What Are The Parameters for Water Quality Testing?

The United States is considered to have one of the safest drinking water systems in the world, regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). American drinking water is also easy to access, with most people depending on public community water sources. Others choose to get their water from private wells.

But no matter how clean your water looks, it may still have contaminants like microorganisms and dissolved metals that can cause severe health issues. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly may be more at risk if they consume water that is not 100% safe. Because of that, you need to have on-site water testing from time to time.

When it comes to on-site water testing, there are three parameters that the testers are looking for on the samples to know how good your water is. Read this article to learn more about them:

Physical Characteristics
Water’s physical characteristics is important, because it will let you determine immediately if the water is good. Your sense of touch, sight, smell, and taste mainly determines it. Here are some of the characteristics you should look out for:

• Turbidity – Turbidity is the cloudiness of water and how much light can pass through it. It’s caused by particulates floating around, such as clay, organic material, plankton, silt, and others. A turbidimeter and other handheld sensors measure it. High turbidity in drinking water is unacceptable since it shows how many contaminants are already in it. 
• Color – Like with turbidity, the water’s color can tell you right away if it’s good to consume. It doesn’t directly tell you if it’s safe, but it can make the water unappealing if it has too much color. It can indicate any organic substances are contaminating it. It’s also being used to assess if there’s toxic matter in the water.
• Temperature – Certain characteristics of water can be affected by its temperature, like density, palatability, viscosity, and chemical reactions. People often prefer if their drinking water is around 50°F to 60°F.
• Taste – Water’s taste can be affected by the combination of minerals, chemicals, and other contaminants. These foreign matter can come from natural, agricultural, and domestic sources.

Chemical Properties
Another vital parameter is the water’s chemical properties. Since the naked eye cannot detect them, testing these must also be done. Chemical tests include the following:

• pH Level – The pH level measures your water and how acidic or alkaline it is. Acidity is due to minerals, salts, and carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, alkalinity is caused by carbonates, bicarbonates, and hydroxides. Water is often considered to be on a pH level of 7, but the EPA’s guideline states that your water ideally should be around 6.5 to 8.5.
• Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – Did you know that the number of dissolved oxygens in water is one of the most critical pointers of water quality? A high level of DO can indicate that your water source is not polluted as much. Ideally, water should have a dissolved water concentration of above 6.5-8 mg/L.
• Hardness – This refers to the amount of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium in your water. Water with high amounts of these minerals is called hard water. This kind of water isn’t dangerous to the human body if consumed. However, it can make it taste bad. 
• Chlorine – Adding chlorine is one of the most common ways of disinfecting drinking water, as it can quickly kill bacteria and other microorganisms. The EPA affirms that it’s safe for human consumption and it’s unlikely to cause any long-term health effects.

Presence of Microorganisms
Microorganisms in your water are monitored, as they can cause serious health issues if consumed. Microorganisms that are observed in water testing include the following:

• Coliform Bacteria – Coliform bacteria are rod-shaped single-celled microorganisms, often from human or animal feces. Their presence in your drinking supply can indicate disease-causing pathogens in the water system. An example of this bacteria is E. coli. Although it’s mostly harmless, certain E. coli strains can cause severe diarrhea and other adverse health effects.
• Waterborne Viruses – Viruses, on the other hand, are microscopic entities that attack healthy cells and cause illnesses. For viruses like Hepatitis A, a person can get infected by it if they ingested contaminated water. Once it’s inside the body, hepatitis A can attack the liver and cause diarrhea, vomiting, and other adverse health effects.

Having your water tested from time to time allows you to keep yourself and your family safe from preventable illnesses. Get your water checked and inspected soon.