Water Analysis Part 9

Question 1

What does water with high turbidity and low turbidity look like?

Answer 1

Cloudy with high turbidity, clear with low turbidity

Question 2

What are the effects of turbidity?

Answer 2

It reduces water clarity, is aesthetically displeasing, decreases photosynthetic rate and increases water temperature

Question 3

What is turbidity related to?

Answer 3

The amount of suspended particles in a waterway

Question 4

What is turbidity measure in and what is the turbidity of surface water usually between?

Answer 4

Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), between 1-50 NTU

Question 5

What is the standard NTU rating for drinking water?

Answer 5

0.5-1 NTU

Question 6

Why is turbidly often higher after heavy rain?

Answer 6

Because water levels are high and erosion is greater

Question 7

What are the sources of turbidity?

Answer 7

Soil erosion, urban runoff, industrial waste, abundant bottom-dwellers and decaying plants and animals

Question 8

What are total solids?

Answer 8

The measure of all the suspended and dissolved solids in a sample of water

Question 9

What are the effects of a high level of total solids?

Answer 9

Can be harmful to aquatic organisms, reduces water clarity, decreases rate of photosynthesis and increases water temperature

Question 10

What are the sources of total solids?

Answer 10

Soil erosion, agricultural/urban runoff, industrial waste and decaying plants and animals

Question 11

What would happen without oxygen dissolved in water?

Answer 11

Organisms such as fish and plants could not live in lakes and rivers

Question 12

What are the sources of dissolved oxygen?

Answer 12

Diffusion from the atmosphere, aeration from wind, waves and rock/debris, and photosyntheses of aquatic plants

Question 13

What are the factors that affect dissolved oxygen levels?

Answer 13

Temperature, aquatic plant population, decaying organic material, stream flow and human activity

Question 14

When is oxygen more soluble and which temperature of water dissolves more oxygen?

Answer 14

Oxygen is mores soluble at lower temperatures and cooler water dissolves more oxygen than warmer

Question 15

What is oxygen available to aquatic organisms found in the form?

Answer 15

Dissolved oxygen

Question 16

What is a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels known as?

Answer 16

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Question 17

What range of BOD levels represents clean water with little organic waste?

Answer 17

1-2 mg/L

Question 18

What range of BOD levels indicates very poor water quality?

Answer 18

More than 10mg/L

Question 19

Why is excess phosphorous considered to be a pollutant?

Answer 19

It can lead to eutrophication

Question 20

What is eutrophication and what can it do?

Answer 20

An overabundance of nutrients which causes increased plant and algal growth, which can lower the levels of dissolved oxygen in water

Question 21

What are the sources of phosphate?

Answer 21

Human/animal/industrial waste, agriculture runoff, human disturbance of land

Question 22

What do high levels of phosphate lead to?

Answer 22

Eutrophication, increased algal blooms, increased BOD and decreased dissolved oxygen levels

Question 23

What do low levels of phosphate do?

Answer 23

They are a limiting factor in plant and algal growth

Question 24

What are the sources of nitrate ions?

Answer 24

Agricultural/urban runoff, animal feedlots, industrial wastewater/emissions, decaying plants and animals

Question 25

What are faecal coliform bacteria found in and excreted in?

Answer 25

Found in intestines of warm-blooded animals and excreted in the faeces

Question 26

Why are faecal coliform an important measure of water quality?

Answer 26

They give an indication of the presence of domestic sewage

Question 27

What happens if faecal coliform levels are high in water?

Answer 27

There is a greater chance that pathogenic organisms are present