Faculty of Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Lecture No. 2

Prof. Dr.- Eng.: Mosaad Khadr

Civil Engineering Department

Previous Lecture

Supply of Water Resources

Small fraction (.014%) is readily available for human use

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Previous Lecture

Water Cycle – continuously collected, purified, recycled and

distributed
Flowing
artesian well
Precipitation
Evaporation and transpiration
Well requiring a pump
Evaporation
Confined
Recharge Area

Runoff

Aquifer Stream
Infiltration Water table
Lake
Infiltration
Unconfined aquifer

Confined aquifer
Less permeable material
such as clay Confirming permeable rock layer
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Sustainable Water Use
• Not depleting aquifers

• Preserving ecological health of aquatic systems

• Preserving water quality

• Integrated watershed management

• Marketing of water rights

• Raising water prices

• Wasting less water

• Decreasing government subsides for supplying water

• Increasing government subsides for reducing water waste

• Slowing population growth

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Water Quality
What is Water Quality?

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Water Quality

Water Quality is
• The condition of water for a purpose1
– Drinking
– Agriculture
– Etc.
• According to certain characteristics1
– Physical
– Chemical
– Biological

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Water Quality

Will this Reduce the Water Quality?

Maybe?

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Water Quality

What affects Water Quality?

• Humans
– Industry
– Agriculture
– Hygiene
• Climate
• Weather
• Other Life Forms

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Water Quality

Testing Water Quality

Physical Parameters
• Temperature
• Total Suspended Solids
• Turbidity
• Odour
• Taste
• Flow (in the case of rivers)

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Water Quality

How to test
Physical Parameters
• Temperature
– Testing the temperature is always done in situ using
analogue or digital thermometer
• Odour
– Should be done in situ or within 5 mins. of sample
collection
• Taste
– Do this at your own risk
– Often done at treatment plants

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Water Quality
How to test
Physical Parameters
• Total Suspended Solids
– Water is filtered, then the residue is dried and
weighed then compared to the original sample
• Turbidity
– Is measured by the amount of light that is
scattered by the sample

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Water Quality

How to test
Physical Parameters
• Flow Gauging:
– The river is sectioned off
and flow is measured at
each section using an
impeller. The readings for
each section are then
added together to
produce a reading for the
whole river section

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Water Quality

How to test
Physical Parameters
Units

Parameter Unit
Temperature °C – Degrees Celsius
Total Suspended Solids Ppm – Parts per million
Turbidity NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Units
Odour Subjective but useful description
Taste Subjective but useful description
Flow Gauging m3/s – Meters Cubed per Second

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Water Quality

Testing Water Quality

Chemical Parameters3
• pH • Industrial Wastes
• Specific Conductance • Alkalinity
• Nutrients • Pharmaceuticals
– Nitrates
• Surfactants
– Phosphates
• Heavy Metals • Oxygen
• Pesticides • Etc……..
• Herbicides
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Water Quality
How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Potential Hydrogen (pH): Tested using
Reagents or Calibrated Electronic Meters
(CEM)5

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Water Quality How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Specific Conductance
– Is a measure of the salinity of
the water, the more ions in the
water the more conductive it is
– This is usually measured using a
CEM in the field

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Water Quality

How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Nutrients: Tested for in a Spectrophotometer
– Nitrates
– Phosphates
• Samples of water are taken back to a lab (or mobile lab)
where specific volumes of the sample reacts with a
measured amount of reagent and the change between
the original samples light scattering capacity and the
regent mixed sample gives the concentration of nutrients

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Water Quality How to test
Chemical Parameters
• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
– DO Meter measures the oxygen by how much it
dilutes the charge (electricity Negative change,
oxygen does not)

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Water Quality

How to test
Chemical Parameters
Units
Parameter Unit
pH The pH Scale (no Unit)
Specific Conductance μS/cm – Microsiemens per Centimetre
Nitrates & Phosphates mg/l – Milligrams per litre
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) ppm – Parts per million
Most Chemical Constituents Mass per volume of water

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Water Quality

Testing Water Quality

Biological Parameters3

• bio-indicators
– These are large insects and animals that live in the
water body, if they are present then the water
must be of a certain quality

• Bacterial Life (health concerns)

– E Coli
– Coliform Bacteria

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Water Quality

Testing Water Quality

Biological Parameters
• Bio-Indicators7
– Stratified locations of fish could mean
• A Thermocline layer (temperature boundary)
• A Hypoxic layer (Oxygen boundary)
• A Eutrophication layer (Nutrient boundary)
– No presence of previously present animals
• Water quality has dropped and either moved the animals away or
killed them off

NB: These are all indicators, they do not produce numbers but they show the
water has changed and can provide clues to the problems
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Water Quality

Testing Water Quality

Biological Parameters

• Bacterial life
1. A sample is taken
2. Kept cool and away from exterior contamination
3. Brought back to the lab ASAP
4. Sample is shaken to allow for minimum settling
5. Sample is added to agar plate (pour or scrape)
6. Plate is incubated for 24 to 48 hours
7. Count the colonies of bacteria

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Water Quality

Urban Contribution
• Runoff contributions due to impervious
surfaces:
– Driving and Vehicle Maintenance
– Gardening
– Waste Disposal
– Hygiene (Poor or failed septic systems)
– Construction sites

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Water Quality
Urban Impacts
• Riverbank/bed erosion
• Increased siltation
• Aesthetic degradation
• Disruption of aquatic life
• Harm to coastal environments (Coral etc.)
– Fisheries
– Tourism
• Increased water temperature
• Human health

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