Water Quality lab report

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St. Petersburg College *

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2892C

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Chemistry

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Feb 20, 2024

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Water quality lab November 20 th , 2023 Ashley Venuto EVR 2001L Professor Choudhari
Abstract: Water quality analysis is measured through pH, turbidity, color, total hardness, chloride, iron, phosphate and nitrate. These concentrations are regulated to reduce and stop possible health problems associated with unhealthy levels of these substances. The hypothesis for this experiment is the water from the NES fountain will be most compliant with the SMCL’s and MCL’s set by the EPA. Based on the results, the water from the NES fountain is more compliant than the water in the Simmons park pond. Introduction: The purpose of this experiment is to analyze water quality by taking the following tests, pH, turbidity, color, total hardness, chloride, iron, phosphate and nitrate. Through these tests it can be determined if the water is contaminated or not. If the water is contaminated this means the water has objectionable or harmful substances. Water can get contaminated from many different sources such as chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and manufacturing operations. Many health problems can arise from contaminated water, so the United States Environmental Protection Agency has set out laws that regulate the concentrations of contaminants in drinking water. The list is known as the maximum contaminant levels, and there are also regulations for the aesthetic qualities of water for taste and odor, called the secondary maximum contaminant levels. The purpose of taking the pH of water is to determine if it is too alkaline or too acidic, if ingested or if it used for appliances/running through pipes it can be damaging and unhealthy, water normally varies between 6.5 and 8.5. Turbidity
measures the clarity of a liquid, when light is shined through the substance. A sample with high turbidity means that it would be cloudy, and this would be caused by silt, mid, algae, sawdust, chemicals and many more things are sitting in the water. The color is measured to indicate the organic pollutants and the range of chemicals. Total hardness is used to measure the mineral content in water such as calcium and magnesium to determine if it is in the correct range. The rests of the tests are to determine if there is the correct amount of chloride, iron, phosphate and nitrate. Too much or too little can cause issues. There are many water treatments being discussed and advanced to find the best options (Petrovic, 2003). Study area: The first sample was taken from Simmons park pond, it is a pond located near the natural environmental science building, it mainly has water from runoff and is is used as a retention pond. USF is a humid subtropical climate that has two seasons, a dry season and a hot and humid season. During the hot and humid season is when the Simmons park pond would be receiving the most pollution and runoff. The second sample was taken from the NES water fountain water, this water is from the Floridian Aquifer, it has been cleaned to meet the requirements from the EPA drinking water standards. Materials & Methods: The first test performed was the color test, to perform this the LaMotte Smart 3 Colorimeter water analyzer is used, start by turning the device on, enter the testing menu and select sequence 1. Then you will obtain a deionized water
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blank and fill it with 10mL of deionized water and label it accordingly. Insert the blank tube into the chamber and scan the blank. Next you will remove the blank and insert a tube with the desired sample water, either the water from the Simmons park pond or the water from the NES water fountain and scan the sample. Record the results. The next test performed is the turbidity test, obtain the blank, set the test sequences to the correct option 095, place the blank into the chamber and scan the blank. Fill 10mL of the sample of water, shaking it to mix and insert the tube into the chamber and scan the sample. Record the results and exit to the sequence menu. Next a chloride test is performed, set the analyzer to test number 34, insert the blank into the chamber and scan it, then you will remove the blank, add a chloride IG tablet to the sample water and allow it to dissolve for 3 minutes, then put the solution in to the sample bottle and scan the result. Collect the data and exit to the sequence menu. For the Total Hardness test, set the test number to 48, obtain the blank and insert into the chamber and scan, add the sample water to a calcium hardness UDV vial and shake for 10 seconds, pour the sample in to a sample bottle and invert the sample 3 times to mix, tap the sides to remove any air bubble, scan the sample and record the results. To test for iron, set the test to number 055, insert the blank and scan, fill a sample with 0.5ml of iron reagent #1, cap and mix, then add 0.1g of iron regent powder #2, cap it and invert the sample several times and wait 3 minutes for the color to develop. Scan the sample and record the results. To test phosphate, set the analyzer to test number 081, insert the blank and scan, fill a water sample and use 1.0mL of phosphate acid reagent, cap and mix,
