and review meetings with the goal of formulating a consensus on the materials presented. These materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of University of Arkansas, and/or the Consortium of Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT). The mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use from these individuals or entities, nor does it constitute criticism for similar ones not mentioned.
Citation Kenimer, Ann L., J. Villeneuve and S. Shelden. 2005. Fundamental Concepts: Water Quality - Power Point Presentation. in (M.A. Gross and N.E. Deal, eds.) University Curriculum Development for Decentralized Wastewater Management. National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.
Water Pollution Definition: any condition that adversely affects the quality of streams, lakes, oceans, or groundwater
Water Pollution Impacts Unpolluted water has a wide diversity of aquatic organisms and contains enough dissolved oxygen Polluted water inhibits the growth of aquatic organisms
Reference Material Standard Methods for the Analysis of Water and Wastewater.. American Water Works Association and the American Public Health Association. EPA Methods and Guidance for the Analysis of Water.. US Environmental Protection Agency.
Organic Compounds An organic compound is a substance that contains carbon. Cyanide, cyanates, carbon dioxide and its relatives are exceptions
Importance of Organic Matter Organic material consumes oxygen in water Organic material can cause taste and odor problems in recreational and drinking water Some material may be hazardous
Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that has been incorporated into water Many aquatic animals require it for their survival
Dissolved Oxygen There are two important factors that can influence the amount of dissolved oxygen present Water temperature Organic matter
Dissolved Oxygen Temperature: Greater temperature Lower saturated DO Lower temperature Greater saturated DO
Organic material Dissolved Oxygen If oxygen is available, organic material requires oxygen to decompose Organic material may also decompose in the absence of oxygen More organic material requires more DO, and will tend to deplete water of DO
Oxygen Demand The oxygen demand is the amount of oxygen required to aerobically oxidize a material
Biochemical Oxygen Demand Biochemical oxygen demand,, or BOD is the amount of oxygen used by organisms during the breakdown of organic material BOD is considered an indirect measure of the organic content of a sample
BOD BOD analysis is done under these conditions: Must be in the dark Must be at 20ºC Must have an excess of nutrients
BOD 5 Procedure Measure initial DO Incubate sample for 5 days Measure final DO The BOD 5 is directly related to the amount of DO used up over the 5-day 5 period
BOD BOD t = BOD at t days ( mg / L ) DO i = Initial DO ( mg / L ) DO f = Final DO ( mg / L ) V s = Volume of sample (L) V b = Volume of BOD bottle (L) BOD t = DO i V s V b DO f
Ultimate BOD The ultimate BOD measures the total amount of oxygen needed to oxidize the organic matter and the reduced nitrogenous compounds. BOD carbonaceous + BOD nitrogenous = ultimate BOD
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) COD is the equivalent amount of oxygen needed to break down organic matter and oxidize nitrogen compounds using strong oxidizing agents
Chemical Oxygen Demand Another means of measuring oxygen demand needed to oxidize organics and reduced nitrogenous compounds Faster than BOD Always higher than BOD COD is much higher than BOD in raw wastewaters COD:BOD ratio is usually less than 2:1 in treated effluents COD:BOD ratio is dependent on circumstances and reduces with treatment
Total Organic Carbon Total organic carbon,, or TOC,, is the amount of organic carbon bound in a sample.
Fats, Oil, and Grease Generally listed under one heading called FOG (fats, oils, and grease) as it is often not important to know the exact make-up of this group of components
Solids Cause many problems: Collect in septic tank requiring pump out over time May clog distribution areas in poorly- managed systems Fill storage areas, clog ditches and channels Settle on stream bottoms resulting in death of valuable benthic biota and loss of habitat and dissolved oxygen in the water column
Total Solid (TS) Total solids of a sample is the matter left behind after drying a sample of water at 105ºC
Total Solids There are two ways that solid materials may be classified Suspended solids and dissolved solids Volatile solids and fixed solids
Solids Total suspended solids are the part of the sample that may be caught with a 1.5 µm filter Total dissolved solids are the part of the sample that will pass through the filter
Solids Total volatile solids is the portion of the sample lost after the sample has been heated to 550ºC. It is an approximation of the organic material present Total fixed solids is the portion that still remains after heating. It is an approximation of the mineral matter present
Solids These categories may be combined: Volatile dissolved solids (VDS) Volatile suspended solids (VSS) Fixed dissolved solids (FDS) Fixed suspended solids (FSS)
Solids
Solids The mass of solids per known volume of water is: S = m t vol m S = Solids concentration (mg/l) m t = Mass of solids and container (mg) m c = Mass of container (mg) Vol = volume of liquid sample (L) c
Nutrients Problems associated with excess nutrients: Causes an increase in productivity of aquatic plants, leading to depleted DO levels May cause odor problems Extra vegetation near surface may inhibit penetration of light into water
Macronutrients: Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Nutrients
Microbial Organism Serve many important purposes including degrading waste materials Some of them may be dangerous to human health and must be removed from water
Testing for Microbial Organisms Fecal coliform counts are used as an indicator organism The sample material is placed in a nutrient bath and set aside in a sterile area The number of colonies that form are proportional to how many microbial organisms are present in a sample
Salts Problems associated with excess salt: High salt concentrations detrimental to plant growth and can damage crops Salt can damage equipment, especially some materials which react with the salts
Metals Problems associated with excess metals: Can make water taste and smell bad Can stain Metals in high enough concentrations are pollutants and can be serious health risks.
Turbidity Turbidity is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity is influenced by the number of insoluble particles present
Hardness Hardness is the concentration of multivalent cations. Hard water can leave scales in pots, pipes, and hot water heaters. More soap is also needed to clean. Soft water has fewer cations making it harder to remove soap residue.
ph ph is the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration It can have a major impact on biological and chemical reactions
Alkalinity Alkalinity is the capacity of water to absorb hydrogen ions without significant ph change Bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides are the three chemical forms that contribute to alkalinity