water quality & pollution

water quality

measure of water's health and cleanliness, assessed by its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, to determine if it's suitable for specific uses, such as drinking, recreation, or supporting aquatic life

acute health impacts

short-term high level of exposure

chronic health impacts

long-term (repeated) low levels of exposure

Bacterial Waterborne illnesses

• Cholera

• Typhoid

• Dysentery

• Escherichia coli (E. coli)

• Salmonella

Parasitic Waterborne Illnesses

• Giardiasis

• Cryptosporidiosis

• Amebiasis

Viral waterborne illnesses

• Hepatitis A

• Rotavirus

• Norovirus

• Adenovirus

federal water quality regulations

• Clean Water Act (1972)

• Safe Drinking Water Act (1974)

• EPA primary and secondary standards

global perspective

Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water & Sanitation

how do we test water

• Turbidity (water clarity)

• Dissolved Oxygen

• pH

• Microbial counts

• Fecal counts

Outdoor water quality issues

Types of Outdoor Water:

• Surface Water

• Ground Water

• Ocean Water

Common Pollutants

Industrial Waste

• Fertilizers (nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorous)

• E. Coli

• Oil

how do contaminants get into our water supply

indoor water quality issues

• Chlorine

• Metals (Lead, Copper)

• Bacteria

• Toxins

• Organic Material

urban water cycle

water quality: who’s responsible

sources of pollution

• chemical

• biological

• physical

• nutrient

chemical pollution

• Heavy Metals

• Solvents

• Drugs

• Oil

biological pollution

• Bacteria

• Protozoa

• Parasites

nutrient pollution

• nitrogen

• phosophours

  

physical pollution

• Debris

• Trash

• Plastics

  • Microplastics

point source pollution

Pollution coming from a single point/can identify the direct source of pollution

non-point source pollution

pollution that we can’t identify the direct source

sources of water pollution

participatory science & community based monitoring

Everyday people taking action to understand, monitor and report on water quality issues through community-based monitoring and participatory science.

• Indoor Tap water monitoring - Crowd the tap

• Plastic Pollution monitoring - Marine Debris Tracker, Plastic Pirates

• Microplastic Monitoring - Clean Rivers