SWE352

Ground Water Quality

• Quality of ground water is essential factor in
determining its suitability for water supply and
irrigation
• Surface water is often turbid, contain considerable
bacteria
• Ground water is often free from suspended matter and
bacteria
• There are dissolved soilds in ground water as it is
contact with geological formation and soil having
various minerals.
• The quality of water that we drink as well as the quality of
water in our lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans is a critical
parameter in determining the overall quality of our lives.
• Water quality is determined by the solutes and gases dissolved
in the water, as well as the matter suspended in and floating on
the water.
• Water quality is a consequence of the natural physical,
chemical and biological state of water as well as of the
changes occurred due to human activities.
• It determines the usefulness of water for a particular purpose.
• It should be noted that in many regions of the world, water
quality has been altered by human activities
 Definition of terms
• Electrical Conductivity (EC): This is reciprocal of
electrical resistivity. Electrical Resistivity is the resistance,
in ohms, of a conductor which is 1 cm long and has a cross-
sectional area of 1 cm2. EC varies with the salt
concentration in water, thus a measure of water quality. It’s
unit is “mhos/cm” or deci-Siemen/m. (dS/m = 10-3
mhos/cm)
• Total Dissolve Solids (TDS)-It is concentration of total
solids dissolved in water and expressed as “ppm” or “mg/l”.
• Total Suspended Solids(TSS)- It amount of suspended
solids per unit volume of water and expressed as as “ppm”
or “mg/l”.
• Turbidity- is the measure of relative clarity of a liquid. It is
optical characteristics of water and is a measurement of
amount of light that is scattered by material in water when a
light is shined through the water sample.
 Methods of Groundwater Sampling
• Sampling is a critical step in obtaining valid water-quality data.
• A sample must be representative of the water residing in an
aquifer (or produced from a well), and its integrity must be
maintained until the laboratory tests are completed.
• Note that water standing in a well casing is probably not
representative of the overall groundwater quality. This can be
due to the presence of drilling contaminants, biological growths,
and corrosion by-products. For these reasons it is necessary to
pump or bail a well before collecting water samples.
• For small monitoring wells that are not easily bailed, a common
practice is to pump or bail the well until a minimum of 4 to 10
bore volumes have been removed.
• If possible, it is desirable to pump a production well for one to
two hours before collecting water samples.
• Newly completed wells sometimes require extended periods of
pumping before a truly representative sample can be obtained.
Samples collected during the first few hours of operation may be
of a different quality than the samples collected after several
days.
• It is a good field practice to clean thoroughly the sampling
device prior to use.
• The method of cleaning should be such that no residue remains.
The sampling devices and bottles should be rinsed with a sample
of the water being sampled, if they are not thoroughly dry. This
avoids the mixing of rinse water with the final water sample.
• Many of the chemical, physical and biological parameters in
groundwater are unstable. Therefore, proper care should be
taken in maintaining water sample integrity.
 Drinking Water Standard
Parameter BIS(10500:1991) ICMR CPHEEO
Colour (Pt unit) 5 25 2
Turbidity 5 NTU 5 NTU 2.5 NYU
pH 6.5-8.5 7.0-8.5 7.0-8.5
TDS (mg/l) 500 500 500
Total hardness as 300 300 200
CaCO3 (mg/l)
Ca (mg/l) 75 75 75
Mg (mg/l) 30 50 30
Cl (mg/l) 250 200 200
SO4 (mg/l) 200 200 200
Fe (mg/l) 0.3 0.1 0.1
Mn 0.1 0.5 0.05
Cu (mg/l) 0.05 0.05 0.05
 Drinking Water Standard (contd..)
Parameter BIS(10500:1991) ICMR CPHEEO
NO3 (mg/l) 45 20 75
F (mg/l) 1 1 1
Phenolic compounds 0.001 0.001 0.001
Hg (mg/l) 0.001 0.001 0.001
Cd (mg/l) 0.01 - 0.01
Se (mg/l) 0.01 - 0.01
As (mg/l) 0.05 - 0.05
Cn (mg/l) 0.05 - 0.05
Pb (mg/l) 0.05 - 0.1
Zn (mg/l) 5 - 5
Anionic detergents (mg/l) 0.2 - 0.2
Cr (mg/l) 0.05 - 0.05
 Drinking Water Standard (contd..)
Parameter BIS(10500:1991) ICMR CPHEEO
PAH (μg/l) - - 0.2
Mineral Oil (mg/l) 0.01 - 0.01
Pesticides Absent - -
Aluminum (mg/l) 0.03 - -
Alkali as CaCO3 (mg/l) 200 - -
Boron (mg/l) 1 - -
 Quality Criteria for Irrigation Water

• What ever may be source of water, soluble salts are always

dissolved in it
• Nature & quantity depends upon the source of water and its
path before use.
• Main salts in water from irrigation point of view are-
• Cations: calcium, magnesium, sodium and some time
potassium
• Anions: chloride, sulphate, bicarbonate, carbonate
• Ions in minor quantities: Li, Si, Br, I, Cu, Ni, Co, F, Br, Zr, Ti,
V, Ba, Rb etc.
• Of the several factors influencing irrigation water
quality, generally accepted parameters are-
– Total salt concentration as ECiw
– Relative proportion of cations as Soduim Absorption
Ratio (SAR)
– Bicarbonate and Boron content
– Soil type
– Salt tolerance characteristics of plant /crop
– Climate
– Drainage characteristics of soil
 Classification of Irrigation Water
Water Quality Class ECiw SAR Residual
Sodium
Carbonate

Main Sub-class (dS/m) (mmol/l) (meq/l)

Good <2 <10 <2.5
Saline Marginally 2-4 <10 <2.5
saline
Saline >4 <10 <2.5
High SAR >4 >10 <2.5
saline
Alkali Marginally <4 <10 2.5-4.0
alkali
Alkali <4 <10 >4.0
Highly alkali Variable >10 >4.0