Thursday, April 30, 2009

Water Quality Information

What is in the water?

Is it safe for drinking? Can fish and other aquatic life thrive in streams and lakes that are affected by human activities? What is the water quality? To answer these questions, it is helpful to understand what "water quality" means, how it is determined, and the natural processes and human activities that affect water quality.

What do we mean by "water quality"?


Water quality can be thought of as a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. To determine water quality, scientists first measure and analyze characteristics of the water such as temperature, dissolved mineral content, and number of bacteria. Selected characteristics are then compared to numeric standards and guidelines to decide if the water is suitable for a particular use.

How is water quality measured?



Some aspects of water quality can be determined right in the stream or at the well. These include temperature, acidity (pH), dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductance (an indirect indicator of dissolved minerals in the water). Analyses of individual chemicals generally are done at a laboratory.


Why do we have water-quality standards and guidelines?


Standards and guidelines are established to protect water for designated uses such as drinking, recreation, agricultural irrigation, or protection and maintenance of aquatic life. Standards for drinking-water quality ensure that public drinking-water supplies are as safe as possible. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the States are responsible for establishing the standards for constituents in water that have been shown to pose a risk to human health. Other standards protect aquatic life, including fish, and fish-eating wildlife such as birds.

How do natural processes affect water quality?



Natural water quality varies from place to place, with the seasons, with climate, and with the types of soils and rocks through which water moves. When water from rain or snow 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.

What is naturally in the water?

The most common dissolved substances in water are minerals or salts that, as a group, are referred to as dissolved solids. Dissolved solids include common constituents such as calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, and chloride; plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus; and trace elements such as selenium, chromium, and arsenic.

In general, the common constituents are not considered harmful to human health, although some constituents can affect the taste, smell, or clarity of water. Plant nutrients and trace elements in water can be harmful to human health and aquatic life if they exceed standards or guidelines.

Dissolved gases such as oxygen and radon are common in natural waters. Adequate oxygen levels in water are a necessity for fish and other aquatic life. Radon gas can be a threat to human health when it exceeds drinking-water standards.

How do human activities affect water quality?

Urban and industrial development, farming, mining, combustion of fossil fuels, stream-channel alteration, animal-feeding operations, and other human activities can change the quality of natural waters. 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 or snowmelt runoff. Excess nutrients carried to streams and lakes encourage abundant growth of algae, which leads to low oxygen in the water and the possibility of fish kills.



Chemicals such as pharmaceutical drugs, dry-cleaning solvents, and gasoline that are used in urban and industrial activities have been found in streams and ground water. After decades of use, pesticides are now widespread in streams and ground water, though they rarely exceed the existing standards and guidelines established to protect human health. A picture of a dust cropping planeSome pesticides have not been used for 20 to 30 years, but they are still detected in fish and streambed sediment at levels that pose a potential risk to human health, aquatic life, and fish-eating wildlife. There are so many chemicals in use today that determining the risk to human health and aquatic life is a complex task. In addition, mixtures of chemicals typically are found in water, but health-based standards and guidelines have not been established for chemical mixtures.

What about bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in water?

The quality of water for drinking cannot be assured by chemical analyses alone. 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.

How can I find out more about my water quality?

Contact your local water supplier and ask for information on the water quality in your area. The USEPA requires public-water suppliers to provide water-quality data to the public on an annual basis in an understandable format. State agencies that deal with health, environmental quality, or water resources also can provide information on the quality of your water. Additional resources can be found on the Internet at:
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa
http://www.epa.gov/safewater

Monday, April 27, 2009

Division of Water


Water divisions are belows
  • Dam Safety
  • Drinking Water
  • Floodplain Management
  • Groundwater
  • Permitting and Approvals
  • Public Involvement and Assistance
  • Statutes and Regulations
  • Surface Water
  • 404 Program
  • Wastewater
  • Water Availability and Use
  • Water Watch
  • Quality Assurance
  • Watersheds

If You are Preparing Your Own Containers of Water

It is recommended you purchase food-grade water storage containers from surplus or camping supplies stores to use for water storage. Before filling with water, thoroughly clean the containers with dishwashing soap and water, and rinse completely so there is no residual soap. Follow directions below on filling the container with water.

If you choose to use your own storage containers, choose two-liter plastic soft drink bottles – not plastic jugs or cardboard containers that have had milk or fruit juice in them. Milk protein and fruit sugars cannot be adequately removed from these containers and provide an environment for bacterial growth when water is stored in them. Cardboard containers also leak easily and are not designed for long-term storage of liquids. Also, do not use glass containers, because they can break and are heavy.

If storing water in plastic soda bottles, follow these steps
Thoroughly clean the bottles with dishwashing soap and water, and rinse completely so there is no residual soap.Sanitize the bottles by adding a solution of 1 teaspoon of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a quart of water. Swish the sanitizing solution in the bottle so that it touches all surfaces. After sanitizing the bottle, thoroughly rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.

Filling Water Containers

Fill the bottle to the top with regular tap water. If the tap water has been commercially treated from a water utility with chlorine, you do not need to add anything else to the water to keep it clean. If the water you are using comes from a well or water source that is not treated with chlorine, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to the water.Tightly close the container using the original cap. Be careful not to contaminate the cap by touching the inside of it with your finger. Place a date on the outside of the container so that you know when you filled it. Store in a cool, dark place.Replace the water every six months if not using commercially bottled water.

How Much Water do I Need?

You should have at least a three-day supply of water and you should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs at least one-half gallon of water daily just for drinking.

