Name: _________________________ Section: ___________

ENVR 1401 – Lab 8 Exercise

Water Quality

Lab Learning Objectives

• Identify point and non-point sources of water pollution
• Define and describe water quality parameters including: dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, conductivity,
temperature and biochemical oxygen demand
• Discuss eutrophication causes and effects
• Collect, analyze and evaluate water quality indicators

Part I. Impacts on Water Quality

1. Explain the difference between a point and non-point source of pollution.

2. Name two point sources and two non-point sources of water pollution (give examples of where the
pollutant originated, NOT the type of pollutant) a) Point Source:

b) Point Source:

c) Non- Point Source:

d) Non-Point Source:

Dissolved Oxygen
3. List five factors that can affect levels of dissolved oxygen in water:

a) _________________________________________________________

b) _________________________________________________________

c) _________________________________________________________

d) _________________________________________________________

e) _________________________________________________________

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4. Describe eutrophication (what is it, what causes it and how does it affect water quality in terms of oxygen
levels and pH).

Turbidity
5. Define turbidity (include how the pollutant interacts with water- by dissolving or being suspended) and give
an example of pollutants that increase turbidity:

6. Name three ways that increased turbidity can affect aquatic organisms:

a) ______________________________________________

b) ______________________________________________

c) ______________________________________________

pH
7. Define pH and explain what pH measures:

8. For each of the following factors, indicate whether the pH increases or decreases by circling the answer and
explain why the factor may cause variation in pH in streams or water bodies:

a) Photosynthesis: (6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2)

pH increases pH decreases

EXPLAIN:

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 b) Respiration: (C6H12O6 + O2 -------> CO2 + H2O + ATP)

pH increases pH decreases

EXPLAIN:

c) Contamination with substance that releases hydroxyl/hydroxide ions:

pH increases pH decreases

d) Contamination with substance that releases hydrogen ions:

pH increases pH decreases

9. Explain how pH affects chemical constituents such as nutrients and heavy metals in water.

Specific conductance
10. What does Specific Conductivity (SC) measure? If you see high specific conductance in a water sample,
what type of pollutants could cause this?

Temperature
11. How does water temperature affect dissolved oxygen in water?

12. List three ways thermal pollution may result in significant environmental impacts.

a.

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 b.
c.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

13. Define BOD. How can it affect pH and oxygen levels in a body of water?

14. List two things that can cause the BOD of a body of water to increase (Include the named process from the
background that results in high BOD as well as one example of a pollutant that will increase BOD).

a.

b.

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 A

B
C

D
G

Figure 1. Point/Nonpoint source pollution.

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Use Figure 1 on the previous page to answer the following questions.

15. Discharge from area “A” can be traced directly to the source (an industrial plant) to the water body
(creek). What type of pollution source does this demonstrate?

16. Runoff from area “B” comes from a neighborhood of several homes. Runoff from this neighborhood
combines and flows into the creek. What type of pollution source is this classified as?

17. Runoff from area “C” comes from a predominately agricultural area. What pollutants are likely to
contaminate the waterbody from this area?

18. The industrial plant in area “D” is a pickle processing plant. Included in the discharge from this plant
are large amounts of vinegar, a substance that releases extra hydrogen ions in water. How could this
affect the pH of the water in this area?

19. The effluent or discharge from area “D” is also much warmer than the receiving waterbody. What is
this type of pollution called? How can temperature affect dissolved oxygen levels in water?

20. The area around label “E”, is suffering from low oxygen and excessive phytoplankton (algae). What
is this type of water quality impairment called and what causes it?

21. In the area around “E” is the BOD going to be higher or lower than the area around “H”? Explain
why.

22. Area “F” shows a water body that has become visibly cloudy and discolored. What is going on here
and what is a potential cause?

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23. What water quality improvement technique does area “G” demonstrate and how does this improve
water quality?

Part II – Fish Kill Investigation

SAFETY CONCERNS:
► Care should be taken to keep all lab materials away from the edge of the lab table where they
could be knocked onto the floor and broken.
► Instructor should be alerted immediately if glass breakage occurs. Students are not to clean
up broken glass.
► Instructor should be alerted immediately if a chemical spill occurs. Students are not to clean up
chemical spills. Care should be taken to minimize inhaling chemical vapors.
► Care should be taken to read and follow all specific directions and in handling all testing
equipment and chemicals for respective water quality analysis tests.

