4.

Quality Requirements for Beneficial Use of Water

The need and desire for good quality of water can go back beyond the time of civilization. In the past,
Romans have used aqueducts in transmission of water and elaborated sewerage and pollution
systems.

But in history, epidemic had occurred related to poor quality of water. In London during 1848-1854,
25,000 people died of cholera because of ineffective sewerage and contamination of water.

In effort of creating water quality requirements or standards, safe drinking purposes and prevention
of epidemic outbreaks were the primary concerned

Beneficial Use – A beneficial use of water is a use which is of benefit to the appropriator and to
society as well. The term encompasses considerations of social and economic value and efficiencyof
use. In the past, most reasonably efficient uses of water for economic purposes have been considered
beneficial.

Beneficial use of water includes

 Domestic Water Supply

 Industrial Water Supply
 Agricultural Water Supply
 Propagation of Fish and Other Aquatic Life
 Shellfish Culture
 Recreation

Domestic Water Supply

• Utilization of water for drinking, washing, bathing, cooking or other household needs, home
gardens and watering of lawns

• Estimated water withdrawal for domestic and commercial use in 1975 is 107 million m3/day (29
billion gal/day), and for industrial use was about 194 million m3/day (51 billion gal/day). The
National Water Commission estimated that the amount of water withdrawn will be more than
double by year 2000, but no in domestic or commercial use.

• As a first step in setting national standards for drinking water quality, the Safe Drinking Water
Act was issued on Dec. 10 1975, and become effective in June 1977

• The water quality regulations provide safe and potable water

• Standard water treatment includes

• Coagulation

• Sedimentation

• Rapid Sand filtration

• Disinfection
Primary drinking quality standards
Industrial Water supply

 Utilization of water in factories, industrial plants and mines, including the use of water as an
ingredient of a finished product.
 Water quality requirements are dependent for every industry because of its diverse nature.
Water quality requirement varies for every industrial processes, which also different on other
plants.
Quality considerations are on
 Cost of treatment
 Plant age
 Plant operating practices
 Quality and quantity of the available supply

The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO, 1997) states that all water for all uses
should be:

Free from;

 Substances attributable to municipal, industrial, or other discharges, or agricultural practices

that will settle to form putrescent or otherwise objectionable sludge deposits

 Floating debris, oil, scum, and other floating materials attributable to municipal, industrial, or
other discharges, or agricultural practices in amounts sufficient to be unsightly or deleterious.

 Materials attributable to municipal, industrial, or other discharges, or agricultural practices

producing color, odor, or other conditions in such degree as to cause a nuisance to the
environment
Specific quality for industrial water source
Agricultural Water Supply

• Uses water to in producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired products by the cultivation
of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock)

• Irrigation is the largest water user in the world

When considering the use of treated wastewaters for irrigation, Noy and Feinmesser (1977) stated the
following disadvantages:

• The supply of wastewater is continuous throughout the year, while irrigation is seasonal and
dependent on crop demands

• Treated wastewater may plug nozzles

• Wastewater may have concentrations toxic to plants

• Health regulations in using wastewater in edible plants

• When wastewater isn’t treated, it may be nuisance in the environment

Recommended maximum concentrations of trace elements in irrigation waters

Stock and Wildlife Watering

Measure water quality and quantity to effectively plan and monitor water supplies for livestock. If water
quality is poor, livestock may drink less than they need, or rarely, may drink less than they need. When
animals drink less, they will eat less and lose condition, and if they are lactating, their milk production
will reduce or cease.

 Livestock drinking water should not be less than a man, a desirable water quality stated by
National Technical Committee (FWPCA, 1968)
 Salinity can cause adverse physiological effects on livestock
 Water containing heavy growths of blue-green algae are must avoided for drinking purpose

Propagation of Fish and Other Aquatic Life

Water quality is the most important factor affecting fish health and performance in aquaculture
production systems. Good water quality refers to what the fish wants and not what the farmer thinks
the fish wants. This means that we must understand the water quality requirements of the fish under
culture very well. Fish live and are totally dependent on the water they live in for all their needs.

Different fish species and other aquatic life have different and specific range of what quality aspects
(listed below) within which they can survive, grow, and reproduce

 Temperature
 pH level
 oxygen concentration
 salinity
 hardness
 etc.

Primary objective is to restore and maintain environmental condition essential for

• survival

• growth

• reproduction

• general well-being of biota

 Quality requirements for fish and other aquatic life

Recreation
Refers to bathing, swimming, waterskiing, other contact sports, boating and others.

National Technical Advisory Committee on Surface Waters Water Quality (FWPCA, 1968) recommended
that surface waters should be free of:

• Materials that will settle to form objectionable deposits

• Floating debris, oil, scum, and other matter

• Substances producing objectionable color, odor, taste, or turbidity

• Materials, including radionuclides in concentrations or combinations which are toxic or produce

undesirable physiological responses in human, fish, and other animal life and plants
References

Water Quality Management by Peter Krenkel (1973)