Kabul University

Engineering Faculty
Civil Department

B
Name ID
Azizullah 10320
Abdullah 10360
Firdows 10362
Pedram Oday 10364
Water Quality
M.Hussain Physical Properties
10375
Shirazuddin 10387
M.Yaseen 10388
Asil 10642
Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................2
Physical Properties of water...........................................................................................3
Testing Procedures.........................................................................................................4
PHYSICAL TESTS........................................................................................................4
Color............................................................................................................................4
Turbidity......................................................................................................................4
Odor and taste.............................................................................................................4
References......................................................................................................................5

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INTRODUCTION
Water quality, believe it or not, is a statement not easily defined. Like many things in
nature,water changes as the seasons change. Generally water quality is referenced in a
technicalmanner, meaning the overall 'scientific' quality of the water. But water quality can
also meansomething else.

For scientific and legal purposes the following definition is most often used: Water quality
isthe ability of a water body to support all appropriate beneficial uses.

Beneficial uses are the ways in which

water is used by humans and wildlife;
drinking water andfish habitat are two
examples. If water supports a
beneficial use, water quality is said to
begood or unimpaired. If water does
not support a beneficial use, water
quality is said to be pooror impaired.

A key concept is that different

beneficial uses have different needs.
Most people believe goodwater
quality means the water is pure and clean. This is partly true, especially when you areusing
water for drinking. However, fish and wildlife have lots of other requirements. Fish mustget
all of their oxygen and food from water, and therefore need water that has enough oxygenand
nutrients. Thus, good water quality implies that harmful substances (pollutants) areabsent
from the water, and needed substances (oxygen, nutrients) are present.

Water quality can often be defined in terms of the chemical, physical, and biological content
ofwater. The water quality of rivers and lakes changes with the seasons and geographic
areas,even when there is no pollution present. Oddly enough, there is no single measure
thatconstitutes good water quality. For instance, water suitable for drinking can be used
forirrigation, but water used for irrigation may not meet drinking water guidelines.

Water quality guidelines provide basic scientific information about water quality
parametersand ecologically relevant toxicological threshold values to protect specific water
uses. Now thatwe can define water quality in general terms, we need to have parameters we
can measure todescribe the water quality of a river, stream, or lake. Parameters that are
measured includephysical, chemical, and biologic properties. Physical measurements are
those that include water temperature, depth,flow velocity, flow rate, and turbidity. These are
all useful in analyzing how pollutants are transported and mixed inthe water environment,
and can be related to habitat requirements for fish and other aquatic wildlife. For
instance,many fish have very specific temperature requirements, and cannot tolerate water
that is either too cold or too hot.

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Chemical measurements include a wide range of chemicals and chemical properties. Most
water chemistry testsmeasure concentration , defined as milligrams of chemical per liter of
water (mg/l). Even the purest water containscountless chemicals, and it would be impossible
to measure all of them. Water quality studies therefore focus on thechemicals that are most
important for the problem at hand. In agricultural areas, studies measure chemicals found
inmanure, fertilizers, and pesticides. In an industrial area studies focus on measuring
chemicals used by the nearbyindustries.

Water quality as you now know can be measured in a variety of ways. While this article is by
no means and all-inclusive list of the parameters of water quality measurement, it does
describe that water is a changeable substancewhich involves constant diligence and research
to most effectively treat it and make it safe. Next time you have adrink of water, remember
that the water you are drinking once had a very different appearance and overall quality.

Physical Properties of water

Water is the chemical substance with chemical formula H O one molecule of water has two
2

hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a single oxygen atom. Water is a tasteless, odorless
liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, and appears colorless in small quantities,
although it has its own intrinsic very light blue hue. Ice also appears colorless, and water
vapor is essentially invisible as a gas. Unlike other analogous hydrides of the oxygen family,
water is primarily a liquid under standard conditions due to hydrogen bonding. The molecules
of water are constantly moving in relation to each other, and the hydrogen bonds are
continually breaking and reforming at timescales faster than 200 femtoseconds (2×10 −13
seconds). However, these bonds are strong enough to create many of the peculiar properties
of water, some of which make it integral to life.

