Water Quality Management

In order to keep the health of any aquaculture system at an optimal level, certain water quality parameters must be monitored and controlled. Some of these parameters that most directly affect the health of the system are pH and alkalinity, hardness, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus). This page has been included to provide you with some background information for managing your system's water quality.

pH

A pH meter

pH is the scientific way to express the number of H+ ions in water. As you most likely know, the pH of pure water is 7. However, many sources of water have a low pH, meaning they are acidic. These often range from 4.5-6.5, due to weak acids from the soil leaching into the water. If the water becomes too acidic, it will not be able to support the growth of plants, fish, or invertebrates. For this reason, water's pH should be monitored for declining pH. This monitoring may be done in several ways, through titration, pH paper, or pH probes. A low pH usually requires ongoing treatment, most commonly by adding agricultural lime (calcium carbonate, calcite, CaCO3), quick lime (calcium oxide, CaO), dolomite (CaMg (CO3)2), or builder's lime (Ca(OH)2).

pH paper test strips Water may become too alkaline (basic - a high pH) although this is much less common that low pH. Fish can't live at pH levels above 11. Ammonium Sulfate has

been suggested to treat high pH, but this should be dome with caution since it tends to produce toxic by products. Return to Top

Hardness
All natural water is made up of more than just water, it also has many compounds in them, usually at least partially dissolved in the water. The more dissolved material in the water, the harder the water is. The softest water then is distilled water, which is nearly pure. Hardness is generally used to express the total concentration of calcium and magnesium ions in fresh water, measured in parts per million (ppm) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Soft water has 0-55 ppm, increasing to up to 211-500 ppm for very hard water. Some calcium is necessary in aquaculture systems as it is needed for strengthening the bones of fish and the shells of crustaceans. Return to Top

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

A dissolved oxygen meter All organisms grown in aquaculture need oxygen dissolved in the water in order to survive. As you know, oxygen in produced by plants using sunlight, so if phytoplankton or plant populations are present in your culture, your oxygen levels will be lowest at night. Fish and higher invertebrates are very efficient at removing oxygen from the water using their gills and they need to be, since water only holds a small percentage of the 20% of oxygen that makes up the atmosphere on earth. The amount of oxygen the water can hold depends on the water's properties. For example, increasing the temperature and the salinity of water will decrease the water's ability to hold oxygen. Dissolved oxygen in aquaculture is one of the most critical parameters. There are many products currently available for quickly checking DO, using test kits or probes. Many biologists accept 6 ppm as the minimum concentration of DO needed to support fish life. Closely related to DO, is the need aquatic organisms in any system have for oxygen, which is known as the biological oxygen demand (BOD). Aeration devices are used in aquaculturee due to the high BOD levels in most systems as a result of high density stocking of the cultured organism and the high use of oxygen by bacteria breaking down wastes in the system. When using aeration devices to decrease the BOD (or to increase the DO), there are at least 5 criteria to be observed which will affect the ability of the water to hold oxygen. These 5 are:

1. Temperature - the higher the temperature, the less oxygen can be held 2. Salinity - the higher the concentrations of dissolved salts, the less oxygen can be held in water. 3. The amount of air coming in contact with water, so there must be an adequate amount of oxygen present. 4. A large enough surface area of oxygen/water contact to allow exchange. For example, one liter of air making 10 large bubbles has less bubble surface area than one liter making 10000 bubbles, so with the smaller bubbles more oxygen would dissolve into the water. 5. The oxygen gradient between the water and air, os if there is little oxygen in the water, oxygen will enter faster than if the water is already saturated with oxygen. Return to Top

Temperature
Generally speaking, any fish's body temperature is about 0.5o C (1o F) higher than the temperature of the water it is in. With this strong dependence on the temperature of the surrounding environment keeping the fish within the temperature range where they can survive, it is easy to see the importance of temperature in your system. Fish are able to withstand some gradual changes in temperature, especially if this occurred in their natural habitat, but large changes in temperature, especially when transporting fish should be avoided. In managing aquaculture systems, the sought after temperature is the optimal growth temperature. This Temperature varies between species, but always represents the temperature at which aquatic species can focus energy on growth and not on staying water to stay alive. In actual aquaculture systems, the temperature is usually kept somewhere below the optimal growth temperature due to other potential hazards associated with high heat. Temperature can be continuously monitored with a temperature probe or a low tech thermometer. Return to Top

