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CHAPTER 3
41
Chapter three
Chapter (3)
WATER QUALITY AND STANDARDS
Chapter three
water clean was well recognized by that time, but the degree of clarity
was not measurable. The first municipal water filtration plant started
operations in 1832 in Scotland. Aside from the frequent references of
concern for the aesthetic properties of water, historical records indicate
that standards for water quality were notable absent up to and including
much of the 19th century.
With the realization that various epidemics (e.g., cholera and typhoid) had
been caused and spread by water contamination, people saw that the
quality of drinking water could not be accurately judged by sensory
perception. Reliance on taste and smell was not an accurate means of
judging the acceptability of water; more stringent quality criteria would
be a necessary historical development. As a result, in 1852 a law was
passed in London stating that all waters should be filtered.
The next major milestone in drinking water technology was the use of
chlorine as disinfection. Chlorination was first used in 1908 and was
introduced in a large number of water systems.
In the 19th century, the water quality standards was developed and
regulated to give best potable water. These standards (Pontius, 1990)
included the following :
i.
ii.
Chapter three
iii.
iv.
Physical,
Chemical,
and
bacteriological
examinations
were
illustrated.
v.
vi.
ii.
iii.
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Chapter three
Chapter three
secondary
standards)
have
been
established
for
certain
46
Chapter three
47
Chapter three
Constituent
pH
Electric
Conductivity
T.D.S
Color
Units
6.5-8.5
800-2300
GCS
(1993/149)
SAS
(1993/701)
6.5-8.5
160-1600
1500
50.0 TCU
100-1000
15.0 TCU
SAS
(1984/409)
USS
EEC
6.0 -8.5
6.5-8.5
6.5-8.5
400
6.5-8.5
1000
15.0 TCU
500
15.5
TCU
1500
1 mg/1
Pt/Co scale
<500
/cm at 20 C
mg/1
TCU(true
Color unit
NTU,
(nephelometrc
turbidity unit)
25.0 NTU
5.0 NTU
5.0 NTU
1.0-5.0
NTU
1(10) mg/1
SiO2
Taste
Acceptable
Acceptable
Inoffensive
Acceptable
Order
Acceptable
Acceptable
Inoffensive
Acceptable
O dilution
No. (3)
O dilution
No. (3)
100
30(50)
60 Ca
mg/1
minimum
Turbidity
CGL
(1987)
WHO
Calcium
Magnesium
Ca mg/1
mg mg/1
200
30-150
200
150
Total
Hardness
mg/1 as
CaCo3
500
500
500
Manganese
Sodium
Chloride
Mg mg/1
Na mg/1
C1 mg/1
0.05
--600
0.1
200
250
0.1
200
250
0.05
Fluride
F1 mg/1
0.6-1.0
0.6-1.7
1.5
1.4-2.4
Nitrite,NO2
Nitrite,NO3
Aluminum
mg/1
mg/1
mg/1
45
---
<1.0
10 as N
0.2
Sulfate,SO4
mg/1
400
Iron
Fe mg/1
Free residual
mg/1
<15.0 TCU
<5 NTU
Inoffensive
Inoffensive
<500
0.02 (0.05)
20(175)
25
<0.05
--<250
10
0.2
1.0 as N
10 as N
0.05
(0.7) at 253u C
(0.1)
25 (50)
0.05(0.2)
1.5
1.0 as N
10
10
400
400
250
25(500)
1.0
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.05(0.2)
0.2-1.0
0.2-0.5
<1/100
0/100 ml
ml
MF method
250
<0.3
chlorine
Coliform
no./100 ml
Bacteria
Fecal
no./100 ml
0/100 ml
0.0
0.0
Coliform
J
MF method
coliform
no./100 ml
<1/100 ml
0.0
0.0
j
MF method
MPN/100 ml
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Chapter three
3.4.1.2.Electrical Conductivity
Electrical conductivity is a numerical expression that shown the ability of
water to hold electrical current. The unit of Electrical conductivity is
mhos / cm. Electrical conductivity depends on the ionic forces of the
solution, appearance of the dissolved ions and their concentration, relative
concentration, and the measurement temperature.
