Water Quality.

Why are substances checked in water/effect water?

     Nitrate: High nitrate levels in water can cause methemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome, a condition found especially in infants under six months. The stomach acid of an infant is not as strong as in older children and adults. This causes an increase in bacteria that can readily convert nitrate to nitrite (NO₂). Do not let infants drink water that exceeds 10 mg/l NO₃-N. This includes formula preparation.

Nitrite is absorbed in the blood, and hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying component of blood) is converted to methemoglobin. Methemoglobin does not carry oxygen efficiently. This results in a reduced oxygen supply to vital tissues such as the brain. Methemoglobin in infant blood cannot change back to hemoglobin, which normally occurs in adults. Severe methemoglobinemia can result in brain damage and death.

     pH: pH is a measurement of how acidic or how alkaline something is. Your blood is maintained, as a priority above all else, at a pH of 7.3 to 7.45. Too great a variation from this optimal range is life threatening. For example, at a blood pH of about 6.95, you would likely go into a coma and, without medical help, possibly die. Skin is healthiest at a pH of about 4.7. This is very acidic. Acidic skin provides you protection against bacterial infections entering through your skin. Most external pHs are normally acidic and most internal pHs are normally alkaline. Neutral is 7.0. Anything less than 7.0 is acidic. Anything greater than 7.0 is alkaline. Everything your body does to produce energy and to continue life produces acidic waste products. To maintain life and health, your body must neutralize and/or dispose of these acids. Clinically, it has been my experience that individuals with the most chronic and the most difficult problems are those people with the most acidic bodily fluids. The results of your body being unable to neutralize and eliminate excess acidic wastes are endless. Among many others, some of the more recognizable conditions that are caused or worsened by excessively acidic conditions are:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Degenerative joint diseases
• Osteoporosis
• Digestive problems.   - The effects on streams could mean what type of fish live there and/or other aquatic life. Fish tend to take a higher endangerment of acidic water than less acidic.  

     Conductivity: An electrical current results from the motion of electrically charged particles in response to forces that act on them from an applied electric field. Within most solid materials a current arise from the flow of electrons, which is called electronic conduction. In all conductors, semiconductors, and many insulated materials only electronic conduction exists, and the electrical conductivity is strongly dependent on the number of electrons available to participate to the conduction process. Most metals are extremely good conductors of electricity, because of the large number of free electrons that can be excited in an empty and available energy state. 
In water and ionic materials or fluids a net motion of charged ions can occur. This phenomenon produce an electric current and is called ionic conduction.Electrical conductivity is defined as the ratio between the current density (J) and the electric field intensity (e) and it is the opposite of the transitivity.

Pure water is not a good conductor of electricity. Ordinary distilled water in equilibrium with carbon dioxide of the air has a conductivity of about 10 x 10^-6 W^-1*m^-1 (20 dS/m). Because the electrical current is transported by the ions in solution, the conductivity increases as the concentration of ions increases.
Thus conductivity increases as water dissolved ionic species. Most of the time the life in streams are not effected by this.



     Turbidity: Turbidity is the measure of water clarity. The more suspended solids in the water, the murkier it becomes. The increased turbidity of water can reduce the diversity of life in three ways:

• Suspended particles absorb heat from sunlight and warm the water. Warmer water holds less oxygen and organisms begin to suffer. Also, some organisms can not live in the warmer water.
• Particles also block sunlight. Plants and algae grow less and release less oxygen from photosynthesis.
• Particles also settle on the bottom and can cover and suffocate fish eggs and insect larvae

Turbidity is often tested by dropping a Secchi disk into the water and measuring at what depth it disappears. This test is not practical in the Los Angeles River, however. Instead purchase a kit, such as the La Motte turbidity test, which involves observing a dot at the bottom of a column of water.


     Dissolved Oxygen: Dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2) dissolved in an aqueous solution. Oxygen gets into water by diffusion from the surrounding air, by aeration (rapid movement), and as a waste product of photosynthesis. Total dissolved gas concentrations in water should not exceed 110 percent. Concentrations above this level can be harmful to aquatic life. Fish in waters containing excessive dissolved gases may suffer from "gas bubble disease"; however, this is a very rare occurrence. The bubbles or emboli block the flow of blood through blood vessels causing death. External bubbles (emphysema) can also occur and be seen on fins, on skin and on other tissue. Aquatic invertebrates are also affected by gas bubble disease but at levels higher than those lethal to fish.
Adequate dissolved oxygen is necessary for good water quality. Oxygen is a necessary element to all forms of life. Natural stream purification processes require adequate oxygen levels in order to provide for aerobic life forms. As dissolved oxygen levels in water drop below 5.0 mg/l, aquatic life is put under stress. The lower the concentration, the greater the stress. Oxygen levels that remain below 1-2 mg/l for a few hours can result in large fish kills. 

     Temperature: Temperature like any other time can obviously effect an ecosystem. Temperature in water can effect what lives there. Including bacteria. A stream is normally on the chilly side if you've ever put your feet in one on a hot summer day. Yet, it's still cold? That's due to many other things that can contribute to it. Fish tend to live and prosper in colder waters, which I always thought the opposite of. Warmer waters tend to not hold enough oxygen in the water for plant life to grow neither. Many bacteria's love warmer water, as goes for the same on dry land. Bacteria like warm, dark, damp places. What better than the stream? The amount of bacteria growth also dictates what can grow there, therefor if the aquatic life has no food due to the warmth/bacteria growing, the aquatic life can not live there as well. It as well can dictate the turbidity. 


     Alkalinity: The alkalinity of water is a measure of how much acid it can neutralize. If any changes are made to the water that could raise or lower the pH value, alkalinity acts as a buffer, protecting the water and its life forms from sudden shifts in pH. This ability to neutralize acid, or H+ ions, is particularly important in regions affected by acid rain. Total alkalinity is affected by environmental factors; rain, acidic sanitizers, addition of fill water and other product applications can all change the alkalinity over time. Most alkalinity in surface water comes from calcium carbonate, CaCO3, being leached from rocks and soil. This process is enhanced if the rocks and soil have been broken up for any reason, such as mining or urban development. Limestone contains especially high levels of calcium carbonate and when used to decrease acidity in homes can runoff into surface waters and increase alkalinity. Alkalinity is significant in the treatment of waste-water and drinking water because it will influence treatment processes such as anaerobic digestion. Water may also be unsuitable for use in irrigation if the alkalinity level in the water is higher than the natural level of alkalinity in the soil.



     E. Coli: E. coli is a type of fecal coliform bacteria commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. E. coli is short for Escherichia coli. The presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination. Sewage may contain many types of disease-causing organisms. E. coli comes from human and animal wastes. During rainfalls, snow melts, or other types of precipitation, E. coli may be washed into creeks, rivers, streams, lakes, or ground water. When these waters are used as sources of drinking water and the water is not treated or inadequately treated, E. coli may end up in drinking water. 
E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium E. coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness. Infection often causes severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps; sometimes the infection causes non-bloody diarrhea. Frequently, no fever is present. It should be noted that these symptoms are common to a variety of diseases, and may be caused by sources other than contaminated drinking water.
In some people, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection can also cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2%-7% of infections lead to this complication. In the United States, hemolytic uremic syndrome is the principal cause of acute kidney failure in children, and most cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome are caused by E. coli O157:H7. Hemolytic uremic syndrome is a life-threatening condition usually treated in an intensive care unit. Blood transfusions and kidney dialysis are often required. With intensive care, the death rate for hemolytic uremic syndrome is 3%-5%. The same can go for any stream life that may prosper.