then ad 0.1g of phosphate reducing and mix under powder dissolves, wait 5 minutes for the color to develop and then scan the sample and record data. For the nitrate test, set the analyzer test to 081, insert the blank and scan. Add the sample water and one tablet of nitrate spectrophotometric grade tablet, invert the tube for 2 minutes and wait 5 minutes. Insert the sample into the chamber and scan, record the results. Lastly, to test pH, use the pH Meter and insert it into the sample and record data. Results: PARAMETERS SIMMONS PARK POND NES WATER FOUNTAIN COLOR (C.U.) 127 24 TURBIDITY (FTU) 14.23 FAU 3.12 FAU CHLORIDE (mg/L) 17 ppm 22.4 ppm TOTAL HARDNESS (mg/L) 220 ppm 241 ppm IRON (mg/L) 0.22 ppm 0.04 ppm PHOSPHATE (mg/L) 0.59 ppm 0.26 ppm NITRATE (mg/L) 11 ppm 1 ppm pH 8.9 7.2
The color for Simmons park pond was 127, and 24 for NES water fountain, these values have a significant difference. The turbidity for Simmons park pond was 14.23 FAU and 3.12 FAU for NES water fountain. For Chloride, Simmons park pond had 17ppm and 22.4 ppm for NES water fountain for total hardness, Simmons park pond had 220 ppm and 241ppm for NES water fountain. Iron had 0.22ppm for Simmons park pond and 0.04ppm for NES water fountain. Phosphate had a number of 0.59 ppm for Simmons park pond and 0.26ppm for NES water fountain. Nitrate had a score of 11ppm for Simmons par pond and 1 ppm for NES water fountain. Lastly for the pH Simmons park pond had a pH of 8.9 and NES water fountain had a pH of 7.2 Discussion/ Conclusion: The very first data I observed that supported the hypothesis was the pH level, Simmons park had a pH of 8.9 and NES water fountain had a pH of 7, since drinking water should be in the range between 6.5 and 8.5 this proves that the water from NES water fountain is more complainant with the SMCL. A pH of 8.9 means the water is alkaline. The next test I looked at was the color, Simmons park is 127 and NES is 24, this is a significant difference, the SMCL has a color of 15 units, Simmons park is very far from this range indicating it has contaminants, while NES is 24, which means it is objectionable. Looking at the iron next, Simmons had a value of 0.22ppm and NES 0.04ppm, the water at Simmons has a high presence of iron, which can cause a metallic taste and a dark reddish color, while NES has a value that is complainant with the SMCL (Iron, n.d). The phosphate levels for both Simmons park and NES is complainant with the
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SMCL, both values are under 3mg/L. If the values were higher it would be a health concern as it could cause bone decalcification or increased parathyroid gland activity. For Nitrate, Simmons park Is at 11ppm which is not complainant with the MCL, if the level is above 10mg/L infants less than 6 months old can have issues. Extra nitrate can come from fertilizers, leaking sewage and erosion of natural deposits, since Simmons park pond is a runoff/ retention pond, there are many pollutants that can get into this water and cause it to be high. NES had a value of 1ppm, which is complainant with the MCL. For total hardness NES is at 241ppm and Simmons at 220ppm, there is no limit set for this but a hardness over 125 mg/L can have laxative effects, this means both these water sources have very hard amounts of calcium and magnesium in them. For turbidity, Simmons park is higher with a number of 14.23 FAU and NES with 3.12 FAU, Simmons park is higher because it has more matter suspended in the water such ass clay, silt, plankton and microorganism which can cause the water to be cloudier, this is not complainant with the SMCL, high levels of this can be associated with stomach irritation, nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches. NES is complainant with the SMCL because it is not higher than 5. Lastly, for chloride, both values aren’t high, they are in the same range and not exceeding 250 mg/L, so both are in complainant with the SMCL. After reviewing the data, the hypothesis is correct, the water from NES water fountain will be most in compliance with the SMCL’s and MCL’s set by the EPA. The NES water fountain site is cleaned/ treated, I expected the water to be more in complainant then Simmons Park pond, as that is a retention pool that is collecting all different types of microorganism and pollutants. I think the most important contaminants would be color,
iron, nitrate, and turbidity, these values for Simmons park were not in range, if water was ingested with those levels there could be serious health concerns. I think it was interested how both levels of chloride and total hardness were close together as one of the waters was treated/ cleaned, I would have expected the number to be lower for NES water fountain.
References Iron in drinking water . Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/private- water/fact-sheets/iron-drinking-water.html#:~:text=Although%20present%20in %20drinking%20water,turn%20a%20reddish%20brown%20color. Petrović, M. (2003, December 2). Analysis and removal of emerging contaminants in wastewater and drinking water . TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165993603011051
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