PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL

PROPERTIES OF WATER
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR
DRINKING WATER 2007 (ADMINISTRATIVE
ORDER NO. 2007 – 0012)

“Access to safe drinking water is not only

essential for the promotion and protection of
public health but is a basic human right.”
 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER :
1. TURBIDITY
- the optical property that causes light to be
scattered
and absorbed rather than transmitted in straight
lines through a sample
- caused by the presence of suspended particles that
reduce the clarity of the water
- level for treated water should not exceed 5 NTU
(Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)(PNSDW 2007) and
should be under 1 NTU for efficient disinfection
with chlorine (WHO, Guidelines for Drinking Water
Quality)
 TURBIDITY METER

NTU – nephelometric turbidity units

1 standard unit of color = 1 mg/L of platinum(K 2PtCl6) + ½ mg/L of
metallic cobalt
Reasons why turbidity is considered in public water
supplies:
1. aesthetics
- any turbidity in the
drinking water is
automatically associated
with possible wastewater
pollution and the health
hazards occasioned by it
2. filterability
- filtration of water is rendered more
difficult and costly when turbidity
increases

3. disinfection
- in cases which turbidity is caused by
municipal wastewater solids, many of
the pathogenic organisms may be
encased in the particles and protected
from disinfectant
2. TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS)

- measured by careful evaporation of a sample of water and

weighing the residue
- the dissolved solids concentration is directly related to the
conductivity ( measure of the ability of a solution to carry
electrical current) of the water
- level for treated water should not exceed 500 mg/L and <
10 mg/L for product water that has undergone reverse
osmosis or distillation process (PNSDW 2007) and 1000
mg/L (WHO, Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality)
3. COLOR
- indication of the organic content, including humic
(soluble in dilute alkaline solutions but is
precipitated upon acidification) and fulvic acids
(remains in solution at low pH), the presence of
natural metallic ions such as iron and manganese,
and turbidity
- apparent color is measured on unfiltered samples
and true color is measured in filtered samples
- must not exceed 10 color units for apparent color
and 5 color units for true color (PNSDW 2007 )
and WHO guidelines recommend a maximum of
15 TCU (true color units)
4. TASTE AND ODOR
- perceptions of aesthetic quality
- caused by natural contaminants such as extracellular
and decomposition products of plants, algae and
microfungi
- WHO guidelines recommend that once the odor is
inoffensive, there is a possibility of contamination
- PNSDW 2007 recommends no objectionable taste and
odor
5. TEMPERATURE
- important because it affects many parameters that
impact engineering designs
- the following are temperature dependent: density,
viscosity, vapor pressure, surface tension, solubility,
saturation value of gases dissolved in water, and the
rates of chemical, biochemical and biological activity
- WHO guidelines has not set any value
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER :
1. HARDNESS
- caused by the divalent or multivalent cations of calcium and
magnesium
- waters high in calcium have a nuisance value in
washwaters, both domestic and industrial, as the
alkaline environment causes precipitation
- WHO guidelines recommend a minimum hardness of 150
mg/L as CaCO3
- must not exceed 300 mg/L as CaCO3 (PNSDW 2007 )
PRINCIPAL CATIONS CAUSING HARDNESS IN
WATER AND THE MAJOR ANIONS ASSOCIATED
WITH IT
CATIONS CAUSING HARDNESS ANIONS
Ca+2 HCO3-
Mg+2 SO4-2
Sr+2 Cl-
Fe+2 NO3-
Mn+2 SiO3-2
METHODS OF DETERMINATION:
1. EDTA Titrimetric method
eriochrome black T - dye added to the water
containing hardness at pH 10
Ca+2 + Mg+2 + EDTA Ca·EDTA + Mg·EDTA
wine red color pH = 10 blue color
 METHODS OF DETERMINATION:
2. Calculation method

ml titrant (CaCO3 equivalent EDTA) (1000)

