Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 1 CLAYFIELD COLLEGE 2010 CHEMISTRY EXTENDED EXPERIMENTAL

L INVESTIGATION YEAR 11 BY: Gabrielle Epstein TEACHER: Ms Austin ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALIITY OF THE BRISBANE RIVER AIM: The aim of this experimental investigation is to conduct a detailed analysis of water from one point of the Brisbane River (Kangaroo Point), and assess the quality of the water found by comparing results with the recommended EVS for the Brisbane River. INTRODUCTION: Life cannot exist without water; it is one the basic essentials for all life forms, and is paramount for survival. Water systems such as rivers have a cycling of trace elements, and support aquatic organisms and ecosystems and provide human water users with an abundance of natural nutrients. The Brisbane River is the longest river in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. It covers an area of 10,522 km2, reaching its source at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, and releases it waters into Moreton Bay. The once pristine waters were used as a source of drinking water and recreational purposes. Industries saw the river as a cheap and efficient source for waste discharge. Construction sites and residential areas have been erected along the river bank, and pipes and drains are being emptied into the river. This has resulted in the river water possessing a strong odour, and a dirty, black discolouration of the water. Before road links were established with Sydney the river held the only form of transport including trade. Today, many boats, ferries and speed boats occupy the river, increasing the waters turbiity and destroying the natural ecosystem. Throughout the past century the Brisbane River has been over used and polluted. The river basin has provided fertile agricultural and grazing lands, and suitable catchment sites for damming purposes. The advantages the river presented were carelessly exploited, to an extent self reparation seemed impossible. In 2000, the Brisbane River estuary did not meet the national guidelines for environmental standards. The major causes of pollution are excess nutrients, hydrocarbons, pesticides and bacteria which become concentrated in the river and its sediment after flowing off surrounding lands. The constant extraction of river bed material by dredges has had considerable effect on the river. These impacts include increased turbidity, bed and bank erosion and changes in tidal hydraulics. The tidal nature of the river and the generally muddy nature of the sands removed by dredging created a woefully sludgy clayey sediment load in the river which did not clear. By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 2 Through extensive public awareness promotions the river gained political support in the form of anti-pollution acts. The Queensland Government initiated two acts designed to protect the river from pollutants. These include: the Pollution of Waters by Oil Act of 1973 and the Clean Waters Act of 1971. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/79731/Brisbane-River) The term Environmental values (EV) is defined in the Queensland Government Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Protection Act (section 9) as: a) A quality or physical characteristic of the environment that is conductive to ecological healthy or public amenity or safety; or (b) Another quality of the environment identified and declared to be an environmental value under an environmental protection policy or regulation. (http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/register/p01818aa.pdf) In the experimental investigation the principal factors that are taken into consideration when determining water quality will be tested and compared to the recommended EVs for healthy river water. The factors that this report will focus on include: Dissolved oxygen content Phosphate concentration Chloride ion concentration

However, the following water quality factors will also be tested: Temperature Presence of detergents Turbidity pH Presence of heavy metals Salinity

According to the Brisbane River Environmental Values and Water Quality Objectives, Basin No. 143 (part). Including all creeks of the Brisbane River estuary, other than Oxley Creek, March 2007, the Water quality objectives to protect aquatic ecosystem EV Brisbane River are as follows: turbidity: <6 NTU suspended solids: <15 mg/L chlorophyll a: <2 g/L total nitrogen: <200 g/L oxidised N: <3 g/L ammonia N: <8 g/L organic N: <180 g/L total phosphorus: <30 g/L filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP): <6 g/L dissolved oxygen: 85 110% saturation pH: 8.0-8.2 By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 3 (http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/register/p01818aa.pdf)