Nutrients
These refer to molecules in the water that can be used as nutrients for plants and phytoplankton. Two of the most important of these nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is used by organisms in many chemical reaction, and is found as a building block of amino acids in proteins. It is most commonly found as nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere. However, the form of nitrogen excreted by animals is most commonly ammonia (NH3). This is a toxic compound when its concentration in the water becomes elevated. The nitrogen cycle shows how bacteria in the system can adequately break down ammonia into the more usable and less

toxic form of nitrate (NO3). This cycle is also alluded to in the discussion of biofiltration on the startup page, which explains the removal of nitrogen from the system. Ammonia, nitrite (NO2, an intermediate in the nitrogen cycle), and nitrate can be tested for using test kits.

An ammonia test kit Phosphates are less of a threat to aquaculture farmers since the largest problem associated with high phosphorus and limited nitrogen is cyanobacteria blooming. This can cause the release of toxins and raise the BOD of the system, but these affects aren't a critical as high levels of ammonia.
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1. Water Quality 2. Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for thesurvival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refersonly to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solidstate (ice), and a gaseous state (water vapor or steam). Solid (ice) Vapor Liquid 3. Importance of Water To function properly, man needs at least 8 glasses of water daily.Water plays an important role in the world economy,as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety ofchemical substances and facilitates industrial coolingand transportation.Approximately 70% of freshwater is consumed byagriculture.Different bodies of water provide livelihood andeconomic security to different countries. 4. Water Quality Water quality is the physical, chemical, biological, and aesthetic characteristics of water which determines its fitness for a variety of uses and for protecting the health and integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Another general perception of water quality is that of a

simple property that tells whether water is polluted or not. Water quality depends on the local geology and ecosystem, as well as human uses such as sewage dispersion, industrialpollution, use of water bodies as a heat sink, and overuse (which may lower the level of the water). 5. SOURCES OF WATER &WATER QUALITY CLASSIFICATION 6. Water Resource Surface Water is: - 97% saltwater (oceans and seas) - 2.4% glaciers and polar ice caps - 0.6% other land surface water such as rivers, lakes, and ponds Ground Water all water that saturates the tiny spaces between alluvial material (sands, gravel, silt, clay) or the crevices or fractures in rocks. This includes the aeration zone, aquifers, saturation zones, capillary water, and water-bearing rocks. A very small amount of the Earths water is contained withinwater towers, biological bodies, manufactured products, and food stores. 7. Philippines Water Resources The Philippines comprises more than 7,100 islands. Large bodies of water separated three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Fishing is one of the major industries of the country. Aside from being a source of food and livelihood, water source plays an important role in other industries and domestic households. Water resources in the Philippines include inland fresh water, lake, and coastal and oceanic waters. Inland fresh water includes rivers, lakes, and ground water. There are 421 principal river basins, 19 are considered major river basins. Marine water encompasses coastal and oceanic water, the main source of fish and other aquatic plants and animals. 8. Water Quality in the Philippines Water quality protection and operation and maintenance of sanitation facilities are a collaborative undertaking of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Works and Sewerage System (DWSS). The problem is that there are too many policies and laws about water quality that some of them are not implementedand monitored properly, and some agencies have unclear and overlapping mandates. To answer the growing problems of water quality

severalinvestment projects were done to monitor and ensure safe water. 9. For Coastal and Marine Waters (as amended by DAO 97-23) 10. The Philippine government aims to maintain the quality of its surface waters according to their best beneficial use. This is embodied in the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 34, which classifies bodies of water according to the degree of protection required. Class AA and SA have the most stringent water quality for fresh surface waters and marine/coastal waters; and D and SD waters have the least stringent water quality for fresh surface water and marine waters, respectively. Hot spots areas of surface water quality were assessed by province using Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) as parameters. Groundwater quality was assessed by using Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Coliform. Saltwater intrusion was mapped based on National Water Resources Board (NWRB) data. Other hot spots were identified and rated on the basis of the objective of recovering the water quality of surface waters (rivers, lakes, and bays) for beneficial use, i.e., Class A (for fresh surface waters) for drinking, and Class SB ( for coastal and marine waters) for recreation. 11. Quality of Philippine Water Resources Over half of the Philippine rivers that were classified have lower quality and cannot be used for drinking unless treated. The coastal areas are densely populated thus causing water pollution. Philippiness main source of water is rainfall. The surface and ground water quality shows the problem is getting severe in urban and coastal areas. Clean water should be the priority. Fifty-eight percent of ground water wells that were sampled were contaminated with coliform. Water contamination contributes to low water quality resulting in water pollution. This is the result of urbanization. As people flock into the metropolis and build homes, water quality problems arise. 12. Categories The parameters for water quality are determined by the intended use. Work in the area of water quality tends to be focused on water that is treated for human consumption or in the environment.