Objectives
• Use standard field and lab techniques to analyze common water quality parameters
• Synthesize background information and water quality data collected to propose the cause of
the fish kill

The physical and chemical characteristics of water can vary from one part of a body of water to
another. Water quality indicators may also fluctuate depending on the characteristics of the land
adjacent to a water body. The water quality at a given point in a river or stream also reflects the
effects of upstream activities. Since water moves according to the laws of gravity, potential
pollutants that enter rivers or streams as a result of human activities travel downstream. There are
several measures of water quality we can use to assess the health of a river or stream in a given
area.

The Fish Kill - background

On July 31, officials reported that hundreds of fish had been killed and thousands more were
gasping along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River (Figure 1), approximately 5 miles southeast
of Lewisville, Texas, and dead fish had accumulated behind the Carrollton Dam downstream.

Scientists with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) were still classifying the dead
fish at the time of this report. Among the species affected were smallmouth bass, channel catfish, and
white bass, along with several smaller types of fishes including darters and shiners. The cause of the fish
kill is unknown and the TCEQ has been tasked with investigating the cause behind it.

TCEQ officials reported that the largest concentration of dead fish

was reported just north of the Carrollton Dam, where Sand Lake
Road crosses the Trinity River. The fisherman that reported the
fish kill to TCEQ officials stated the following: “visually the
water appeared a bit darker than normal but I didn’t smell
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anything; the water had a thin, patchy foam on top but I didn’t see any evidence of oil floating on top of
the water.”

Figure 2: Dead fish found along Trinity River channel.

Officials with the TCEQ also stated that there had been no reports of chemical spills made to the
EPA Region 6 Office, TCEQ, National Response Center, local fire department, or the police.
Weather information collected for July 31 reported that the temperature ranged from 70°F to 89°F,
the average humidity was 73%; no precipitation was reported although it was overcast and other
areas reported thunderstorms, and winds were variable from 3 mph to 16 mph.

The attached map shows the Trinity River watershed in the north central portion of Carrollton, Texas,
which includes the fish kill investigation area and the general location of the known different dischargers.
Interstate 35E (Harry Hines Boulevard) runs from the northwest to the southeast across and east of the
river. The Missouri – Kansas – Texas Railroad runs parallel to Interstate 35E. Mills Industrial Park is
located about ¾ of a mile downstream of where Interstate 35 crosses the river. The Elm Creek West
Water Treatment Facility is located approximately ¾ of a mile due south of Mills Industrial Park. The
Sandy Sewage Disposal Plant is located on the Denton Creek tributary about ½ of a mile southwest of the
Elm Creek Water Treatment Facility.

The Elm Creek West Water Treatment Facility water purification process uses chemical treatment,
settling, filtration, and disinfection. Water treatment chemicals including lime, ferric sulfate, chloramines
(chlorine and ammonia), powdered activated carbon, polymers, ozone, carbon dioxide, and fluoride
which are added to water to remove impurities, kill harmful bacteria, eliminate tastes and odors and help
prevent tooth decay.

The Sandy Sewage Disposal Plant began operations in December of 1959 and serves five member cities:
Carrollton, Irving, Grand Prairie, Farmers Branch and a portion of western Dallas. In 1993, the plant was
expanded to a capacity of 162 million gallons per day (MGD) with total secondary and tertiary treatment
and the ability to treat a 2-hour peak of 335 MGD. Also, dechlorination facilities were added to meet
new state and federal guidelines for the removal of chlorine to less than 0.1 mg/l.

Task:
Five water samples have been collected from various locations along the Trinity River in the vicinity of
where the fish kill occurred. Samples were collected as follows:

Sample A – collected 500 feet upstream of where the Missouri – Kansas – Texas Railroad crosses
the Elm Fork Trinity River.

Sample B – collected 1000 feet upstream of the confluence with Timber Creek.

Sample C –collected 500 feet downstream of the road to the Mills Industrial Park.

Sample D – collected 3,000 feet upstream of the Carrollton Dam.

