1. Ch. 11.2 Obtaining Water Quality

2. Safe Drinking Water the quality of our water is just as important as having a steady supply of water our drinking water must be clean and free from harmful organisms and chemicals to ensure this, we treat our water

3. Safe Drinking Water more than 1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water many developing countries cannot afford to build facilities to treat or test drinking water in many of these areas, people wash and drink directly from the same river water where humans and animals waste have been discharged

4. Factors Affecting Water Quality contaminants – contents that are harmful to humans, other animals, and the environment more than likely, the water that flows out of your faucet has flowed through your local watershed that means any activity in your watershed that contaminates the water can have a direct impact on the water you drink

5. Factors Affecting Water Quality Three Types of Contents in Water – Biological: both visible and microscopic organisms – Chemical: dissolved substances that come from natural processes or human activity – Physical: all materials that do not dissolve in water

6. Treating Groundwater Sources groundwater must be filtered before drinking to remove sediment and other contaminants the water must also be tested regularly to ensure it is safe to drink

7. Treating Aboveground Water Sources we generally cannot drink the water that exists in our freshwater systems because they contain harmful organisms and substances boiling water before drinking it will kill harmful organisms, but will not remove chemical or physical contaminants this water must be treated before being used for drinking water water treatment is very expensive, so it is important to keep our water sources clean so that they don’t have to be treated as intensely

8. The Water Treatment Plant

9. water treatment plants are very sophisticated and expensive this is just an example of one such system many different systems exist, but generally work on the same principles

10. Testing Water Quality for most of human history, we have wondered why people could sometimes become ill or even die from drinking water today, we have the knowledge and equipment to detect these microscopic contaminants in our water drinking water is tested for harmful bacteria and viruses, chemical substances (such as lead and nitrates), and radioactive material

11. When you turn on the tap, where is your water coming from?