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most significant measurements of water quality. The presence of oxygen in water is for the critical the respiration and survival of the aquatic life and ecosystems. The lack of dissolved oxygen is a signal of severe pollution or contamination. Waters of consistently high dissolved oxygen are usually considered healthy and stable ecosystems capable of supporting many different species of aquatic organisms. Oxygen primarily comes from the atmosphere by physical diffusion across the waterair interface. This transfer process is substantially increased by turbulent mixing of water with air, facilitated by wind and water waves and artificial aeration. Oxygen in water can also be delivered through photosynthesis and daylight assimilation by aquatic algae and vascular plants. (http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/MiOc/Nutrients-in-Lakes-and-Streams.html) Unfortunately dissolved oxygen undergoes wide spatial and temporal fluctuations. Instantaneous concentration of dissolved oxygen in a body of water is result of many physical, chemical and biological factors acting alone and in combination. This can also vary with time and location. High value of DO during the day is resulted from photosynthetic oxygen production; the low value at night resulted from uptake of oxygen by respiration and other consumptive processes in the absence of photosynthesis. The result may fluctuate by as much as 10mg/L at night due to the rate of photosynthesis. Water temperature and the discharge of water can also affect dissolved oxygen levels. (http://www.jstor.org/pss/25036916) Under natural conditions, >90% saturated dissolved oxygen is considered healthy, unless waters are supersaturated due to cultural eutrophication. If the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, organisms and the water body can begin to die, a process call eutrophication. The dissolved oxygen in surface waters may range 9mg/L to approximately 18mg/L. (http://www.balwois.com/administration/full_paper/ffp-1520.pdf) The pH of river water is the measure if how acidic or basic the water is on a scale of 0-14. It is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration. Most river pH levels fall between 6.5 and 8.5 on this scale with 7.0 being neutral. The optimum pH for river water is around 7.4. An increase in the waters pH can result in the increased growth of algae and ammonia, as well as becoming toxic to fish and other aquatic life. (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/fenlewis/Waterquality.html) Phosphorous is the plant nutrient most often responsible for impairment of surface water essential for healthy, productive crop. Phosphorus can enter waterways through many ways. They are referred to as point and non-point sources. Point sources include: municipal waste treatment plants, industrial discharge, large confined livestock operations and urban storm water. Non-point sources include: Soil erosions, water run-off from cropland, lawns gardens, home waste treatment systems, livestock pastures and rangelands. By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 4 The EPA water quality criteria state that phosphorous should not exceed 0.05mg/l if streams discharge into lakes or reservoirs, 0.025mg/l within a lake or reservoir, and 0.1 mg/l in streams or surface waters that are maintained at 0.01 to 0.03mg/l of total phosphorus tend to remain uncontaminated by algae blooms. (http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/phos.html) See Figure 1.0 below: Figure 1.0: Figure 1.0 Phosphate-phosphorus levels and effects Total phosphate/ phosphorus*

Effects

0.01-0.03 mg/L 0.025 mg/L 0.1 mg/L

Amount of phosphate-phosphorus in most uncontaminated lakes Accelerates the eutrophication process in lakes Recommended maximum for rivers and streams

(http://www.h2ou.com/h2wtrqual.htm) Phosphorus in freshwater and marine systems exists in either a particulate phase or dissolved phase. This is a concern for most aquatic ecosystems. The absence of phosphorous limits growth of algae and aquatic plants. When additional phosphorus becomes available to enrichment and high plant productivity is eutrophication. Where phosphorus is in excess, growth of blue green algae can occur. This is a major concern because they release odiferous and even toxic compounds. Chloride is one of the major anions in water and sewage. The salty taste produced by chloride concentrations is variable and depends on what other components are present in the water. The chloride content of natural surface waters will depend to a great extent on the geology of the area. Any appreciably higher chloride concentration then 10-50 mg/L would suggest contamination. High concentrations of chloride can be damaging to metal pipes and structures, as well as to agricultural crops. (http://www.campbellsci.ca/Catalogue/Hydrolab_Chloride.pdf) Materials: Materials for experiment - Qualitative analysis of water at the collection (see page 60 of Chemistry textbook) Materials for experiment Qualitative analysis of dissolved oxygen (see page 61 of Chemistry textbook) Materials for experiment Qualitative analysis of chloride ions (see page 63 of Chemistry textbook) By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 5 Risk Assessment: (see appendix 1.0) Controls/ Variables: Controls: The controls in these experiments are: Variables: The variables is these experiments are: Method: Method for experiment - Qualitative analysis of water at the collection (see page 60 of Chemistry textbook) Method for experiment Qualitative analysis of dissolved oxygen (see page 61 of Chemistry textbook) Method for experiment Qualitative analysis of chloride ions (see page 63 of Chemistry textbook) Results: Results for analysis of water at collection site: Visual inspections: Ferries, boats, speed boats, trade transportation vessels, jet skis on river Residential and construction sites on river bank Trees growing in sand on south bank of river near park (where water was collected) Drains and pipes emptying waste in river No rainbow effect visable on water Water had mild odour Sand has dirty, black discoulouration Some discolouration, black river water Temperature: 24 degrees Celsius Presence of detergent: Small bubbles appear after water in bottle is shaken for 1 minute. Bubbles disappear after approximately 20 seconds. A presence of detergent is indicated. Turbidity: 47cm pH: 7.88 By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 6 Heavy metals test: <10ug/Lppb Salinity: 23 300ppm

