Project title : The Effect of Human Activities Toward Sungai Samak’s Water

Quality

Hypotheses: -

- Human activities affect the quality of the water.

- The type and severity of water contamination often is directly related

to human activity, which can be quantified in terms of the intensity and
type of land use in the source areas of water to streams and aquifers.
- Water quality from the upstream is higher than the storing.

Objectives :

- to determine which part of the river stream is suitable for aquatic

livings

- to relate human activities with the water quality

- to analyze water quality in terms of chemical, physical and biological

contents.

Locations of interest:

- pristine-considered area ( no human activities)

- human settlement

- recreational area

- plantations

Apparatus :

pH strips, bottle, pressure sensor, oxygen probe, optode

Methods:

Water samples should be taken in the following manner:

1. Pump water from the well for about three minutes. While the water is
still flowing, immerse a nitrate test strip in the stream for one second
and withdraw the strip and allow the colour to develop for 60 seconds.
Compare the colour against the enclosed colour strip and record the
result. Do the same with a pH strip.
2. Collect a sample in a clean clear glass vial or bottle; and

- make visual observations concerning the turbidity.

- make statements about any odours observed in the water.
Surface Water Sampling

Sample Collection

Direct Method

For streams, rivers, lakes, and other surface waters, the direct method may
be utilized to collect water samples from the surface directly into the sample
bottle. This method is not to be used for sampling lagoons or other
impoundments where contact with contaminants is a concern.

Using adequate protective clothing, access the sampling station by

appropriate means. For shallow stream stations, collect the sample under the
water surface while pointing the sample container upstream; the container
must be upstream of the collector. Avoid disturbing the substrate. For lakes
and other impoundments, collect the sample under the water
surface avoiding surface debris and the boat wake.

When using the direct method, do not use pre-preserved sample bottles as
the collection method may dilute the concentration of preservative
necessary for proper sample preservation.
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) Test

Dilution method

To ensure that all other conditions are equal, a very small amount of micro-
organism seed is added to each sample being tested. This seed is typically
generated by diluting activated sludge with de-ionized water. The BOD test is
carried out by diluting the sample with oxygen saturated de-ionized water,
inoculating it with a fixed aliquot of seed, measuring the dissolved oxygen
(DO) and then sealing the sample to prevent further oxygen dissolving in.
The sample is kept at 20 °C in the dark to prevent photosynthesis (and
thereby the addition of oxygen) for five days, and the dissolved oxygen is
measured again. The difference between the final DO and initial DO is the
BOD. The apparent BOD for the control is subtracted from the control result
to provide the corrected value.

The loss of dissolved oxygen in the sample, once corrections have been
made for the degree of dilution, is called the BOD5. For measurement of
carbonaceous BOD (cBOD), a nitrification inhibitor is added after the dilution
water has been added to the sample. The inhibitor hinders the oxidation of
nitrogen.

BOD can be calculated by:

• Undiluted: Initial DO - Final DO = BOD

• Diluted: ((Initial DO - Final DO)- BOD of Seed) x Dilution Factor

BOD is similar in function to chemical oxygen demand (COD), in that both

measure the amount of organic compounds in water. However, COD is less
specific, since it measures everything that can be chemically oxidised, rather
than just levels of biologically active organic matter.

Manometric method

This method is limited to the measurement of the oxygen consumption due

only to carbonaceous oxidation. Ammonia oxidation is inhibited.

The sample is kept in a sealed container fitted with a pressure sensor. A

substance that absorbs carbon dioxide (typically lithium hydroxide) is added
in the container above the sample level. The sample is stored in conditions
identical to the dilution method. Oxygen is consumed and, as ammonia
oxidation is inhibited, carbon dioxide is released. The total amount of gas,
and thus the pressure, decreases because carbon dioxide is absorbed. From
the drop of pressure, the sensor electronics computes and displays the
consumed quantity of oxygen.
The main advantages of this method compared to the dilution method are:

• simplicity: no dilution of sample required, no seeding, no blank sample.

• direct reading of BOD value.
• continuous display of BOD value at the current incubation time.

