Overview of Water Analysis
Proper water analysis ensures that our fresh water is clean enough to support life. Many contaminants, such as heavy metals and nitrates, have a detrimental affect on the ecosystem in high enough concentrations. The EPA regulates concentrations of these contaminants that stem from human activities, such as the heavy use of fertilizers while farming.
The first overarching law to protect water quality in the United States, the Clean Water Act, was enacted in 1987. An important and ongoing project at the Ohio State University, as part of the Research Experiences to Enhance Learning (REEL) program, is the collection and analysis of natural water samples from the Greater Columbus, OH area to examine water quality and identify and quantify contaminants (see below).
Buffer CapacityAbility of water to maintain the pH range necessary for life |
Sample CollectionStandard methods of collection for comparison |
Data AnalysisStandard methods of analysis for comparison of data obtained |
Description of DataCombinations of graphical and statistical techniques |
Halogen atoms with negative charges acting as contaminants |
IC Calibration/Operation/Overview/Theory Ion Chromatography Techniques |
Effects of high concentrations in water sources |
Sources and effects of Nitrogen containing compounds |
Different contaminants in water |
Organisms require a pH between 6 and 9 to live |
Standard methods for studying samples |
Standard methods for treatment of samples |
Proper methods to prevent degradation of samples |
Effect of temperature on content of dissolved contaminants |
Correct approaches to analyze the samples |
Sources of contaminants in water |
Content on this web page authored by Samantha Fisher, Matt McKiney, Peng Lam, Jared Bennet & Caroline Shipman