Introduction

Assoc. Prof. Kozet YAPSAKLI

 Types of water

 Rain water
 Storm water
 River water/ Lake water
 Groundwater
 Ocean water
 Industrial water
 Drinking water
 Agricultural water
 Irrigation water
 Brown water
 Yellow water
 Grey water
 Sewage etc.
 HOW DO THEY APPEAR?
Blue water = seems as if good quality water
 HOW DO THEY APPEAR?
Green water = seems as if nutrient-enriched water
 HOW DO THEY APPEAR
Brown water comes from swamps & forests
Water pollution from poor land use practices
Algal bloom – sign of eutrophication
Choosing Water resources – Starting point of
WQ interventions

 Water Quality - How good is it?

 Affordability - What does it cost?
 Adequacy – Can it supply enough water?
 Reliability - How long will it last?
 Convenience - How far away is it from homesteads?
TYPES OF DRINKING WATER STANDARDS

 PRIMARY
 health related
 enforced

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TYPES OF DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
 SECONDARY
 non-health related contaminants that affect flavor, odor,
color
 iron
 manganese
 sulfate
 hydrogen sulfide
 chloride
 recommended but not enforced

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Abundance of Dissolved Constituents in
Surface and Ground Water

 Major Constituents
(> 5 mg/L)
 Ca
 Mg
 Na
 Cl
 Si
 SO42- - sulfate
 H2CO3 - carbonic acid
 HCO3- - bicarbonate
Abundance of Dissolved Constituents
in Surface and Ground Water

 Minor Constituents
 (0.01-10 mg/L)
 B
 K
 F
 Sr
 Fe
 CO32- - carbonate
 NO3- - nitrate
Abundance of Dissolved Constituents
in Surface and Ground Water

 Trace Constituents 
 (< 0.1 mg/l)  Pb
 Al  Mn
 As  Ni
 Ba
 Se
 Br
 Ag
 Cd
 Co  Zn
 Cu  others
 Drinking Water Standards

 Pollutants/Contaminants Regulated
 Microorganisms, Disinfectants & Disinfectant
Byproducts, Inorganic Chemicals, Organic Chemicals,
Radionuclides
 Lists available at:
 http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.htm
l
 KINDS OF HEALTH RELATED
STANDARDS

 Maximum Contamination Levels Goals (MCLG's)

 Level at which there are no known or anticipated adverse
health effects.
 non-enforceable
 set at 0 for known carcinogens

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 KINDS OF HEALTH RELATED
STANDARDS

 Maximum Contamination Level (MCL's)

 set as close to the MCLG as is technically and economically
feasible
 enforceable

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 KINDS OF HEALTH RELATED
STANDARDS

 Non-regulatory Health Advisory (HA's)

 Informal technical guidance regarding concentrations of
drinking water contaminants at which adverse health effects
would not be anticipated to occur
 non-regulatory purposes
 guidance to state and local officials when emergency
conditions occur

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Drinking Water Health Advisories
(HA)

 Lifetime HA: The concentration of a chemical in

drinking water that is not expected to cause any
adverse noncarcinogenic effects over a lifetime of
exposure, with a margin of safety.

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 Dose-Response Curves
100

90

80

70
Response

60

50

40

30
NOAEL

20
RfD

10

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
19
Dose Rate (mg/kg/day)
Drinking Water Standards (EPA, May
1995)

A. Chemical
1. Maximum Contaminant Level (mg/ L)
lead .015
mercury .002
nitrate (as N) 10.0
nitrite (as N) 1.0
alachlor (lasso) 0.002
aldicarb 0.007
atrazine 0.003
carbofuran (Furadan) 0.04

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 Drinking Water Standards (EPA, May
1995)

2. Secondary Maximum Contaminant

Level (mg/ L)
chloride 250
copper 1
iron 0.3
pH 6.5 to 8.5
sulfate 250
total dissolved solids (TDS) 500

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 Drinking Water Standards (EPA, May
1995)

B. Physical
color 15 color
units
odor 3 odor
units
C. Bacteriological
coliform bacteria none

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 Water Quality Problem
The MCL for atrazine is 0.003 mg/L. How much atrazine at this
concentration would be in the water in a pond which has a surface
area of 5 acres and an average depth of 8 feet?

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 Water Classification

 How?
 Compare ions with ions using chemical equivalence
 Making sure anions and cations balance
 Use of diagrams and models
 Why?
 Helps define origin of the water
 Indicates residence time in the aquifer
 Aids in defining the hydrogeology
 Defines suitability
What is Chemical Equivalence?

 Chemical analysis of groundwater samples

 Concentrations of ions are reported by
 weight (mg/L)
 chemical equivalence (meq/L)
 Takes into account ionic charge
 Equivalent Concentration
 Ion Balance

 If all ions are correctly determined by a lab

 sum of cations should equal sum of anions (all in meq/L)
 Errors in analysis and chemical reactions in samples
 5% difference is considered acceptable
 > 5%, question the lab results
 Calculating Equivalence
Sandstone Aquifer
Parameter
mg/L Meq/L
Na+ 19 0.827
For instance:
Cl- 13 0.367 The atomic wt. of Sodium
SO42- 7 0.146 (valence of one) = 22.989
Ca2+ 88 4,391 And its charge is one
Mg2+ 7.3 0.6 Dividing the concentration of
HCO3- 320 5.245 sodium in the sample (19 mg/L)
by its “combining wt.” = 0.827
Total Anions 5.758 meq/L or its equivalent
Total 5.818 concentration.
Cations

%
1%
Difference
Aquatic Freshwater Protection
Criteria (USA EPA Guidelines)

Criteria Recommended Standard

pH 6.5-9.5

Alkalinity 20 mg/L or more

30 day average 5.5 mg/L

Dissolved Oxygen
(warm water fish)

Should not reduce Photosynthesis

Suspended Solids
by more than 10% in the water
 Drinking Water Criteria
(USA EPA Guidelines)

Criteria Recommended Standard Reason

Coliform Bacteria 0 colonies/ml Health

pH 6.5-8.5 Aesthetic

Health
Barium 2 mg/L

Nitrate 10 mg/L Health

Total Dissolved
500 mg/L Taste
Solids
Secondary - Drinking water standards
(EPA)
Contaminant Secondary Standard
Aluminum 0.05 to 0.2 mg/L
Chloride 250 mg/L
Color 15 (color units)
Copper 1.0 mg/L
Corrosivity noncorrosive
Fluoride 2.0 mg/L
Foaming Agents 0.5 mg/L
Iron 0.3 mg/L
Manganese 0.05 mg/L
Odor 3 threshold odor number
pH 6.5-8.5
Silver 0.10 mg/L
Sulfate 250 mg/L
Total Dissolved
500 mg/L
Solids