ECW 512 - ENVIRONMENT LABORATORY ECB 7D1

1.0 TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page

1.0 Table of Content 1

2.0 Report
2.1 Introduction 2
2.2 Task 4
2.3 Objectives 4
2.4 Methodology 4
2.4.1 Procedure 5
2.5 Result and analysis 7
2.6 Discussion 8
2.7 Health and Safety 9
2.8 Conclusion 10
2.9 Appendices 11
3.0 Reference 12

2.0 REPORT

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological

characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set
of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most

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common standards used to assess water quality relate to drinking

water, safety of human contact, and for health of ecosystems.

During this lab, we are only testing the water for their physical
characteristic only. The physical characteristics are conductivity, pH,
temperature, colour and turbidity.

Conductivity

Conductivity is a measurement of the ability of an aqueous

solution to carry an electrical current. An ion is an atom of an element
that has gained or lost an electron which will create a negative or
positive state. Conductivity is measure in mhos. The larger the
number, the more anions and cations are present. It turns out that pure
water is poor conductor of electricity. The more total anions and
cations, the better the conductivity of your drinking water, the higher
your conductivity reading will be.

pH

Some chemical impurities cause water to behave as either an

acid or a base. Since either condition has an important bearing on the
water treatment process, the pH value must be determined. Generally
the pH influences the corrosiveness of the water, chemical dosages
necessary for proper disinfection, and the ability to detect
contaminants.

Temperature

The water temperature is very important for water quality.

Many of the physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water
are directly affected by temperature. For example, temperature
influences:

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1. The amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in water;

2. The rate of photosynthesis by algae and larger aquatic plants;

3. The metabolic rates of aquatic organisms;

4. The sensitivity of organisms to toxic wastes, parasites, and

diseases

Colour

Colour in water may result from the presence of natural

metallic ions (iron and manganese) humus and peat materials,
plankton, wed and industrial wastes. Colour is removed in order to
make water suitable for general and industrial applications. The term
apparent colours include not only the color due to substances in
solution, but also that due to suspended matter. Apparent colour is
determined on the original sample without filtration.

Turbidity

Turbidity can be defined as a how cloudy or how clearly the

water is. The lower the turbidity, the clearer the water. Turbidity can
be result of suspended soil as clay, silt, plankton, industrial waste or
sewage in water. High turbidity may be caused by soil erosion, waste
discharge, urban runoff, flooding, dredging activities, channelization,
increased flow rate, algae growth, or even too many bottom-feeding
fish(such as carp) that stir up bottom sediment.

If water becomes too turbid, it loses the ability to support a wide

variety of plants and other aquatic organisms. Suspended solids reduce
the amount the light that can pass through the water.

2.2 TASK

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1) Find brief LR on physical characteristic of water and discuss

significant

2) From the available apparatus in lab, determine the physical testing

of 3 different water samples

3) Discuss the result by looking at the difference in data obtained

what is the function of water quality standard.

2.3 OBJECTIVES

1) To measure the physical characteristic of water samples.

2) To discuss the physical characteristic of water samples.

2.4 METHODOLOGY

To conduct this experiment, we need to take three different

water samples. Each sample will undergo five physical characteristic
water tests as stated above. For pH, temperature and conductivity, the
reading will be taken at their origin place. As for turbidity and colour
test, we will carry it out in the laboratory.

2.4.1 PROCEDURE

a. pH, temperature and conductivity

i. Locate three suitable locations for taking the

samples.

ii. Prepare the equipment needed.

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iii. Put in the equipment into the water.

iv. Make sure that the water levels are higher than the
minimum water level required in using the
equipment.

v. Let the tester bar in the water for 3 minutes.

vi. Using this equipment, we can take all the three

reading for three different tests on the same time.

vii. Record the reading for three times using the same
procedure.

b. Colour

i. Three sample of water which is drain, pipe and

curing water had been taken.
ii. Clean all testing bottle that want use with distilled
water.
iii. Each sample of water is filled into the testing bottle
iv. After filled all sample in testing bottle, clean the
testing bottle with tissue to make sure no finger
print at the testing bottle surface to get accurate
result.
v. Before put each sample in Spectrophotometer,
testing bottle that contains distilled water must be
put first to get the zero (clear water) reading in
Spectrophotometer.
vi. After put distilled water into Spectrophotometer,
take out the testing bottle that contains distilled
water and put testing bottle that contains each
sample into Spectrophotometer.
vii. The Spectrohotometer measured the reading of the
colour.

