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About the Catchment Area : Issues & Problems Water Quality Mearsuing Water Quality Some aspects of water quality can be determined right in the creek or river. These include temperature, acidity (pH), dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductance (an indirect indicator of dissolved minerals in the water). Analyses of individual chemicals is generally done in a laboratory.
Affects on water quality When water from rain moves over the land and through the ground, the water may dissolve minerals in rocks and soil, percolate through organic material such as roots and leaves, and react with algae, bacteria, and other microscopic organisms. Water may also carry plant debris and sand, silt, and clay to rivers and streams making the water appear “muddy” or turbid. When water evaporates from lakes and streams, dissolved minerals are more concentrated in the water that remains. Each of these natural processes changes the water quality and potentially the water use. Affect of human activities on water
quality As an example of the effects of human activities on water quality, consider nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers that are applied to crops and lawns. These plant nutrients can be dissolved easily in rainwater runoff. Excess nutrients carried to creels and rivers encourage abundant growth of algae, which leads to low oxygen in the water and the possibility of fish kills. What about bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in water? The presence of bacteria in water, which are normally found in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals, signal that disease-causing pathogens may be present. Giardia and cryptosporidium are pathogens that have been found occasionally in public-water supplies and have caused illness in a large number of people in a few locations. Pathogens can enter our water from leaking septic tanks, wastewater-treatment discharge, and animal wastes.
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