13. For Human Consumption or Drinking-Water World Health Organization has set the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality of which the primary purpose is the protection of public health. Water is essential to sustain life, and a satisfactory (adequate, safe, and accessible) supply must be available to all. Improving access to safe drinking-water can result in tangible benefits to health. The great majority of evident water-related problems are the result of microbial (bacteriological, viral, protozoan, or other biological) contamination. Nevertheless, an appreciable number of serious health problems may occur as a result of the chemical contamination of drinking water. 14. Human Consumption or Drinking- Water - Parameters Alkalinity Color of water pH Taste and odor Dissolved metals and salts (sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium) Microorganisms such as fecal coliform bacteria (Escherichia coli), Cryptosporidium, and Giardia lamblia Dissolved metals and metalloids (lead, mercury, arsenic, etc.) Dissolved organics: colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) Radon Heavy metals 15. Environmental Water Quality Also called ambient water quality, pertains to water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. Ambient water quality standards vary significantly due to different environmental conditions, ecosystems, and intended human uses.Toxic substances and high populations of certain microorganisms can present a health hazard for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation, swimming, fishing, rafting, boating, and industrial uses. These conditions may also affect wildlife which use the water for drinking or as a habitat. Modern water quality laws general specify protection of fishable/swimmable use and antidegradation of current conditions. 16. Environmental Water Quality Environmental advocates express desires to return water bodies to pristine, or pre-industrial conditions. Current environmental laws focus of the designation of uses and therefore allow for some water contamination as long as the particular type of contamination is not harmful to the designated uses. Given the landscape changes in the watersheds of manyfreshwater bodies,

returning to pristine conditions would be asignificant challenge. In these cases, environmental scientists focus on achieving goals for maintaining populations of endangered species and protecting human health. 17. Environmental Water Quality Parameters Physical Properties Color, odor, temperature, solids (residues), turbidity, oil content, and grease content. Chemical Properties - pH - Conductivity - Dissolved oxygen (DO) - Nitrate - Orthophosphate - Chemical oxygen demand (COD) - Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) - Pesticides Biological Properties Bacteriological parameters: coliforms, fecal coliforms, specific pathogens, and viruses. 18. COMPONENTS OF WATER QUALITY (microbial, biological, chemical, and physical aspects) & MEASUREMENTS 19. Components of Water Quality Microbial Aspect Drinking water should not include microorganisms that are known to be pathogenic. It should also not contain bacteria that would indicate excremental pollution, the primary indicator of which are coliform bacteria that are present in the feces of warm-blooded organisms. Chlorine is the usual disinfectant, as it is readily available andinexpensive. Unfortunately, it is not fully effective, as currently used, against all organisms. 20. Components of Water Quality Biological Aspect Parasitic protozoa and helminths are also indicators of water quality. Species of protozoa can be introduced into water supply through human or animal fecal contamination. Most common among the pathogenic protozoans are Entamoeba and Giardia. Coliforms are not appropriate direct indicators because of the greater resistance of these protozoans to inactivation by disinfection.A single mature larva or fertilized egg of parasitic roundwormsand flatworms can cause infection when transmitted to humans through drinking water. 21. Components of Water Quality Chemical Aspect Chemical contamination of water sources may be due to certain industries and agricultural practices, or from natural sources. When toxic chemicals are present in drinking water, there is the potential that they may cause either acute or chronic health effects. Chronic health effects are