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viii. The readings are taken.

ix. The same steps above are repeated with each
sample.

c. Turbidity

i. Three sample of water which is drain, pipe and

curing water had been taken.
ii. Clean all testing bottle that want use with distilled
water.
iii. Each sample of water is filled into the testing bottle
iv. After filled all sample in testing bottle, clean the
testing bottle with tissue to make sure no finger
print at the testing bottle surface to get accurate
result.
v. Presses the buttons until the auto-range and signal
average appear at the screen.
vi. Put the sample bottle into the turbidity test
equipment.
vii. The readings are taken after the signal stop beeping.
viii. The same steps above are repeated with each
sample.

2.5 RESULT AND ANALYSIS

This is the result that we gain from those three samples.

sample 1
(curing water)

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Test 1 2 3 average
pH 9.75 9.72 9.73 9.73
temperature 26.5 26.48 26.51 26.50
conductivity 543.8 543.6 543.9 543.77
color 41 44 36 40.33
turbidity 2.22 2.14W.H.O.2.07 2.14 H
M.O.
Parameter
Standard* Standard*
1 pH < 8.0 6.5-9.0
sample 2
2 Colour (Hazen Unit)
(drain water) 15 TCU 15 TCU
3 Turbidity (NTU) 5 NTU 5 NTU
4 Test
Conductivity (S/cm)
1 2 400 3 -
average
5 pHTemperature (C)6.86 6.87 25 6.86 -
6.86
temperature
6 Dissolved Solids,28.21mg/l 28.21 100028.21 28.21
1000
conductivity 179.2 179.2 179.2 179.20
color 172 171 172 171.67
turbidity 14.7 14.9 14.8 14.80

sample 3
(water pipe)

Test 1 2 3 average
pH 7.23 7.23 7.23 7.23
temperature 26.32 26.32 26.3 26.31
conductivity 85.2 82.3 79.8 82.43
color 20 15 13 16.00
turbidity 1.87 1.43 1.76 1.69

2.6 DISCUSION

From the result that we gain, we can see that the result
are different depend on the test that being done.

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pH test

From the result obtained, we can see that the curing

water and water pipe sample are alkaline because the pH is
more than 7. The drain water is acidic because the pH is low
that 7. There were clearly stated in the result table show that
curing water with pH 9.73 is not within the MOH and WHO
standard. The pH for drain and water pipe is 6.86 and 7.23
respectively. We can see that the pHs are still in the standard of
WHO and MOH.

Temperature
The temperatures for all three samples are slightly
different from each other. All the temperature are above 25C,
more than the standard that specified by WHO. The
temperatures for curing, drain and pipe water are 26.5, 28.21
and 26.31C respectively.

Conductivity

From the result, the readings for drain, curing and pipe
water are 179.20, 543.77 and 82.43 respectively. If we

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compared it to the WHO standard, we can see that the curing

water is exceeding the standard level which is 400S/cm.

Colour

All three samples that was test on colour show all

reading is over than standard of WHO and MOH. For curing
water, the reading is 543.77TCU. The reading is large maybe
because the water is not moving. Furthermore, the concrete
block that being put in there could also give some influence on
the readings. The drain water reading is 179.20. This maybe
caused by domestic waste from the faculty and also from the
construction work near the place where the sample is taken.
The only sample that nearly matches the WHO standard is the
pipe water, with the reading of 16.00TCU. The reading is
standard because the pipe water is already treated.

Turbidity
The results that we gain for this experiment are
2.14NTU, 14.80NTU and 1.69NTU for curing, drain and pipe
water respectively. Only the drain water is exceeding the
turbidity standard by WHO and MOH which is 5NTU.

2.7 HEALTH AND SAFETY

During the experiment, we have taken several safety

precautions such including wear gloves while conducting the
contaminant water samples. Other safety precautions that being taken
are wearing jacket and shoes during the laboratory session.

2.8 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we can say that pipe water is the only sample

that fit the standard criteria of water quality specified by the WHO and

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MOH. This is because the pipe water is already treated and safe for us
to use.

The other two water samples are absolutely out of the standard
and are not approved to be used as human water source. If we
compared WHO and MOH standard, we can see that it is nearly the
same. WHO stands for World Health Organisation while MOH stands
for Malaysia Ministry of Health.

Water quality standards include the following components:

Beneficial uses designation of the public uses and benefits

our water resources provide to people.

Numeric standards allowable concentrations of specific

pollutants in water, established to protect the beneficial uses.

Narrative standards descriptions or statements of

unacceptable conditions in and on the water.

Nondegradation extra protection for high-quality or unique

waters to keep them from being degraded.

2.9 APPENDICES

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3.0 REFFERENCE

http://www.indiana.edu/~bradwood/eagles/temperature.htm

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbidity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conductivity

http://www.lenntech.com/water-conductivity.htm

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8a.html

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