Water quality and contamination

The surface and ground water quality is one of the most

important factors in water resources management.
Hydrochemical study is concentrated on studying the
physical and chemical parameters of water. These
characteristics of water determine its usefulness for
commercial, industrial, agricultural, domestic and
drinking water purposes. These characteristics
includes:
1- Physical characters.
Physical characters includes Temperature (T),
Hydrogen number (pH), Total dissolved solids (TDS),
Electrical conductivity (EC) and Turbidity.
Chemical parameters includes analyses of cations (Na+,
K+, Ca2+, Mg2+), anions(Cl-, HCO3-, NO3-, SO42-,, F-),
heavy metals like ( Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Cu) and trace
metals like (Rb, Ti, Fe, Mn, …), unstable volatiles
(CO2, H2S, O2) and organic materials.
Physical properties of water:
1- Temperature:
Temperature is one of the conservative properties of
rivers and especially the reservoir water. It affects the
density and viscosity properties of water.
and also effects the geochemical and chemical
reactions.
2- Hydrogen Number (pH): is a numeric scale
used to specify the acidity or basicity of
an aqueous solution.
pH is one of the most important operational
quality parameters of water and wastewater.
The pH of water that were not affected by
contamination typically ranges between 6.5
and 8.0 according to WHO standard units.
)Electrical Conductivity (EC-3
Electrical conductivity (EC) is the ability of 1
cm3 of water to conduct an electric current at a
standard temperature of 25oC that depends on
the total amount of soluble salts.
Table below showing the IQS (Iraqi), 2009 and
WHO, 2008 standards for solubility of water
for human drinking.
IQS and WHO standards for Human drinking
4- Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) or salinity : It

represents the total amount of solids remaining
when a water sample evaporates to dryness.
High TDS values are related to electrical
conductivity (EC) levels, According to Joseph
(2009), the relationship between EC and TDS
is expressed as:
TDS = EC * F; where F is a factor its value is
o.6.
• TDS is reported in units of parts per million
(ppm) or (mg/l). Some dissolved solids
originate from sources such as and industrial
waste and sewage. Other sources are from
runoff, fertilizers used on farms. Any change
in the pH values creates changes in TDS
values. When the pH values decrease due to
bacterial activity, it causes an increase in the
TDS value.
 )Classification of water according to TDS in (mg/l

Water Class )Range (ppm

Fresh water 0-1000

Slightly brackish water 1000-3000
brackish 3000-10,000
Salty water 10,000-100,000
Brine water More than 100,000
Turbidity-5

Turbidity is the amount of suspended

particulate matter in water which is caused
by clay, silt, fine organic and inorganic
matter and microorganisms.
Turbidity measures the scattering of light on
the suspended particles in the water using
nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) and (5
NTU) is usually acceptable for drinking
according to (WHO, 2006).
 Chemical Parameters
The chemistry of water is detected mainly by ion
concentrations. Composition of ions is governed by
chemical weathering process and human activity. The
ionic composition of surface and ground water is
governed by exchanges with the underlying material
of the drainage basin and with atmospheric
precipitation. Human activities within the drainage
basin also influence the ionic composition, by altering
discharge regimes and transport of particular matter
across the landscape.
 Major Cations

1- Calcium ion (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+) :

The calcium ion is the dominant cation in water
samples. The main source of Ca2+ is the chemical
weathering of rocks and minerals, such as limestone
and dolomite which are dominant in the area. The
solubility of the carbonate rocks increases in the
presence of solutions rich in dissolved carbon
dioxides. Therefore, the percolated water that are
enriched with CO2 from the atmosphere.
3- Sodium (Na+):
The Source of this ion is the Na bearing rock-
forming minerals such as Halite and
plagioclase. Human activities also can have a
significant influence on the concentration of
sodium in surface water and groundwater.
Sodium concentration is important in
classifying irrigation water, because it reacts
with soil to reduce its permeability.
Potassium ion (K+):
Generally speaking, the low concentration of K +
in water is related to the stability of potassium-
bearing alumina-silicate minerals. These low
concentrations of K attributed to the limited
occurrences of K-bearing rock-forming
minerals are silicate rocks like the feldspars
orthoclase and microcline, micas, and the
feldspathoid leucite. In most natural water, the
concentration of potassium is much lower than
the concentration of sodium.
 )Total Hardness (T.H

Total Hardness denotes the concentration of

calcium and magnesium in water, which are
able to precipitate when it is heated. hardness
for water samples are determined by using the
following equation:

Total Hardness (T.H) = 2.497 (Ca mg/l) + 4.115 (Mg mg/l)

 Total Hardness Classification

)T.H (mg/l CaCO3 Type

0-70 Very soft water
7-140 Soft water
200 -14 Moderately hard
water
20-300 Fairly hard water
30-500 Hard water
500 < Very hard water
Major Anions
)-1. Bicarbonate (HCO3
Bicarbonate and carbonate are the producer of
alkalinity which is the capacity for solutes and
its contains to react with acids. The principal
source of carbon dioxide species that produce
alkalinity in surface or ground water is the
CO2 gas fraction of the atmosphere.
2. Sulfate (SO42-)
The natural sources are from (dissolution of
evaporated rocks like Gypsum and
Anhydrate), or may be derived from chemical
fertilizers, The presence of sulfate in drinking-
water can cause noticeable taste. The sources
of sulfate are from the secondary gypsum
which precipitates in the caverns and fissures
of geological formations.
3- Chloride
Natural sources of salt in water resources include
geologic deposits containing halite, or saline
groundwater, It is also abundant in minerals of
igneous rocks like apatite and feldspathoid.
Heavy Metals
Heavy elements are mainly derived from the
weathering of rocks and human activities. They are a
special group of trace elements which have been
shown to create definite health hazards when taken up
by plants. This group is included, Fe, Mn, As, Zn,
Cr, Cd, Ni, Cu, Pb and Co