hardness as mg/L =
of CaCO3 ml sample
2. IRON
- found in rocks, soils and waters in a variety of
forms and oxidation states
- commonly occurs in water in the ferric form but
in some anaerobic ground waters the more
soluble ferrous form may be present so that, on
exposure to air, such waters rapidly become
discolored
- not harmful but undesirable because it can
impart a bitter taste when present in amounts
above 1 mg/L and at lower levels may cause
dirty water problems like staining
- WHO guidelines recommend a maximum
concentration of 0.3 mg/L
- must not exceed 1 mg/L (PNSDW 2007 )
3. MANGANESE
- often is present with iron in ground
waters and may cause aesthetic
problems such as laundry and fixture
staining
- abundant in rocks and soils, typically
in the form of manganese oxides and
hydroxides in association with other
metallic cations
- WHO guidelines recommend a
maximum concentration of 0.1 mg/L
- must not exceed 0.4 mg/L (PNSDW
2007 )
4. ACIDITY
- due to natural constituents in water such as carbon
dioxide or organic acids derived from soil humus
- while a pH of 7 indicates neutrality, this does not mean
that a pH of 7 or above is non-corrosive because this
depends on the amount of carbonate hardness and free
CO2 present
- WHO guidelines recommend a pH < 8 for filtered water
before final disinfection
- PNSDW 2007 recommends a pH between 6.5 – 8.5 and 5
– 7 for product water that has undergone reverse
osmosis or distillation process
5. ALKALINITY
- measure of the ability of a water to resist changes in pH
- due to presence of weak acid system that consume
hydrogen ions produced by other reactions or produce
hydrogen ions when they are needed by other reactions
- sum of the bicarbonates, carbonates and hydroxides of
calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium
- WHO guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 mg/L as
HCO3-
6. CHLORIDES
- present in nearly all waters, but most combination are
with sodium (NaCl) and to a lesser extent, with calcium
and magnesium
- derived from natural mineral deposits, seawater intrusion
or airborne seaspray, agricultural or irrigation discharges,
urban runoff or from sewage and industrial effluents
- main problem of excessive chlorides in water is corrosion
and taste
- WHO guidelines recommend a maximum level of 250 mg/L
- must not exceed 250 mg/L (PNSDW 2007)
7. AMMONIA
- actually exist in water except as ammonium hydroxide or
the ammonium ion depending on the pH
- they originate from decomposing plant and animal matter in water
and are an indicator of pollution in water
- one of the forms of nitrogen found in water
- amount of ammonia in water is important because it aids
in the determination of the amount of chlorine dose for
disinfection
- WHO guidelines recommend a maximum level of 1.5 mg/L as NH 3
8. NITRITES AND NITRATES
- nitrite (NO2) is an intermediate oxidation state of nitrogen in the
biochemical oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, and in the reduction of
nitrates under conditions where there is a deficit of oxygen
- nitrate (NO3) is the final stage of oxidation of ammonia and the
mineralization of nitrogen from organic matter
- waters with nitrates may be a sign of sewage pollution and those containing
high nitrate concentrations are potentially harmful to humans (nitrosamines
are potentially carcinogenic)
- WHO guidelines recommend nitrate level of less than 11.3 mg/L as N and
nitrite level of less than 0.91 mg/L as N
- must not exceed 50 mg/L for nitrate and 3 mg/L for nitrite (PNSDW 2007)
 pink to colorless

- changes from orange to pink - changes from gray to pink

- above 8.3
Bar Graph of Alkalinity
• graphical representation of various form of alkalinity
d)if pH of a sample < 8.3, alkalinity all in the form of HCO 3-
c)if pH of a sample > 8.3, alkalinity due to CO 3-2 & HCO3-
b) if mlphenolphthalein titrant = mlmethyl orange titrant, alkalinity all in
the form of CO3-2
a) any alkalinity in excess of this amount is due to
hydroxide