All About Water Quality Testing

All of us want to have clean and clear water for drinking purposes. We insist that the water should be germ-free, contaminant free and devoid of unwanted dangerous minerals. But how do we determine the quality of the water? If the water smells bad, then you definitely know that the inferior quality of the water is causing it. Without any bad odor in the water, then it is really difficult to come to a conclusion regarding the water quality.

Water quality is generally defined by evaluation based on the following:

Chemical content- Nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, sodium, Hardness (presence of magnesium and calcium), Metals, organic compounds , chloride and many more.

Physical content- Color, odor and turbidity.

Biological content- Total coliform, viruses, fecal coliform .

To enjoy drinking water that is free from impurities, water quality testing is necessary and essential. Various steps can be undertaken to evaluate the quality of the water .

These are as follows:

Run the tap or water source for about 3 minutes. Immerse a test strip of nitrate in the water stream for 1 second when the water is flowing. Then take out the strip and let the color develop for sixty seconds. Compare the color against the enclosed color strip. When this is done, record the results for evaluation. Perform a similar operation with the PH strip also.

Collect a sample in a clear and clean glass bottle. Make careful observations regarding the turbidity and make the any necessary notes regarding odors present in water.

When that is complete, read the TDS with a TDS pocket meter and record the number in the unit.

In order to obtain proper results, the tests related to bacteria should be performed carefully. The pipe should be scorched briefly with a match to ensure that any present bacteria are not from the surface of the pump but from the water only. Then prior to taking a sample, you need to let the water flow for two to three minutes. Then fill the sterile plastic sample bag and take care that the bag's inner surface is not contaminated by anything.

If you use these methods to ensure proper water quality testing, you will be able to drink water that is free from impurities and contaminants. Most importantly, you will be able to feel confident that the water is safe and healthy to drink.