testing the waters water quality testing session

Water Quality Testing Session

© H. Verheul

Water Quality Parameter: a characteristic which can be used to understand the quality of the water.

Water Quality Parameter

© H. Verheul

• Determines the health of an ecosystem– most aquatic species are

cold blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature and need cool waters to survive

– for example, salmon species will experience stress at temperatures over 20°C and prolonged exposure to temperatures over 24°C may be lethal

(Clean Annapolis River Project 2009, MacMillan et. al. 2005)

Water Quality Parameter:

Temperature

• When measuring temperature:– hold probe or thermometer under water for at least 1

minute– keep the thermometer under water while taking the

reading(Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 2006)

© H. Verheul


Temperature

(Water on the Web, 2009)

• Natural variance of temperature of lakes:

– water changes density with temperature causing thermal stratification

– during summer, surface water is warmed by the sun

– during ice cover, warmer temperatures occur at the bottom of a lake

– take readings of several parameters at different depths to ensure a representative data set

– a lake will ‘turnover’ twice a year, in the spring and the fall, causing the layers to mix (this may be a good time to do testing)


Temperature• temperature affects other

parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen and nutrient levels

• water temperature may also be affected by industrial or municipal effluents or runoff that flows over warm concrete or pavement• measurable thermal pollution

may rarely occur, slight changes in temperature may add to effects already being caused by other types of pollution

• long-term monitoring of temperature may be useful in determining the effects of climate change

© H. Verheul

• Clarity– clarity is affected by

algae, soil particles, and other materials suspended in the water

– secchi disk depth is primarily used as an indicator of algae abundance and general lake productivity. Although it is only an indicator, it is the simplest and one of the most effective tools for estimating a lake's productivity.

(Water on the Web, 2009)

• Productivity– the growth rate

of organisms

Water Quality Parameter: Clarity

© H. Verheul

• A measure of the acidity of water.

• It affects the biological and chemical processes in water

• Measured with a pH meter

Water Quality Parameter: pH

http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/manage/qual/e_ph.htm

Effects of phEffects of ph

After: http://www.ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidwater.html

Effects of pH

pH can be influenced by:• rainfall (acid rain)

• the type of bedrock– limestone can help

neutralize the water– granite has little effect

on pH

• dumping of chemicals by individuals, industries, and communities

• acid mine drainage or acid rock drainage

Water Quality Parameter: pH

© H. Verheul

Effects of Acid Rain in Nova Scotia

http://www.novascotiasalmon.ns.ca/newsandissues/acidrain_map.htm

• when dissolved oxygen in water is too low aquatic life, such as fish, suffocate.

• levels below 60% saturation are known to cause stress to aquatic life.

Water Quality Parameter: Dissolved

Oxygen

• Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life (2007) :– warm water:

• early life stages: 6 mg/L

• other life stages: 5.5 mg/L

– cold water: • early life stages: 9.5 mg/L

• other life stages: 6.5 mg/L

• measures the waters ability to conduct electric current

• is directly related to the dissolved ions (charged particle, often salt) in the water

• main sources of ions in water are:– wastewater from treatment plants and septic

systems– urban runoff such as from salt on roads (especially

high after rainfall and snowmelt)– agricultural runoff


Conductivity

© H. Verheul

• Electrical measured in microSiemens per centimeter (μS/cm)

• Hard water has a high conductivity

• Soft water has a low conductivity


Conductivity

© H. Verheul

Lake

EC (μS/cm

) Comments

Pockwock Lake(Halifax) ~35-45

2003-2005http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/

surface.water/automatedqualitymonitoringdata.

asp

Shelburne River

(near Kejimkujik National

Park) ~20-45

2005, varies with water level (stage)

http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/surface.water/automatedqualitymonitorin

gdata.asp

Atlantic Ocean ~48,000 (Water on the Web 2004)

Great Salt Lake ~158,000 (Water on the Web 2004)

Electrical measured in microSiemens per centimeter (μS/cm)

• refers to any minerals or ions that are dissolved in the water

• the dissolved particles may be electrically charged or not

• measured in mg/L and parts per million (ppm) where:– 1 ppm = 1

mg/L


Total Dissolved Solids

http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/images/manage/qual/a3p2e.htm

Quality Assurance Test: Quality Assurance Test: Comparison of Conductivity Comparison of Conductivity and Total Dissolved Solidsand Total Dissolved Solids

© H. Verheul

• Conductivity (μS/cm) = (1.2 to 1.8) Χ TDS (mg/L)

• Other checks:

• major ion balance (if a metals analysis is conducted in a lab)

• is the TDS measured in the field a close match to the TDS measured in the lab

• Essential for plant growth; excess levels can result in excess plant growth(sometimes called eutrophication or algal blooms)

