Chapter 7 | Surface Water Quality Flashcards
a term used to describe the chemical,
physical, and biological characteristics of water in lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and bays
Surface water quality
What Affects the Quality of Surface Water?
(1) Water chemistry,
(2) Sediment chemistry,
(3) Physical habitat, and
(4)Biological community
useful tools in determining the overall quality of a stream or lake
The physical and chemical parameters and biological communities present in a water body
Historically, this has been used to determine water quality
water chemistry
most common physical water quality indicators
dissolved oxygen (DO), water
temperature, pH, and specific conductance
Common chemical indicators
nutrients, chloride, sulfate, total suspended solids, and
total dissolved solids
directly affected by more than just water chemistry
and can be an effective indicator of degraded water and sediment quality, and degraded
physical habitats
health of the biological community
defined as the man-
made or man-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of water
Pollution
caused by activities that affect overall water quality
Pollution
examples of pollution
•damming of rivers to create reservoirs, •channelization and levee construction for flood control, or impacts from recreational activities or urban development.
a substance that can cause pollution
Pollutants
examples of pollutant categories
Heavy metals, pesticides, and nutrients
measured in units like milligrams per liter (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm
Pollutants concentration
measured in pounds per day
Pollutants loads
measures a pollutant at a specific time
concentration
(Pollutant concentration)