Additionally, in determining adequate quantities, take the following into account:

* Individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet, and climate.

* Children, nursing mothers, and ill people need more water.

* Very hot temperatures can double the amount of water needed.

* A medical emergency might require additional water.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Ground Water

How does water get into the ground?

When rain falls to the ground, the water does not stop moving. Some of it flows along the land surface to streams or lakes, some is used by plants, some evaporates and returns to the atmosphere, and some seeps into the ground. Water seeps into the ground much like a glass of water poured onto a pile of sand.

As water seeps into the ground, some of it clings to particles of soil or to roots of plants just below the land surface. This moisture provides plants with the water they need to grow. Water not used by plants moves deeper into the ground. The water moves downward through empty spaces or cracks in the soil, sand, or rocks until it reaches a layer of rock through which water cannot easily move. The water then fills the empty spaces and cracks above that layer. The top of the water in the soil, sand, or rocks is called the water table and the water that fills the empty spaces and cracks is called ground water.

Water seeping down from the land surface adds to the ground water and is called recharge water. Ground water is recharged from rain water and snowmelt or from water that leaks through the bottom of some lakes and rivers. Ground water also can be recharged when water-supply systems (pipelines and canals) leak and when crops are irrigated with more water than the plants can use.

At least some ground water can be found almost everywhere. The water table may be deep, such as under a hillside, or shallow such as under a valley. The water table may rise or fall depending on several factors. Heavy rains or melting snow may increase recharge and cause the water table to rise. An extended period of dry weather may decrease recharge and cause the water table to fall.

Who uses ground water?

More than 50 percent of the people in the United States, including almost everyone who lives in rural areas, use ground water for drinking and other household uses. Ground water is also used in some way by about 75 percent of cities and by many factories. The largest use of ground water is to irrigate crops.

How do you get water out of the ground?

Ground water can be obtained by drilling or digging wells. A well is usually a pipe in the ground that fills the ground water. This water can then be brought to the land surface by a pump. Shallow wells may go dry if the water table falls below the bottom of the well, as illustrated at right.

Water leaving an aquifer is called discharge water. Water that is pumped from a well is discharge water. Ground water might also discharge naturally as springs or into swamps, lakes, or rivers.

Some wells, called artesian wells, do not need a pump. These wells are drilled into an artesian aquifer, which is sandwiched between two impermeable layers. Water enters an artesian aquifer in a permeable recharge zone, which can be miles away from the well. When a well is drilled into an artesian aquifer, pressure pushes water in the well above the top of the aquifer. If the pressure is high enough, water can flow from an artesian well.

Illustration showing how a artesian well flows.

Can we run out of ground water?

We can run out of ground water if more water is discharged than recharged. For example, during periods of dry weather, recharge to the aquifers decreases. If too much ground water is pumped during these times, the water table can fall and wells may go dry.

Ground water can become unusable if it becomes polluted and is no longer safe to drink. In areas where the material above the aquifer is permeable, pollutants can seep into ground water. Ground water can be polluted by seepage through landfills, from septic tanks, from leaky underground fuel tanks, and sometimes from fertilizers or pesticides used on farms as shown at right.

Monday, April 6, 2009

When a good quality Water Heater Goes Bad


I think there’s something wrong with our water heater. Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a change in the amount of hot water in the house…especially in the evening when it’s bath time for the kids.

I hate it when things break, because I still have so much to learn about home repair. Of course I’ll have the plumber come out and take a look, but I expect to hear that I need a new water heater. I’m not exactly sure how old this one is, but I know that the warranty has expired and what do I know about buying a water heater? Nothing.

I’ve learned that buying a major appliance requires a lot of homework. You really have to think about the features that you need before going to the showroom, because all those shiny new appliances can distract you from thinking about getting the appliance that has all the features you need without paying for things you don’t need.

I always shop for appliances that are EnergyStar rated, that’s always the first thing on my list. Sometimes you can even find tax rebates in your area when you buy EnergyStar appliances. Too bad there are no water heater rebates available for me. It’s not free, but I like the unbiased appliance advice from Consumer Reports.

All I know is that I’m going to do the research and figure out what water heater is right for my family before the old one breaks completely and we’re dirty and there isn’t a clean dish in the house. Who needs that kind of pressure?

Friday, April 3, 2009

Quality of Water


We monitor water quality in two ways:
  • Collecting and analysing discrete water samples

  • Continuous monitoring


Discrete water samples

To meet different management requirements, the NSW Government conducts water quality investigations. Each investigation produces a separate dataset.

Results from one dataset may not be compatible with results from another. Before making use of discrete sample data, it is important to review the purposes for which the data was originally collected, and determine whether it is fit for use for your purposes.

The first step in publishing discrete sample water quality data on the Internet is limited to advising which data is available.

Use the Water Quality Data Availability Water Quality Data Availability page to search for available results. You can search on the name of a river, water storage, or locality to build a list of sample sites in your area of interest.

When you select a site from the site list, a table lists the water quality determinands analysed for samples collected at the site, and the datasets which contain the results. The number of results shown includes results that have not yet completed or which have failed our quality assurance procedures. (Note that less than 0.1% of results have failed and are not used for any natural resource investigation.)

If data is available at sites in which you have an interest, contact us to see if results can be made available.

Continuous monitoring

Continuous monitoring is undertaken at sites in rivers across NSW. Water quality parameters such as temperature and electrical conductivity are monitored and available with other provisional river data such as water level and flow.