Water Quality and Contamination Experiment Report

In the contemporary world, industrialization has led to continuous water contamination. Ideally, companies related to water safety should offer a solution to water contamination where distillation is inevitable. The research used various water testing methods. For instance, the pH levels of bottled and tap water ware tested using effective methods such as filtration and water treatment. Thereafter, the observations were recorded. Concerning the results, the research established that bottled water contained fewer mineral components compared to mineral water. Also, bottled water had lower levels of pH unlike tap water. This paper seeks to provide a detailed report on what should be done to ensure quality water for human consumption.

Introduction

Water safety is paramount for the health of human beings. Therefore, it is a primary concern worldwide. Quality water research is critical because it will assist in finding suitable methods for treating contaminated water. This, therefore, will lead to water which is safe for human consumption. The main objective of the study will be to examine water treatment processes to achieve quality water which is free from contamination. Due to various factors such as the development of residential areas near water catchment areas and industrial pollution of water sources, water has been seen to be highly contaminated (Kostyla, Bain, Cronk & Bartram, 2015).

This has led to the development of companies in an effort to provide purified water for consumption purpose. Several properties determine the quality of water. Notably, color, hardness, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, suspended sediment and turbidity are some of the properties. Contamination and pollution of water are caused by factors like bacteria in water, acid rain, pesticides, sewage overflows, and phosphorous among others. Water quality is very important as it has a number of purposes. First, it is an essential need and it highly determines public health. Therefore, to protect public health, we must ensure that people consume clean quality water. Quality water is also essential because it is an ecosystem habitat and is used in our day-to-day activities.

The contamination of water catchment areas has limited the access to clean and safe drinking water (Goncharuk, 2014). Consequently, there has been a rise in the number of bottled water companies that offer an alternative source of clean water. The companies apply various methods such as distillation and filtration to produce sufficient quantities of water. The methods are capital intensive thus consumers have to purchase the water they need. Therefore, it becomes necessary to carry out detailed experiments on the bottled and tap water that is made available to consumers to establish whether it is worthwhile to purchase bottled water.

According to Waite (2012), an analysis of the water produced by bottling companies as well as tap water, revealed some differences in their mineral composition. While water contains some essential minerals, it may be noted that contamination may occur as water is being stored or transported through pipes from their source to consumers’ houses. Therefore, treatment at a water collection point does not always guarantee that the water is safe for domestic use. Bottled water, on the other hand, is treated, packed, and distributed under hygienic conditions that are usually set and regulated by federal or state agencies to ensure its safety. Therefore, an experiment to test the differences between tap water and bottled water can reveal the differences that exist between the two, thus helping to establish whether it is worth to pay for bottled water as is the case with bottled water.

Some actions can be taken to help improve water quality. Foremost, one of these actions includes investing in places that are known to be water catchment areas to prevent issues like settlement along the catchment areas and fight industrial pollution into water sources like rivers, lakes, and oceans. Regulations on activities that can be carried out in water sources to avoid some of the daily activities that may cause possible pollution to water sources should be set. This can be achieved by having an environmental monitoring program to make follow-ups on current and upcoming causes of pollution of natural water. Construction of healthy waterways is important to avoid contamination of tap water which mainly happens during distribution due to issues like pipe rusting, sewage breakage near water transporting pipes and chemicals like lead from metal pipes.

Conversely, water is termed safe for consumption if all harmful contaminants such as metals, fluoride, and chlorine are cleaned off. Safe drinking water should also have an alkaline pH balanced value. Besides, it should have natural minerals, which are essential for the growth of healthy bones and teeth. The taste of water also matters when it comes to consumption. Drinking water should have a natural spring water taste. Water bottling companies have been established aiming to provide safe drinking water. These companies use filtration method and other treatment measures to eliminate harmful microorganisms in water. The companies apply various methods such as distillation and filtration to produce sufficient quantities of water. The methods are capital intensive thus consumers have to purchase the water they need.

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It is also seen to be distributed in hygienic conditions ensuring that there is no further contamination after packaging of the purified water. Since untreated tap water poses several risks, many people have turned to the usage of bottled water. On the contrary, there is an existing controversy on bottled water where some people feel that not all water-bottling companies provide safe drinking water. There is also tap water, which is treated at a collection point before being distributed for consumption. There is therefore the need to analyze water from bottling companies in comparison to that of tap water. Therefore, the experiment seeks to identify whether processed and bottled water is healthier for consumption and whether it is worth paying the price for it. In my opinion, bottled water is safer for consumption compared to tap water.

Materials and Methods

Initially, the experiment involved testing the pH levels of bottled water and tap water. Samples from two bottled water companies, Dasani and Fiji, and tap water were used. The samples were used to rinse three test tubes while avoiding direct hand-water contact because bare hands could contaminate the water. 5ml of each sample were also added to each test tube after which the drops of indicator solution were added. The observations were made and recorded. For the testing of nitrate, acid reagents and nitrate nitrogen comparators were used. Similar tests were carried out to establish the levels of ammonia, chloride, phosphate, iron, chlorine, and hardness.

For pH testing, the following materials were used: test tubes, sample water (Dasani and Fuji), a beaker to hold tap water, a dropper for the indicator solution, indicator solution, color chart and a 3,10milliliter graduated cylinder.

The procedure for pH testing of water was as follows: we cleaned all the equipment to ensure there were no residual impurities from previous experiments; we filled up the beaker with tap water avoiding any possible hand-water contact, different samples of water were used to rinse the test tubes, one sample for each test tube,10ml-graduated cylinders were used to measure up to 5ml of each sample, pouring each sample to each test tube, using the dropper; we added 2-3 drops of indicator solution to each of the three samples in the test tubes; using color charts we compared any changes that occurred in the samples; observations were then made and recorded.

To test for nitrates, the following equipment was needed: test tubes, 50ml graduated beaker, sample water (Dasani, Fiji, and tap water), mixed acid reagents, nitrogen nitrate comparators, and 3,10ml graduated cylinder.

The procedure for this experiment was as follows: we rinsed each test tube with the sample water for each, using the 10ml-graduated cylinder; we filled up to 2.5 ml of the sample water and poured it into their respective test tubes; we then added 2.5 ml of the mixed acid reagent to the sample water in the test tubes, each test tube was then inserted into the nitrogen nitrate comparator; we matched the colors, the sample color to the standard color and recorded our observations.

The same procedure for nitrate testing was used to test for levels of ammonia, chloride, phosphate, iron, chlorine, and hardness of the sample water.