Water Quality
Water Quality
Water Quality
Water Quality Standards are the foundation of the water qualitybased pollution control program mandated by the Clean Water
Act. Water Quality Standards define the goals for a waterbody
by designating its uses, setting criteria to protect those uses, and
establishing provisions such as antidegradation policies to protect
waterbodies from pollutants.
Drinking Water Standards are found elsewhere on our website.
Where You Live
Regional and state specific information.
Basic Information
The importance of Water Quality Standards and how they fit into
overall water quality protection. Fact sheet (PDF) (2 pp,
204K, About PDF)
Water Quality Standards Regulations and Federally Promulgated
Standards
Listing of federal water quality standards rules, Clean Water Act
determinations and Paperwork Reduction Act information
collection requests.
Policy & Guidance: Water Quality Standards Handbook
The Water Quality Standards Handbook is the central repository
for policy and guidance to help states, tribes, & territories comply
with federal regulations addressing water quality standards. If you
are looking for a specific document related to water quality
standards, try our Policy and Guidance Library.
ater quality monitoring is defined here as the sampling and
analysis of water constituents and conditions. These may include:
Introduced pollutants, such as pesticides, metals, and oil
Constituents found naturally in water that can nevertheless
be affected by human sources, such as dissolved oxygen,
bacteria, and nutrients
Chemical analysis
The simplest methods of chemical analysis are those
measuring chemical elements without respect to their form.
Elemental analysis for oxygen, as an example, would
indicate a concentration of 890,000 milligrams per litre
(mg/L) of water sample because water is made of oxygen.
The method selected to measure dissolved oxygen should
differentiate between diatomicoxygen and oxygen combined
with other elements. The comparative simplicity of
elemental analysis has produced a large amount of sample
data and water quality criteria for elements sometimes
identified as heavy metals. Water analysis for heavy metals
must consider soil particles suspended in the water sample.
These suspended soil particles may contain measurable
amounts of metal. Although the particles are not dissolved in
the water, they may be consumed by people drinking the
water. Adding acid to a water sample to prevent loss of
dissolved metals onto the sample container may dissolve
more metals from suspended soil particles. Filtration of soil
particles from the water sample before acid addition,
however, may cause loss of dissolved metals onto the filter.
[14]
The complexities of differentiating similar organic
molecules are even more challenging.
Making these complex measurements can be expensive.
Because direct measurements of water quality can be
expensive, ongoing monitoring programs are typically
conducted by government agencies. However, there are
local volunteer programs and resources available for some
WATER QUALITY
Assignment in
Environmental Engineering
Submitted by :
Joseph Hanzal Bulanadi