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Water Testing

By Mitchell Dempsey. Water Testing. The Basics. Water Testing – Grading the safety of water based off the water’s chemical and physical appearance/content. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established in 1974 to ensure that all U.S citizens had access to safe drinking water.

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Water Testing

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  1. By Mitchell Dempsey Water Testing

  2. The Basics • Water Testing – Grading the safety of water based off the water’s chemical and physical appearance/content. • The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was established in 1974 to ensure that all U.S citizens had access to safe drinking water. • The Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted in 1948 to ensure all water was kept pollutant free. • In United States water quality is monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This body regulates the concentrations and types of chemicals that may be found in drinking water. In United States all laboratories that conduct water testing must first obtain certificate by EPA.

  3. Different forms of Water Testing • Chemical Testing – The examination of pH levels in water, biochemical and chemical oxygen demand as well as the level of nutrients and metal in the water. • Biological testing - Examines the level of water pollution by monitoring the condition of plants and animals in certain aquatic ecosystem. • Physical Testing -measuring the temperature of water, turbidity and the concentration of total suspended solids.

  4. What are we looking for? • The standard tests required under the "Potable Water Regulation" analyze the water for both chemical and bacteriological substances. • “Chemical" testing examines a variety of components such as: hardness, alkalinity, calcium, chloride, copper, fluoride, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, nitrite, lead, sulphate, antimony, arsenic, boron and zinc. • “Bacteriological” testing looks for the presence of total coliform and fecal coliform, which are substances typically associated with decaying natural organic matter or discharges from sewage disposal systems.

  5. Testing Methods • The water is usually first being tested on-site with researchers measuring the temperature, pH levels, dissolved oxygen and oxygen reduction potential and turbidity. • More comprehensive testing is done in the laboratory. However, the question about the accuracy of laboratory testing always remains open because it is very difficult to determine the extent to which the taken sample may be representative of the water quality (samples may for instance vary seasonally).

  6. Contamination • Methodsused, such as chlorination, toget rid of most bacteria and diseases leaves other chemicals in the water that can be just as hazardous. • Chloroform, Chloramines, Trihalomethanes, etc. • Water can be contaminated with lead by deteriorating old plumbing even after the water has been tested and treated. • The most obvious signs of water contaminated with pollutants include odd taste or smell, colored water which appears filthy, less effective cleaning ability of soaps and detergents. • According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli bacteria is responsible for an estimated 73,000 cases of infection and 61 deaths per year in the United States.

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