• Can have negative effects on water quality:– depletes oxygen in

water– nitrate may have

direct toxic effects on aquatic life

Water Quality Parameter: Nitrates and Phosphorous

http://blog.pricegrabber.com/shopgreen/files/2008/03/

wsci_01_img0017.jpg

• Comes from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial discharges or non point sources like agricultural runoff or atmospheric deposition.


http://anmp.umd.edu/Bkgrnd/image44.gif

• CCME Guidelines:– maximum level of

phosphorus is dependant on the type of lake but ranges from 0.004 mg/L to 0.1 mg/L

– maximum level of nitrates to prevent toxic effects on aquatic life is 13 mg/L


http://ceqg-rcqe.ccme.ca/(CCME 1999)

• can destroy aquatic habitat by covering fish spawning areas

• may contain toxins which can be harmful to aquatic life

• can make the water foggy which blocks sunlight passage to plant life and can clog the gills of fish

Solid matter such as sand which is transported in rivers and streams. Sediments will be deposited in still water,

such as a lake or pool; this is called deposition or sedimentation.

Water Quality Parameter: Sediments

© H. Verheul

Some unnatural causes of erosion which increases the sediment in streams are:

• construction; erosion can be prevented by proper practises

• deforestation; once stabilizing vegetation has been removed from the top soil, erosion can occur during rainfall

• improper farming practices

Water Quality Parameter: Sediments

© H. Verheul

• YSI 650 MDS and 600 QS Multiprobe– dissolved oxygen,

temperature, conductivity, salinity, specific conductance, pH and total dissolved solids

• Secchi disk– indicator of clarity

• PSC tester 35– temperature, conductivity,

salinity, pH and total dissolved solids

Equipment:Today’s Tests

Courtesy of the Community Based Environmental Monitoring Network

http://www.envnetwork.smu.ca/documents/EC2009web.pdf

http://www.envnetwork.smu.ca/

• YSI 556 Handheld Multiparameter– dissolved oxygen,

temperature, conductivity, salinity, and pH

Equipment:Today’s Tests

Courtesy of the Community Based Environmental Monitoring Network

http://www.envnetwork.smu.ca/documents/EC2009web.pdf

• Secchi Disk– Secchi depth is a measure of clarity– attached to a rope and lowered into the

water until it is no longer visible– higher secchi readings mean more rope

was let out before the disk disappeared from sight and indicates clearer water

– lower readings indicate turbid or colored water. Clear water lets light penetrate more deeply into the lake than does murky water

– this light allows photosynthesis to occur and oxygen to be produced

– rule of thumb is that light can penetrate to a depth of about 2 - 3 times the Secchi disk depth.

EquipmentToday’s Tests

(World Health Organization, 1996)

• Measure the secchi depth twice and report an average of the two depths

• Report the diameter on the disk and the pattern


(http://pearl.maine.edu/glossary/misc/secchi_disk.htm)

Measure the secchi depth twice and report an average of the two

depths

Report the diameter

and pattern of the disk.

• Secchi disk readings are related to algae productivity using the following guidelines: • 4m (13 ft) or less =

Productive• 4-7m (13-23 ft) =

Moderately Productive• 7m (23 ft) or greater

= Unproductive


(http://pearl.maine.edu/glossary/misc/secchi_disk.htm)

ReferencesBartram J. and Ballance R. 1996. Water Quality Monitoring: A practical guide to the design

and implementation of freshwater quality studies and monitoring programmes. United Nations Environment Programmes, World Health Organization.

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). 1999. Canadian water quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. In: Canadian environmental quality guidelines. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Available at: http://ceqg-rcqe.ccme.ca/?config=ccme&thesite=ceqg&words=&image.x=8&image.y=8

Glenen J. and Sharpe A. 2009. Annapolis River 2008 Annual Water Quality Monitoring Report. Clean Annapolis River Project. Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Available at: http://www.annapolisriver.ca/downloads/Annapolis_River_Guardians_2008.pdf

MacMillan et al. 2005. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2582: Characterization of Summer Water Temperatures for 312 selected sites in Nova Scotia. Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Moncton, New Brunswick.

Water on the Web. 2004. Water on the Web - Monitoring Minnesota Lakes on the Internet and Training Water Science Technicians for the Future - A National On-line Curriculum using Advanced Technologies and Real-Time Data. University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812. Available at: http://WaterOntheWeb.org

Wieler C. 2007. Delivery of Ecological Monitoring Information to Decision-Makers. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Network, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario. Available at: http://www.eman-rese.ca/eman/reports/publications/intro.html

testing the waters water quality testing session

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