Name(s): ______Date: ______Class: ______

How Pure is Your Water?

BACKGROUND

What is water-testing and why is it important?Water testing is a series of tests used to determine the quality of water. The quality of water is important and as time changes; the quality of water changes. There are so many factors that can have an effect on the water which can lower or enhance its quality. Some of these factors include contamination (i.e. bacteria, toxic waste, and litter); imbalance of pH;and changes in levelsof iron, copper, chlorine, alkalinity, nitrogen, and the hardness of the water. That is why it is important to test the water to keep up with constant environmental changes.

Terms Used in Water Testing
Total Chlorine / Consists of both free chlorine and combines or reacted chlorine.
pH / A measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions and indicates the acidity or basicity of the water.
Copper / rarely enters a water supply from natural sources
Total Hardness / Measure the total amount of calcium and magnesium that has naturally leached into water during its natural journey through the watershed.
Iron / Present if rust color deposits are seen in toilet tanks or sinks.
Free Chlorine / Sanitizing agent used by most municipal water treatment plants.
Total Alkalinity / A measure in the amount of alkali present in water.
Nitrate-/Nitrite- Nitrogen / Chemicals that enter the water supply through runoff from fertilized fields, from industrial waste introduced into streams, from sewage or barnyard manure, and from certain geological formations.

What is water pollution?Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies. It occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly enter different bodies of water. Without treatment, theses pollutants can cause serious irreversible damage. One of the main causes of water pollution is humans.

Types of water pollution
Nutrient Pollution / Caused by water wastes, fertilizer, and sewage which contain high levels of nutrients.
Surface-Water Pollution / Hazardous substances that dissolve and mix physically in lakes, rivers, and oceans.
Ground Water Pollution / Water washed deep into the ground by rain polluted with pesticides and chemicals
Suspended Matter Pollution / Caused by pollutants that are not easily dissolved by water
Chemical Water Pollution / Chemicals, metals, and solvents used by industries and farmers that end up in water.
Oil Spillage / Oil leaked into water that kills many fish and wildlife
Microbiological / A natural pollution caused by bacteria, protozoa, and viruses.

In this lab, you will be testing various types of water bodies to determine their water quality.

Introduction

In this lab, we will be comparing two types of local water sources to determine the levels of total hardness, iron, copper, free and total chlorine, pH and total alkalinity, and nitrate/nitrite nitrogen. This lab will also be to determining the quality and/or purification levels of the bodies of water. By performing this test, we will be able to have an insight of the parameter of the water quality.

Materials

  • Carolina Shirt Pocket Water Test Kit
  • 2 – 15mL Conical Tubes

Procedure

Step 1: Draw a sample of the tap water, fill the firstconical tube to the 15mL line, and label it with the water source.

Step 2: Draw a sample of a different water source (i.e. tap, ponds, lakes, streams, and aquaria), fill second the conical tube to the 15mL line, and label it with water source.

Step 3: Refer to the Carolina Shirt Pocket Water Test Kit for the procedures to use for each test strip. Open each test strip packet carefully and be sure to use the strip immediately to avoid test error.

Step 4: After performing each test, used the Carolina Shirt Pocket Water Test Kit color charts to compare and record your findings on the Data Tables below.

Results

Refer to the Carolina Shirt Pocket Water Test Kit Test Specifications List to fill in the Results.

Water Source #1: ______

Test / Results
Total Hardness
Iron(Fe+2/Fe+3)
Copper (Cu+1/Cu+2)
Free & Total Chlorine
pH and Total Alkalinity
Nitrate/Nitrite Nitrogen

Water Source #2: ______

Test / Results
Total Hardness
Iron(Fe+2/Fe+3)
Copper (Cu+1/Cu+2)
Free & Total Chlorine
pH and Total Alkalinity
Nitrate/Nitrite Nitrogen

Conclusion

Write 2-3 paragraphs summarizing the data.