Chapter three
the
anaerobic
carbon
3.4.1.5. Alkalinity
The alkalinity of the water is its ability to neutralize an acid. It is the sum
total of components in the water that tend to elevate the pH of the water
above 4.5. Carbonates, bicarbonates, phosphates, and hydroxide
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Chapter three
3.4.1.6. Nitrates
The continuous interchange between atmospheric terrestrial nitrogen is
referred to as nitrogen cycle. It has undergone profound modifications as
a result of agricultural and industrial activities of man.
Atmospheric nitrogen is transformed by microbial action in plants and in
the soil, by various atmospheric processes, and by industrial process
compounds, such as ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites.
Nitrates are salts of nitric acid, most of which are readily soluble in water.
Levels in cultivated soils, and thus levels in groundwater, may be
increased by the use of commercial nitrogenous fertilizers and farm
animal waste. Intensive animal farming produces large amounts of
nitrogenous materials that may be converted into nitrates.
3.4.1.7. Chloride
Chloride ion is one of the major inorganic anions in water and
wastewater. Chloride is a salt compound resulting from the combination
of the gas, chlorine, and metal. The typical taste may be absent in waters
containing as much as 1,000 mg/L when the predominant cautions are
calcium and magnesium
.
The chloride concentration is higher in wastewater than in raw water
because sodium chloride is a common component of the diet and passes
unchanged through the digestive system. High chloride content may
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Chapter three
3.4.1.8. Calcium
The pressure of calcium in the form Ca2+ in water supplies as a result of
passage through or over deposits of limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and
gypsiferous shale. The calcium content may range from zero to several
hundred milligrams per liter, depending on the source and treatment of
the water. Calcium contributes to the total hardness of water.
3.4.1.9. Magnesium
Magnesium, in the form of Mg2+, ranks eighth among the elements in
order of abundance and is a common constituent of natural water.
Important contributes to the hardness of water, magnesium salts breaks
down when heated, forming scale in boilers. The magnesium may very
from zero to several hundred milligrams per liter, depending on the
source and treatment of the water.
3.4.1.10. Sodium
Sodium, in the form of Na+, ranks sixth among the elements in order of
abundance and is present in most natural waters. The levels may very
from less than 1 mg Na/1, to more than 500 mg Na/1. The ratio of sodium
to total cations is important in agricultural and human pathology.
3.4.1.11. Potassium
Potassium, in the form of K, ranks seventh among the elements in order
of abundance, yet its concentration in most drinking waters seldom
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Chapter three
reaches 20 mg/L. However, occasional brines may contain more than 100
mg/L potassium.
3.4.1.12. Phosphorus
Phosphorus, in the form of P+, is particularly toxic and is subject to
bioaccumulation in much same way as mercury. However, phosphorus as
phosphate (PO4+) is one of the major mutrients
nutrition and essential for life. Phosphorus enters waterways from several
different sources.
The human body excretes about 1 pound per year of phosphorus. The use
of phosphate detergents and other domestic phosphates increases the
phosphorus load to natural habitats. Some industries, such as potato
processing, have wastewater high in phosphates. It was found that total
phosphorus concentrations in excess of 100 mg/L might interfere with
coagulation in water treatment plants.
3.4.1.13. Ammonia
Ammonia in the form of NH3 is a pungent, colorless, gaseous, alkaline
compound of nitrogen and hydrogen that is highly soluble in water. It is a
biologically active compound present in natural waters as a normal
biological degradation product of nitrogenous organic matter and
wastewater. It may also reach surface waters through the discharge of
industrial wastes containing ammonia as a byproduct or wastes from
industrial processes using ''ammonia water''.
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Chapter three
3.4.1.14. Cadmium
Cadmium in the form of (Cd) occurs as a soft, blue-white, malleable
metal or grayish-white powder. Cadmium has been shown to be toxic to
man when ingested or inhaled. When ingested, it caused symptoms
resembling food poisoning.
3.4.1.15. Lead
Lead in the form of (Pb) is a silver-gray soft metal that occurs in the
earth's at crust at an average concentration of about 13 mg/kg, however,
some environment have much higher concentrations. Since these areas
constitute a small percentage of total land, exposures of man to these
sources are negligible.
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Chapter three
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Chapter three
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