Water Quality Instructions

Barbu Stirbei College & Ekonomska Šola Kranj have chosen some basic measurements in order to investigate Water Quality using the Aquamerck kit 1.11151.0001 . They are pH, water temperature, transparency, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, carbonate hardness and phosphorus (as phosphate).

1. pH is a measure of the acid content of water, it influences most of its chemical processes and indicate how hospitable a body of water is to aquatic life;

2. water temperature is also an important factor for what will live in a water body. It’s largely determined by the amount of solar energy absorbed by the water, but it can be indicative of where the water originates and its variations gives information about increasing by manufacturing usage;

3. transparency is the degree to which light penetrates into water. In fact light travels farther in clear water than in turbid water that contains suspended solids or colored, but microorganisms in a large amount too;

4. It’s essential for growth of green plants measures of dissolved oxygen are also related to the optimal habitat for fishes and other aquatic life and, if are compared at the maximum allowed by the temperature of the water, it tells more about capacity of self-purification and/or eutrophication;

5. hardness generally represents the concentration of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions, because these are the most common polyvalent cations. Other ions, such as iron (Fe2+) and manganese (Mn2+), may also contribute to the hardness of water, but are generally present in much lower concentrations. Waters with high hardness values are referred to as "hard," while those with low hardness values are "soft".

6. nitrates and nitrites are chemical components dissolved into the water, they are major nutrients for plant growth, so their presence it can be related to eutrophication, too;

7. phosphates - during the natural process of weathering, the rocks gradually release the phosphorus as phosphate ions which are soluble in water and the mineralize phosphate compounds breakdown.   Phosphates PO4-3 are formed from this element. Phosphates exist in three forms: orthophosphate, metaphosphate (or polyphosphate) and organically bound phosphate each compound contains phosphorous in a different chemical arrangement. 

8. ammonium ions - the ammonium cation is less mobile in soil and water than ammonia and is involved in the biological processes of nitrogen fixation, mineralization, and nitrification;

Place of measurements
All the measurements are taken at the same Observation sites. This may be any surface water site that can be safely visited and monitored from our schools. The sites include Borcea River - a branch of Danube River and Sava River.

IMPORTANT: to take the sample in the same place for all the parameters, especially for temperature and dissolved oxygen that are strictly related.

Number of students and managing of work on field
Measurements should be taken by groups of 2-3 students. Tasks within a group include collecting samples, processing samples, and recording data on the appropriate Data Sheet.

About the average values
A correct scientific approach suggests repeating each measurement three times, to compare data and discharge the value non in agreement one each other.