Water Contamination

General Concepts

The subject of water contamination is too complex to be thoroughly covered here.  However, we have identified some general concepts which are going to be relevant in almost every case of water contamination, as follows:

1. Almost every type and use of water has one or more regulatory agencies responsible for enforcing the legal requirements for the quality of that water. You will need to determine which agency or agencies have jurisdiction, and what their requirements for water quality are. Water for any particular use has a series of contaminates which are allowed by law up to specific concentrations, and limited or banned beyond higher concentrations.
2. We must discuss water quality in terms of measurable, repeatable results of lab testing performed in qualified-licensed-certified water quality labs. Opinions and subjective evaluations will not serve as evidence. You need to know what your actual concentrations of contaminates are for comparison purposes. The agency having jurisdiction can provide a list of limiting concentrations and approved testing labs. This is usually available online.
3. You will need to do some research to obtain an idea of what the problem is, so you will know what to test for. There are hundreds of parameters which determine water quality.  Testing for everything at once is usually prohibitively expensive. Sometimes a water quality chemist at the testing lab can suggest which standard test category is most likely to reveal a problem.  You should tell the chemist if the water is drinking water, wastewater, irrigation water, or pond water, and why you think there is a problem.
4. The test lab can provide sample containers and the correct sampling procedures. All materials and methods for water sampling have specific requirements.  You must follow the correct procedures for obtaining, storing, and transporting the water samples, or else the test results will be compromised.