Transcript Water Quality

Water Quality
What does it mean?
Water quality is the ability of a water body to
support all appropriate beneficial uses.
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Beneficial uses for humans:
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drinking water
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bathing
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food preparation
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sanitation
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recreation
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manufacturing
Beneficial uses for animals:
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habitat
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drinking water
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reproduction
Assessing Water Quality
• Physical Assessments
temperature, clarity, velocity
• Chemical Assessments
dissolved oxygen, pH, hardness
• Biological Assessments
benthic macroinvertebrates,
bacteria
Physical Assessments
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Temperature
Depth
Flow rate
Turbidity
Environmental factors
• trees, stream bed, soil,
vegetation, topography,
man-made
surfaces/structures
Chemical Assessments
Measured in terms of concentration; parts per million
or milliliters per gallon
• Acidity/Alkalinity - pH
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Chemical pollutants - fertilizers (NO3,
PO4)detergents, heavy metals, etc.
• Biological Oxygen Demand
• Coliform Bacteria
Biological Assessments
• Macroinvertebrate
diversity
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aquatic insects, insect larvae,
crustaceans, and other smaller
animals that spend their lives in
water
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number and distribution of
species
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levels of sensitivity by species level 1, 2 & 3
Guiding Questions
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How do stream ecosystems respond physically, biologically and
chemically to land use, land cover and geomorphology
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How do we measure the quality of water in nature?
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How is water quality affected by urbanization?
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How do stream ecosystems differ in various locations within the
Kentucky river watershed?
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How do we use water quality information to promote
sustainability of stream ecosystems within the Kentucky river
watershed?
Activity Suggestions
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Make a map for a certain radius around your home or school
showing different kinds of environments; agricultural, mining,
residential, shopping, parks, industrial areas.
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Explore the question of whether your city or community has too
many people. Can your local ecosystem support the population
for the foreseeable future? What are the advantages of having
more or less people?
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Interview grandparents or others that have lived in your area for
a long time. How have natural, agricultural and urban
ecosystems changed? Compare a map of your community from
50 years ago with a current map.