Test for turbidity

Measurement
Several methods are available to test turbidity in water. These are
summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: Turbidity Measurement Methods

Method Advantages Disadvantages

Jackson Candle (Historical method.) No longer a standard
Turbidimeter method.
- Water poured into Can't measure < 25
tube. JTU (25 NTU).
- Reading taken when
candle burning under
tube can
no longer be seen.
Turbidimeter Extremely accurate. Expensive.
(Nephelometer) Some are portable. Easily damaged.
- Beam of light passed Can measure very low Requires power source.
through water sample. turbidity. Requires calibration.
- Amount of light
scattered at a 90°
angle measured.
Secchi Disk Low cost. Less accurate.
- Black and white disk Portable. Can't be used in
lowered into water. No consumables. shallow water
- Maximum distance at Easy to learn. or swift currents.
which disk can be seen Not applicable to small
recorded sample size.
Turbidity Tube Low cost. Less accurate.
(Transparency Tube) Portable. Can't measure < 5
- Combination of No consumables. NTU.
Jackson candle and Easy to learn.
Secchi disk methods. Suitable for all water
sources.
Test for Dissolve Oxygen (D.O)

It can be measured with a dissolved oxygen probe such as an oxygen

sensor or an optode in liquid media, usually water.

- An oxygen sensor is an electronic device that measures the proportion

of oxygen (O2) in the gas or liquid being analyzed

- An optode is an optical sensor device that optically measures a specific

substance usually with the aid of a chemical transducer

- In aquatic environments, oxygen saturation is a relative measure of the

amount of oxygen (O2) dissolved in the water.

- Supersaturation (contains more of the dissolved material than could be

dissolved by the solvent under normal circumstances) can sometimes be
harmful for organisms and cause decompression sickness.

- Dissolved oxygen (DO) is measured in standard solution units such as

millilitres O2 per liter (ml/L), millimoles O2 per liter (mmol/L), milligrams
O2 per liter (mg/L) and moles O2 per cubic meter (mol/m3).

- For example, in freshwater under atmospheric pressure at 20°C,

O2 saturation is - 9.1 mg/L

- To convert the calculated DO above from ml/L to mg/L, multiply the

answer by (P/T)*0.5130, P=mmHg, T=Kelvin

- To express results as percent saturation, use the following equation:

measured DO (mg/L)
DO (percent saturation ) = ×100
DO (mg/L at 100 percent saturation )

- Oxygen content in water can be measured by adding equal quantities of

Manganese and Iodine ions in an alkaline solution to a sample of the
 water. This is then titrated against sodium thiosulfate with a starch
indicator and the oxygen concentration determined.

- Winkler test for dissolved oxygen :

- An excess of manganese(II) salt, iodide (I-) and hydroxide (HO-) ions

are added to a water sample causing a white precipitate of Mn(OH)2 to
form.

- This precipitate is then oxidized by the dissolved oxygen in the water

sample into a brown manganese precipitate.

- In the next step, a strong acid (either hydrochloric acid or sulfuric

acid) is added to acidify the solution. The brown precipitate then
converts the iodide ion (I-) to iodine.

-The amount of dissolved oxygen is directly proportional to the titration

of iodine with a thiosulfate solution

Test for bacteria present

- It uses samples of water and from these samples determines the

concentration of bacteria then draw inferences about the suitability of the
water for use from these concentrations

- Indicator organisms are bacteria such as non-

specific coliforms, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are
very commonly found in the human or animal gut and which, if detected,
may suggest the presence of sewage

- Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram negative rod-shaped bacterium that

is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms
(endotherms). Serotype O157:H7 can cause serious food
poisoning in humans. Their ability to survive for brief periods outside the
body makes them an ideal indicator organism to test environmental
samples for fecal contamination. E. coli bacteria have been commonly
found in recreational waters. E. coli bacteria have also been found
in fish and turtles. Sand and soil also harbor E. coli bacteria and some
strains of E. coli have become naturalized.

- Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium which can

cause disease in animals, including humans. It is found in soil, water, skin
flora, and most man-made environments throughout the world. In
animals, it will infect damaged tissues or people with reduced immunity.
The symptoms are inflammation and sepsis. If such colonizations occur in
critical body organs, such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the
results can be fatal.