Results for quantitative analysis of dissolved oxygen: Flask 1: (River water) 8.5mL of thiosulphate was added to solution until flask 1 turns clear. 0.547 x 8.5 = 4.6395mg L-1 dissolved oxygen Water temperature = 23 degrees celsuis = 8.56mg L-1 maximum amount of oxygen % Saturation = dissolved oxygen in sample/ maximum amount of oxygen x 100 = 4.6495 L-1/ 8.56mg L=1 x 100 = 54.2912% dissolved oxygen Flask 2: (River water) 8.5mL of thiosulphate was added to solution until flask 1 turns clear. 0.547 x 8.5 = 4.6395mg L-1 dissolved oxygen Water temperature = 23 degrees celsuis = 8.56mg L-1 maximum amount of oxygen % Saturation = dissolved oxygen in sample/ maximum amount of oxygen x 100 = 4.6495 L-1/ 8.56mg L=1 x 100 = 54.2912% saturation dissolved oxygen Flask 3: (River water) 8.5mL of thiosulphate was added to solution until flask 1 turns clear. 0.547 x 8.5 = 4.6395mg L-1 dissolved oxygen Water temperature = 23 degrees celsuis = 8.56mg L-1 maximum amount of oxygen % Saturation = dissolved oxygen in sample/ maximum amount of oxygen x 100 = 4.6495 L-1/ 8.56mg L=1 x 100 = 54.2912% saturation dissolved oxygen Flask 4: (Distilled water controlled sample) 20.5mL of thiosulphate was added to solution until flask 1 turns clear. 0.547 x 20.5 = 11.2135mg L-1 dissolved oxygen Water temperature = 23 degrees celsuis = 8.56mg L-1 maximum amount of oxygen % Saturation = dissolved oxygen in sample/ maximum amount of oxygen x 100 = 11.2135mg L-1/ 8.56mg L=1 x 100 = 130.99983% saturation dissolved oxygen

By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 7

Results for quantitative analysis of chloride ions: Flask 1 (River water): n= C x V n= 0.1 x 0.002L n= 0.0002 moles of silver nitrate C= n/ V C= 0.0002/ 0.250 C= 0.008 moles/L m= N x M m=0.008 x 35.45g mol-1 m= 0.2836g mol-1 m= 0.2836 x 1000 m= 283.6mg L-1 Flask 2 (River water): n= C x V n= 0.1 x 0.002L n= 0.0002 moles of silver nitrate C= n/ V C= 0.0002/ 0.250 C= 0.008 moles/L m= N x M m=0.008 x 35.45g mol-1 m= 0.2836g mol-1 m= 0.2836 x 1000 m= 283.6mg L-1 Flask 3 (River water): n= C x V n= 0.1 x 0.002L n= 0.0002 moles of silver nitrate C= n/ V C= 0.0002/ 0.250 C= 0.008 moles/L m= N x M By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 8 m=0.008 x 35.45g mol-1 m= 0.2836g mol-1 m= 0.2836 x 1000 m= 283.6mg L-1

