Environmental Engineering: Water quality parameters — Physical and Chemical Parameters
What turbidity, solids, oxygen, pH, alkalinity, hardness and common dissolved substances tell engineers about a water.
Try 3 questions
1. How is turbidity, reported in NTU, usually measured?
- By light scattered sideways by particles
- By weighing particles left on a filter
- By the color the water absorbs
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Answer: By light scattered sideways by particles
A nephelometer shines light through the sample and detects light scattered at 90 degrees; more suspended particles scatter more light.
2. Why do drinking water plants keep turbidity very low before disinfecting?
- Particles can shield microbes from disinfectant
- Particles turn chlorine into a toxic gas
- Particles make the water taste sweet
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Answer: Particles can shield microbes from disinfectant
Microorganisms attached to or hidden inside particles are partly protected from chlorine or UV, so removing particles first makes disinfection reliable.
3. A water sample is filtered and the filter is dried and weighed. What does the residue on the filter measure?
- Total suspended solids
- Total dissolved solids
- Volatile dissolved solids
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Answer: Total suspended solids
Suspended solids are retained by the filter; dissolved solids pass through and are found by evaporating the filtrate. Together they make up total solids.
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