Water is unique in that it is the only natural substance that is found in all three states -- liquid,
solid (ice), and gas (steam) -- at the temperatures normally found on Earth. Earth's water is
constantly interacting, changing, and in movement.

Water freezes at 32°Fahrenheit (F) and boils at 212°F (at sea level, but 186.4° at 14,000 feet).
In fact, water's freezing and boiling points are the baseline with which temperature is
measured: 0° on the Celsius scale is water's freezing point, and 100° is water's boiling point.
Water is unusual in that the solid form, ice, is less dense than the liquid form, which is why
ice floats.

Water has a high specific heat index. This means that water can absorb a lot of heat before it
begins to get hot. This is why water is valuable to industries and in your car's radiator as a
coolant. The high specific heat index of water also helps regulate the rate at which air
changes temperature, which is why the temperature change between seasons is gradual rather
than sudden, especially near the oceans.

Water has a very high surface tension. In other words, water is sticky and elastic, and tends to
clump together in drops rather than spread out in a thin film. Surface tension is responsible
for capillary action, which allows water (and its dissolved substances) to move through the
roots of plants and through the tiny blood vessels in our bodies.

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Here's a quick rundown of some of water's properties:
Weight: 62.416 pounds per cubic foot at 32°F
Weight: 61.998 pounds per cubic foot at 100°F
Weight: 8.33 pounds/gallon, 0.036 pounds/cubic inch
Density: 1 gram per cubic centimeter (cc) at 39.2°F, 0.95865 gram per cc at 212°F

Testing Procedures
Testing procedures and parameters may be grouped into physical, chemical, bacteriological and
microscopic categories. ·

1. Physical test

2. Chemical test

3. Biological test or Bacteriological test

While the details of sampling, testing and analysis of chemical and biological are beyond the scope of
this report, what follows is a general description of the significance of water quality tests usually
made.

PHYSICAL TESTS
Physical tests indicate properties detectable by the senses.

Color, turbidity, total solids, dissolved solids, suspended solids, odor and taste are recorded.

Color
In water may be caused by the presence of minerals such as iron and manganese or by
substances of vegetable origin such as algae and weeds. Color tests indicate the efficacy of the
water treatment system.

Turbidity
In water is because of suspended solids and colloidal matter. It may be due to eroded soil
caused by dredging or due to the growth of microorganisms. High turbidity makes filtration
expensive. If sewage solids are present, pathogens may be encased in the particles and escape
the action of chlorine during disinfection.

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Odor and taste
Are associated with the presence of living microscopic organisms; or decaying organic matter
including weeds, algae; or industrial wastes containing ammonia, phenols, halogens,
hydrocarbons. This taste is imparted to fish, rendering them unpalatable. While chlorination
dilutes odour and taste caused by some contaminants, it generates a foul odour itself when
added to waters polluted with detergents, algae and some other wastes.

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References
1. Ruth F. Weiner and Robin A. Matthews, (2003), Environmental
Engineering Forth Edition, Fourth Edition, Elsevier Science, United
States of America.
2. Marquita K. Hill, (2010), Understanding Environmental Pollution.
Third edition, Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
3. Kevin J. Gaston, Marıa L. Avila-Jimenez and Jill L. Edmondson,
(2013), Managing Urban Ecosystems for Goods and Services, Journal
of Applied Ecology, UK.
4. Pete Smith, Mike R. Ashmore, Helaina I. J. Black, Paul J. Burgess, Chris D.
Evans, Timothy A. Quine, Amanda M. Thomson, Kevin Hicks and Harriet
G. Orr, (2013), The role of ecosystems and their management in
regulating climate, and soil, water and air quality, Journal of Applied
Ecology, UK
5. www.water.com/waterquality/physical
6. www.google.com

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