Flask 4 (Distilled water controlled sample): n= C x V n= 0.1 x 0.0025L n= 0.0002 moles of silver nitrate C= n/ V C= 0.00025/ 0.250 C= 0.001 moles/L m= N x M m=0.001 x 35.45g mol-1 m= 0.03545g mol-1 m= 0.2836 x 1000 m= 3545mg L-1 Discussion/ Analysis: Analysis of water at collection site: The analysis of water the collection site has proved that the Brisbane River is not within the recommended EV, and therefore is considered unhealthy. The pH level of the Brisbane River is below within the physio-chemical indicators, and recent studies of the Brisbane River has discovered that the river is becoming increasingly acidic. This is most likely due to the chemical waste and sewage that is emptied into the river, run off from construction sites and residential areas, and the pollution and oil leakages from the boats, ferries and marine vessels that occupy the river. The turbidity is above the recommended EV, rendering the water unsuitable for aquatic ecosystem protection This can be attributed to the extensive clearing of native vegetation for urban, industrial and agricultural development that takes place in the area as well as from industrial, stormwater and sewerage effluent discharges. (http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/quality/qld/basin-brisbane-river.html) Quantitative analysis of dissolved oxygen: The results of the quantitative analysis of dissolved oxygen was 54.2912%, and this result was proved fairly accurate as all three flasks containing river water had the same result. In comparison, the dissolved oxygen saturation for the distilled water controlled sample was 130.99883%. The recommended dissolved oxygen saturation for the Brisbane river is 85%- 110%. The results from our analysis is not within the recommended EV, and therefore can prove that the Brisbane Rivers dissolved oxygen saturation is too low to be considered healthy. Although results were By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 9 expected to be under the recommended EV, a saturation as low as 54.2912% was not expected. This is cause for concern as the presence of oxygen in water is for the critical the respiration and survival of the aquatic life and ecosystems. The lack of dissolved oxygen is an indicator of severe pollution or contamination (see introduction). However, it is recommended that dissolved oxygen in water be measured directly at the collection site or immediately after collection of a sample. This is because oxygen concentrations can change dramatically in a sample bottle due to changes in temperature or to continued use of the oxygen by bacteria in the water. In future dissolved oxygen experiments, it is recommended that the test be perform at the collection site or as soon as possible after collection for improved accuracy in results. Quantitative analysis of chloride ions: The amount of chloride ions in the water sample of Brisbane River was 283.6mg L-1, which is not in the recommended EV level for the Brisbane River, and therefore can be considered as unhealthy. This experiment proved to be fairly accurate as all three river water samples had the same result. This result is concerning in comparison to the chloride ions result for the distilled water 35.45mg L-1. Studies have shown that the respiratory system of animals can be severely damaged by the presence of chloride ions in river water. Chlorine can also cause environmental harm at low levels, and is especially harmful to organisms living in water and in soil. Conclusion: References: (http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/water/environment al_values_environmental_protection_water_policy/index.html) This website proved to have a lot of useful information about Environmental Values and the Environmental Protection policy concerning the state of the Brisbane River. As this site is a Queensland Government Environment and Resource Management site, the information is reliable, current and accurate. (http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Mi-Oc/Nutrients-in-Lakes-andStreams.html) This water encyclopedia site, although not a Queensland Government or Environmental Organisation site, is fairly reliable. The information provided was relevant and detailed about the nutrients water contains, and about pollutants and the effects of pollution in water ways. The language used as suitable for high school students, and although detailed, was easy to comprehend. (http://www.jstor.org/pss/25036916) (http://www.balwois.com/administration/full_paper/ffp-1520.pdf) (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/fenlewis/Waterquality.html) The information provided in this website was extremely useful in understanding the effect of water quality in a river or water way. The language was simple to understand and directed at high school students. As it was a government site, the information is reliable an accurate, as it was consistent with information collected from other various websites. By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin

Chemistry Extended Experimental Investigation Water Quality of the Brisbane River 10 (http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/phos.html) (http://www.h2ou.com/h2wtrqual.htm) (http://www.campbellsci.ca/Catalogue/Hydrolab_Chloride.pdf) (http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/quality/qld/basin-brisbane-river.html) (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/79731/Brisbane-River)

By Gabrielle Epstein Year 11 Ms Austin