more common than acute effectsbecause the level of chemicals in drinking water are seldom high enough to cause acute health effects. 22. Components of Water Quality Physical Aspect The turbidity, color, taste, and odor of water can be monitored. Turbidity should always be low, especially where disinfection is practiced. High turbidity can inhibit the effects of disinfection against microorganisms and enable bacterial growth.Drinking water should be colorless, since coloration may be due to the presence of colored organic matter.Organic substances also cause water odor, though odors may result from many factors, including biological activity and industrial pollution. Taste problems relating to water could be indicators of changes in water sources or treatment process. Inorganic compounds such as Mg, Ca, Na, Cu, Fe, and Zn are generally detected by the taste of water. 23. Water Quality MeasurementThe complexity of water quality as a subject is reflectedin the many types of measurements of water qualityindicators. Some measurements that can be made on-site are temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, andconductivity.More complex measurements that must be made ina laboratory setting require a water sample to becollected, preserved, and analyzed at anotherlocation (e.g., microbiological tests). 24. Measurement #1 pH pH, or the "potential of hydrogen", is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water. This measurement indicates the acidity or alkalinity of the water. On the pH scale of 0 - 14, a reading of 7 is considered to be "neutral." Readings below 7 indicate acidic conditions, while readings above 7 indicate the water is alkaline or basic. Naturally occurring fresh waters have a pH range between 6.5 and 8.5. The pH of the water is important because it affects the solubility and availability of nutrients, and how they can be utilized by aquatic organisms. The main significance of pH in domestic water supplies relates to its effects on water treatment. 25. Measurement #1 pHThe pH of a water does not have direct health consequencesexcept at extremes: - pH <4.0, severe danger of health effects due to dissolved toxic metal ions are expected. Water tastes sour. - At pH 4.0 6.0, toxic effects associated with

dissolvedmetals, including lead, are likely to occur. Water tastes slightly sour. - At target water quality range of 6.0 to 9.0, no significant effects on health are expected. - At pH 9.0 11.0, the probability of toxic effects associated with deprotonated species increases sharply. Water tastes bitter. - At pH>11.0 severe danger of health effects due to deprotonated species. Water tastes soapy.Treatment option would be the addition of an acid or an alkali. 26. Measurement # 2Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water, measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L). This component in water is critical to the survival of various aquatic life in streams, such as fish. The ability of water to hold oxygen in solution is inversely proportional to the temperature of the water. For example, the cooler the water temperature, the more dissolved oxygen it can hold. Common standard for water is that DO is at 8.0 mg/L The Philippines standard is 5 mg/L 27. Measurement #3 Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) Biological Oxygen Demand is a measure of how much oxygen is used by microorganisms in the aerobic oxidation, or breakdown of organic matter in the streams. Usually, the higher the amount of organic material found in the stream, the more oxygen is used for aerobic oxidation. This depletes the amount of dissolved oxygen available to other aquatic life. This measurement is obtained over a period of five days, and is expressed in mg/L. Philippines standard for BOD in water is not more than 5 mg/L 28. Surface Water Class A and Coastal and Marine Water Class SB DO mg/L BOD mg/LSatisfactory (S) >5 Satisfactory (S) <5Marginal (M) 5 Marginal (M) 5Unsatisfactory (U) <5 Unsatisfactory (U) >5Minimum 5 Minimum 5Requirement Requirement 29. Measurement #4Temperature Temperature is a measure of how cool or how warm the water is, expressed in degrees Celsius (C). Temperature is a critical water quality parameter, since it directly influences the amount of dissolved oxygen that is available to aquatic organisms. Water temperature that exceeds 18C (for Class A Waters) has a deleterious effect on several fish species in streams. Salmonids, for example, prefer waters of approximately 12 to 14

degrees Celsius. 30. Measurement #5Conductivity Conductivity is the ability of the water to conduct an electrical current, and is an indirect measure of the ion concentration. The more ions present, such as that of carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, suphate, nitrate, Na, K, Ca, and Mg, the more electricity can be conducted by the water. This measurement is expressed in microsiemens per centimeter (uS/cm) at 25C. The target water quality range is 0 70. 31. Measurement #6Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Total dissolved solids is a measure of the amount of particulate solids that are in solution. This is an indicator of nonpoint source pollution problems associated with various land use practices. The TDS concentration is directly proportional to the electrical conductivity of water. Since conductivity is much easier to measure than TDS, it is routinely used as an estimate of the TDS concentration. TDS is expressed in (mg/L) with target water quality range of 0 450 mg/L. 32. Measurement #7 Turbidity Turbidity is a measure of the clarity of the water. It is the amount of solids suspended in the water. It can be in the form of minerals or organic matter. It is a measure of the light scattering properties of water, thus an increase in the amount of suspended solid particles in the water may be visually described as cloudiness or muddiness. Turbidity is measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Standard is 5 NTUs 33. Measurement #8Fecal Coliform Bacteria Fecal coliform bacteria are microscopic organisms that live in the intestines of all warm blooded animals, and in animal wastes or feces eliminated from the intestinal tract. Fecal coliform bacteria may indicate the presence of disease-carrying organisms which live in the same environment as the fecal coliform bacteria. The measurement is expressed as the number of organisms per 100 mL sample of water (#/100mL). Standard Fecal Coliform Bacteria is 100 organisms per 100 mL 34. Environmental Water Quality Biological Assessment Biological monitoring metrics have been developed in many places, and one widely used measure is the presence and abundance of members of