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 Sample E – collected 950 feet upstream of the Carrollton Dam.

Task:
Your job is to perform the analyses for the various physical and chemical indicators to identify the cause
of the fish kill, record your data on the appended data table, identify the probable cause of the fish kill
and write a formal memorandum to the Director of the TCEQ as outlined on the last page of this
document (page 11) and attach to this exercise.

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 A

Figure 1: Map of water quality testing sites.

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Laboratory Analytical Data:

On the large chart on the whiteboard in the lab record the data from your workgroup for the analytical tests you conducted as a means to share
analytical data.
Each student team will record the results of the specific lab tests that they conducted.
Each student should indicate measured analytical value and appropriate units of measurement.
Each student should complete this chart by recording the data from the respective lab groups.

Table 1. Water Quality Test Results

Sample Specific DO Turbidity Ammonia pH Temp Chlorine Phosphate Nitrates Copper

O
Conductance C
208.7US 6.2 -.29NTU .25ppm 7.21 26 0ppm 5ppm 0ppm .2ppm
A
202.5US 6.3 -85NTU .25ppm 6.7 24 0ppm 15ppm 0ppm .5ppm
B
1011.0US 4.0 61NTU .25ppm 3.44 27 0ppm 5ppm 0ppm 3ppm
C
962.5US 4.8 17.2NTU .25ppm 5.61 27 .5ppm 50ppm 0ppm .5ppm
D
224.7US 1.3 162NTU .50ppm 6.11 29 0ppm 15ppm 3ppm .2ppm
E
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Normal Ranges (Use this chart to compare normal values to those tested in the lab)

Specific DO (mg/L) Turbidity Ammonia pH Temp Chlorine Phosphate Nitrates Copper

Conductance (NTU) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L) (mg/L)
(uS/cm)
0-650 0-2 mg/L: not Less Than Less than 6.5- Just Look 0-100 1 mg/L or 2 mg/L or None
enough oxygen to 100 NTU 1 mg/L 8.0 for Large less less
support life. Changes
2-4 mg/L: only a (10
few fish and degrees or
aquatic insects can more)
survive. 4-7 mg/L:
good for many
aquatic animals,
low for cold water
fish 7-11 mg/L:
very good for most
stream fish

Consider the following questions before writing your memorandum about the fish kill

I. Compare the normal ranges in this chart to the results gathered in your lab and recorded in Table 1 (page 9). Circle any results in Table 1
that are considered out of the “normal” range.
II. Compare the sites that have abnormal test results to the site location on Figure 1 (page 8). Is there anything near the sample locations that
may be responsible for the abnormal readings?

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Formal Memorandum Instructions– The standard reporting format for many state and federal agencies,
as well as in industry, is a formal memorandum. The formal memorandum follows the following format.
Be sure to indicate the content of each section of the memo by using the respective labels (i.e., Label
sections as: Background, Investigation, Conclusions and Recommendations). This assignment should be
done on your own, it is not a group assignment.

MEMORANDUM
To: (indicate the name of the receiver – if an agency, then also include formal title and agency name)

From: (indicate your name)

Date: (date memorandum is being submitted)

Subject: (description of the content of the memo, for example: Analysis of fecal coliform content of
Turtle Creek, Dallas County, Texas)

Background: Concise paragraph (or more if needed) to summarize:

Where (reference and attach map), when and why the study was conducted and to provide general
background information on the study area. Do NOT plagiarize from lab manual!

Investigation: Paragraphs factually outlining and presenting the following:

• where water samples were collected
• what tests were conducted
• summarize the results (do not explain meaning, just state results)
• Provide or reference (that is attached)– NOTE: these should be labeled appropriately (with units)
and referenced in your summary
• any uncertainties

Conclusions: Concise summary of your interpretations and conclusions (what do you results mean),
including whether there is sufficient evidence to take action

Recommendation(s): Itemize and support your recommendations (for example, what action should be
undertaken to respond to the situation or what further action may be needed to develop sufficient
evidence to support taking actions)
Attachment(s): Provide a list of attached documents (e.g., figures (map), tables) that are attached, in
order, at the end of the memorandum – NOTE: all included figures, tables, graphs or maps MUST be
appropriately referenced and explained in the document.

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