The Importance Of Water Quality In Our Environment

All living organism depends on water and its quality. Human activities and the ways we use our river and streams and the land around affect the quality of the water we drink, cook with, and use for recreational opportunities (Erwin, Hamilton, 2002). It also affect the health and diversity of aquatic plants and animals and the beauty of our rivers and streams (Erwin, Hamilton, 2002). Many rivers and streams are significantly polluted all around the world (Lenntech, 2016). Industries and cities, agricultural and domestic activities are three major sources of pollution that are usually concentrated along the rivers(Lenntech, 2016). According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the main sources of water pollution are industrial waste with harmful

Water quality testing and monitoring is important for our environment. Water quality parameters such as pH, turbidity, conductivity and phosphate levels are important measures that can affect the quality of water in our environment. The pH measure how acidic or basic the river water is on a scale of 0-14 (Behar, 1997). According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, the normal level of pH for river water is around

We obtain water samples from both the Middle Patuxent River and the Inner harbor in Baltimore.The Inner Harbor in Baltimore seemed heavily polluted based on our observations. There were litter like plastic, paper, rubbish around the deck and in most areas, and some were floating on the water surface. The Middle Patuxent River doesn’t seemed polluted. It seemed natural and It was surrounded by woods, trees and rocks. It had green vegetation around it and the trees seemed to provide a good shade. Also the water looks clear. From each location, we collected 2 separate water samples about fifty yards away from each other in order to obtain more reliable results and limit variability. The samples were gathered the same day and at the same time to limit error in the testing due to changes in the weather. An independent variable is the variable that can be controlled and manipulated. It is what we think will affect the dependent variable (Readel,2000). Our independent variable will be the water samples taken from each distance at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and the Middle Patuxent River. A dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment. It is what we think will be affected during