NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY

ENV 107 LAB REPORT ON WATER QUALITY

PARAMETERS

Submitted By
(Group 6)

Submitted To
Raisa Bashar (RBr)

Date of Submission: Wednesday, 11th April 2018

Introduction:
The main task in this experiment is to check the Turbidity, DO, EC, PH, TDS of different types of water of
NSU. Five different water samples were checked. By using different water parameters we can determine the
quality of water.
After conducting this experiment we should be able to know about the parameters and water quality of
different water samples. The parameters are-
1. Turbidity: Turbidity is the measure of relative clarity of a liquid. The measurement of turbidity is a
key test of water quality. It is an aggregate optical property of the water and does not identify individual
substances.

2. pH: pH indicator is used to measure the acidity and alkalinity of water.

3. Dissolved Oxygen (DO): Dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2)
dissolved in the water. It determines the amount and type of biomass a freshwater system can support
and the amount of decomposition occurring in the water.

4. Electrical Conductivity (EC): Electrical Conductivity of water is its ability to conduct an electric
current. It helps to indicate the water’s purity. The purer the water the lower the conductivity.

5. Total Dissolved Solid (TDS): TDS refers to the amount of minerals, metals, organic material and
salts that are dissolved in a certain water volume that is expressed in mg/L. It is directly associated
with the quality and purity of water, particularly in water purification systems.

Table:
Location of Turbidity pH DO EC TDS
Sample Water 0-5 NTU 6.5-8.5 4.5-8.5 mg/L ≤ 250 ms/ cm ≤100 mg/L
NSU
Drinking 0.00 7.66 8.37 85.3 42.4
Water
NSU Tap
Water 2.51 6.92 6.68 284 142

Distilled 0.00 6.73 8.33 1.63 0.83

Water

Sea Water 116 6.94 8.22 19020 9550

Sewage Water 20.53 7.05 1.84 800 400

Explanation of the Table:

  NSU drinking water: Nsu drinking water is filtered and safe to drink.

 NSU tap water: Our tap water comes from WASA and it also purifies by primary filteration.
But it’s not safe to drink as it has 2.51 turbidity. It can be used for washing and other
purposes only.

 Distiled water: Distiled water is safe to drink as it has 0 turbility but it contains extremely low
amount of minerals as the TDS is only 0.83.

 Sea water: Sea water contains a lot of salt, mud, solids and minerals that’s why the amount of
turbidity, EC and TDS are very high in it. This water is not usable nor safe to drink.

 Sewage water of NSU: Sewage water contains a lot of solids, ions and biodegradable
products. As the amount of turbidity, EC and TDS are high and the DO is lower than any
water which indicates that there are bacteria in this water. So it is very unhygenic and unsafe
water to user.

Conclusion:
 As NSU drinking water and distilled water is properly filtered so there’s no substances in the water.
Hence the turbidity is 0.

 The pH of pure water is 7. In general, water with a pH lower than 7 is considered acidic, and with a
pH greater than 7 is considered basic.

 As the bacteria uses the oxygen of water so a water with high number of bacteria will more likely to
have lower DO. And if there are no or less bacteria in the water then the DO will be higher.

 As saltwater is a very efficient electrical conductor so sea water have high amount of EC. The purer
the water the lower the conductivity.

 The value of TDS will affect physical parameter such as turbidity and chemical parameter likes
dissolved oxygen (DO). High concentration of suspended solids can lower water quality by
absorbing light.