Problem Statement
An assessment of the water quality of four rivers
Statement of Purpose
To determine determine the water quality of four rivers and to compare it against local and
international standards To examine the contributing factors that contributes to the quality of water To assess the possible environmental impacts
An assessment of the parameters of water quality of temperature, pH, fecal coliform, dissolved oxygen and the nitrate level
Data Collection
In order to carry out this Internal Assessment on water pollution, data collection was decisive; this was obtained via a series of testing. These tests range from temperature, pH, fecal coliform, dissolved oxygen and the nitrate level o f the water. The laboratory assessment was done on anuary !", !#$%, at the &erdown High 'chool &hemistry lab. 'tudents were required to be properly uniformed and equipped before performing the experiments. Tools such as bea(ers, test tubes, water samples from four different rivers and the dropping pipette were of necessity. The reactions and results were recorded systematically after the compounds were tested twice. These were then anal y)ed and discussed in an open discussion between teacher and students. A conclusion on each experiment was later decided on a s per the below outline.
Literature Review
*ollution is the adding of harmful substances to the natural environment; therefore water pollution is the contamination+the adding of harmful substances to natural water bodies. These substances are called pollutants. There are various pollutants that contributes to water pollution, these include physical -garbage, radioactive -chemical waste, pathogenic microbes -untreated sewage among others.
The quality of the water is affected once the water is polluted; qualities such as temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen level are of necessity for the survival of aquatic organisms. These organisms survive at certain conditions and if this is altered then they are at high ris( of death, if this happens the ecosystem becomes heavily unbalanced.
/ecal coliform, for example is present in the digestive tract of warm0blooded animals and is excreted as feces. Animals excrete near to water bodies or in water bodies, once this is done water bodies are no longer safe. The bacterium infiltrates the bodies of aquatic life, which is detrimental at all times. 1xygen is then needed to decompose the feces, hence the oxygen present in water will be used to satisfy that process; this then leads to the dissolved oxygen content level decreasing.
The nitrate level of water is a similar case to fecal coliform, however it is mainly caused by the 23un0off4 of chemicals from farms and oils spills to name a few. 1nce this is done, it does not only affect the nitrate level but these che micals -run0off alter the pH, dissolved oxygen content and even temperature. The overall chemistry of the compound water -H!1 has bee n demolished; aquatic life suffers tremendously with all the alterations that are happening to its home -water.
Humans are the sole predators of aquatic life, we (nowingly and very rarely; un(nowingly contribute to water pollution. If this persists, as stated earlier; the ecosystem will be heavily unbalanced causing the rise of crisis on mother earth.
Presentation of Data
pH Hope River Duhaney River
PH
Fresh River Rio Cobre 7
7.2
7.4
7.6
7.8
8
8.2
8.4
8.6
/igure $ As seen in the above graph the pH value of the four rivers were compared; as such 3io &obre had the highest value of -5.6, Hope 3iver had a value of -5 while 7uhaney and /resh 3iver had equal values of -8.6.
