WATER QUALITY AND POLLUTION

Question 1

5 Important Characteristics of Water

Answer 1

High heat capacity
Universal solvent
Solid is less dense than liquid
High surface tension
Transmits sunlight

Question 2

Availability of water with its percentages

Answer 2

Seawater - 97.5 %
Fresh water - 2.5 %
Ice caps and glaciers - 1.97 %
Groundwater - 0.5 %
Others - 0.03 %

Question 3

What is the world’s largest watershed?

Answer 3

Amazon

Question 4

Precipitation that remains on the surface of the land and does not seep down through the soil

Answer 4

Surface water

Question 5

Movement of fresh water from precipitation (including snowmelt) to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ultimately, the ocean

Answer 5

Runoff

Question 6

Supply of fresh water under Earth’s surface that is stored in underground aquifers

Answer 6

Groundwater

Question 7

Underground caverns and porous layer of sand, gravel, or rock in which groundwater is stored

Answer 7

Aquifers

Question 8

The upper surface of the saturated zone of groundwater

Answer 8

Water table

Question 9

Three conservation of water resources

Answer 9

Agricultural
Domestic
Industrial/Public

Question 10

A measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics

Answer 10

Water quality

Question 11

State the 6 physical characteristics of water

Answer 11

Color
Odor
Solids
Temperature
Absorbance and Transmittance
Turbidity

Question 12

State the inorganic chemical characteristics of water

Answer 12

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Organic nitrogen
Total Kjeldhal nitrogen
Total phosphorus
Inorganic phosphorus
Organic phosphorus
Metals
Alkalinity
pH
Dissolved oxygen

Question 13

State the 4 organic chemical characteristics of water

Answer 13

BODs (Biological Oxygen Demand)
COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
TOC (Total Organic Carbon
Specific organic compounds

Question 14

State the 4 biological characteristics of water

Answer 14

Bacteria
Helminths
Protozoa
Viruses

Question 15

Measure of wastewater strength/performance

Answer 15

Suspended solids

Question 16

Measure of organic content/active microbial population

Answer 16

Volatile suspended solids

Question 17

Impact of suspended solids

Answer 17

Aesthetically displeasing
Provides absorption sites
May be biodegraded to objectionable by-products
Biologically active solids may cause disease

Question 18

What are the two source of solids?

Answer 18

Inorganic (e.g. clay, silt)
Organic (e.g. fiber, biosolids)

Question 19

What is the source of turbidity?

Answer 19

Eroded colliodal material, biosolids, soaps/detergents, emulsifiers

Question 20

Two measurements of turbidity? State its function.

Answer 20

Secchi disk - maximum depth of visibility
Photometry - absorption and scattering of light

Question 21

What do you call the color of water with suspended solids?

Answer 21

Apparent color

Question 22

What do you call the color of water after removal of suspended solids

Answer 22

True color

Question 23

What are the two measurements of color?

Answer 23

True color units (TCU)
Hazen or Pt-Co units (PCU)

Question 24

What sources has taste but no odor?

Answer 24

Inorganic sources

Question 25

What sources has taste, odor, and usually color?

Answer 25

Organic sources

Question 26

How do you measure taste and odor?

Answer 26

Threshold odor number (TON)

Question 27

How do you measure temperature?

Answer 27

in situ

Question 28

Three sources of dissolved solids.

Answer 28

Solvent action on solids, liquids, gases Contact with atmosphere, surfaces, and within soil Decay products

Question 29

Two measurements of dissolved solids

Answer 29

Gravimetric Conductance (indicative of ions)

Question 30

It includes carbonates, silicates, borates, phosphates, sulphides and ammonia

Answer 30

Alkalinity

Question 31

What are the sources of alkalinity?

Answer 31

Dissolution of minerals, detergents, fertilizers

Question 32

What is the impact of alkalinity?

Answer 32

taste (in high values), precipitation, buffering capacity

Question 33

It is the concentration of multivalent ions in solution.

Answer 33

Hardness

Question 34

Hardness which is equivalent to alkalinity

Answer 34

Carbonate hardness

Question 35

What are the sources of hardness?

Answer 35

Cations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Sr, Al (practically represented as Ca+Mg)

Question 36

It is affected by temperature, salinity, pressure and oxygen demand

Answer 36

Dissolved oxygen

Question 37

What do you call the equation that estimate the saturation concentration of dissolved solids?

Answer 37

Benson-Krause equation

Question 38

What are the sources of metals?

Answer 38

Weathering/deposition Volcanic eruption Human activity

Question 39

What are the two synthetic organic chemicals?

Answer 39

Pesticides Volatile organic compounds (Source: solvents, materials in chemical processing)

Question 40

Two types of indicator organisms

Answer 40

Indicators of contamination Indicators of biointegrity

Question 41

Name the 5 types of point sources

Answer 41

Domestic Combined sewer Stormwater Industrial discharges Spills

Question 42

Name the 5 types of non-point sources

Answer 42

Agricultural run-off Livestock Urban runoff Landfills Recreational activities

Question 43

What are the three existing water resources according to NWRB?

Answer 43

Marine waters Groundwater Surface water

Question 44

What are the 9 agencies involved in national regulation?

Answer 44

1. DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) a. EMB (Environmental Management Bureau) b. NWRB (National Water Resources Board) c. LLDA (Laguna Lake Development Authority 2. BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) 3. DOH (Department of Health) 4. DOST (Department of Science and Technology) 5. PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) 6. LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) 7. MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) 8. MWCI (Manila Water Company, Inc.) 9. MWSI (Maynilad Water Services, Inc.)

Question 45

What key legislation and year is LLDA Act?

Answer 45

RA 4850 (1966)

Question 46

What key legislation and year is the creation of MWSS?

Answer 46

RA 6234 (1971)

Question 47

What key legislation and year is the sanitation code?

Answer 47

PD 856 (1975)

Question 48

What key legislation and year is the water code?

Answer 48

PD 1067 (1976)

Question 49

What key legislation and year is the Philippine environmental code?

Answer 49

PD 1152 (1978)

Question 50

What key legislation and year is the Philippine clean water act?

Answer 50

RA 9275 (2004)

Question 51

It is to protect the country's water bodies from pollution from land-based sources and to provide comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through multi-sectoral and participatory approach involving all stakeholders.

Answer 51

Philippine Clean Water Act