the insect orders Ephemerontera (Mayfly), Plecoptera (Stonefly) and Trichoptera (Caddisfly) Generally, within a region, the greater the number of taxa from these orders, the better the water quality. Without the laboratory scale analysis, an individual can use this biological indicator to get a general reading of water quality (such as the benthic macro-invertebrate indicator key). 35. SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION 36. Sources of Contamination Construction and mining sites, disturbed land areas, streambank erosion and alterations, cultivated farmland *** Fertilizer on agricultural, residential, commercial and recreational lawns, animal wastes, effluent from aquaculture facilities, leaky sewers and septic tanks, atmospheric deposition, municipal wastewater ***Pesticide applications, disinfectants (chlorine), automobilefluids, accidental spills, illegal dumping, urban stormwater runoff, industrial effluent ***Wastewater effluent, organic matter, leaking sewers and septic tanks, animal waste 37. Sources of ContaminationFailing septic tanks, animal waste, runoff from livestock operations, wildlife, improperly disinfected wastewater effluent *** Salt applications to snow and ice *** Leaky automobiles, industrial areas, illegal dumping ***Hydrological modifications that influence the amount of fresh or saline waters entering a system *** Heated landscape areas, runoff from impervious areas, tree removal along streams, wet detention ponds 38. MEANS OF TREATMENT 39. Means of Treatment Coagulation the separation or precipitation of particles in a dispersed state from a suspension resulting from their growth. This may result from the addition of an electrolyte (coagulant), prolonged heating, or from a condensation reaction between a solvent and solute. Flocculation the addition of chemical reagents (flocculants) to bring small particles together in flocs through the process of coagulation, aggregation, or biochemical reaction of fine suspended particles.Ion exchange the interchange of ions of like charge, usually on a solid medium and is used in water treatment, such as water softening.

40. Means of Treatment Ozonation disinfection using ozone. Reverse Osmosis a technique in the desalination of water in which pressure is applied to the surface of the saline solution, forcing pure water to pass through a semi- permeable membrane which prevents passage of other ions.Distillation the process of producing gas or vapor from a liquid by heating the liquid in a vessel and then collecting and condensing the vapors into liquids. Electodialysis the process of selective diffusion through a membrane conducted with the aid of an electromotive force applied to electrodes on both sides of the membrane. 41. Means of Treatment Disinfections to kill living organisms (ex. chlorination, ozonation, use of potassium permanganate, UV light, or silver ions. Filtrations/ultra-filtrations ex. A bed of sand or pulverized coal, or through a matrix of fibrous material supported on a perforated core.Adsorption ex. using activated alumina, activated carbon or activated carbon (GAC).Aeration a process of exposing water to air by dividing thewater into small drops, by forcing air through the water, or bycombination of both. It is used to add oxygen to water and toremove CO2, hydrogen sulfide, and taste-producing gases or vapors . Boiling to kill some bacteria. 42. WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT 43. Water Quality ManagementWater quality management is the planning for theprotection of a waters quality - for various beneficial use, - for the provision of adequate wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal of municipalities and industries, and - for activities that might create water quality problems, and regulating and enforcing programs to accomplish the planning goals, and law and regulations dealing with the water pollution control. 44. Water Quality Management The United Nations, in its recent examination of global water scarcity (1997) identified water quality as one of the key concerns in Asia in the next century. This concern is based on the fact that water qualitydegradation is so severe in many Asian countries that it is placing serious constraints on economic growth. Itcontinues to be a serious problem for human health and it is causing widespread negative environmental effects.

45. MADAMO GUID NGA SALAMAT SA TANANSA INYO PAGPAMATI SA AKON REPORT