COURTNEY LEISTINGERCHEMISTRY/FORENSIC SCIENCE MAJOR

The Chemistry and Biology of Treating Municipal Drinking Water

John P. Buckley Water Treatment Plant

City of Troy Department of Public Utilities

What are the main components of water treatment?

Chemistry Tests Filtration Bacterial Sampling

Water Testing

Iodine

Important for metabolism Can still be lethal in large doses Removed through activated charcoal

Aluminum

Indigestible Lethality is questionable; limit still enforced Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK)

Turbidity

Translucence of a water source Dirt/sand absorbs light Jackson turbidimeter

A Rare Exception: Blue Lake

Located in New Zealand Has water with no turbidity Connected to neighboring lake

Color

Light is reflected and absorbed Platinum Cobalt Scale Color must be slightly above 0

pH

Most natural water is slightly acidic Too acidic = Eating through pipes Too basic = Calcium buildup

Water Filtration

Alum

Double sulfate salt Electric double layer Collected particles sink

Active Carbon Filtering

Porous charcoal High surface area Portable water filters

Bacterial Water Sampling

Quick History Lesson

1836: Antonio Bassi and muscardine 1850s – 1920s: Germ Theory 1885: First routine bacterial examination 1891: Fecal bacteria needs to be identified

Collecting Samples

100 mL sterile bottles -> listed water sources Sterilized source faucets Chain of Custody

Membrane Filtration

Vacuum suction and standardized paper filter Small portion kept aside (unfiltered) Unfiltered reserved for specific plate count

Preparing and Incubating Plates

ME Plates -> 24 hours SPC Plates -> 48 hours Colonies tallied

Errors in Bacterial Water Sampling

Sterilization Plate Preparation Air Density Agar Batch

Potential Application: Microbial Source Tracking

DNA of fecal colonies used to identify source Can help to stop/prevent contaminants Ingestion of certain chemicals

Dangers of Cyanobacteria

“blue-green algae” Blooms destroy aquatic ecosystems Excess nitrogen from fecal sources makes bacteria flourish

Chemistry and Biology is Important!

References

"APHA = Pt-Co = Hazen Color." Measure True Color. Hunter Lab, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://measuretruecolor.hunterlab.com/2012/10/23/apha-pt-co-hazen-color/>.Afifi, A. A. "Determination of Dissolved Aluminum in Water Samples." USGS: Science for a Changing World. US Geological Survey, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wri824018>.Ahad, Farhana, and Shaiq Ganie. "Iodine, Iodine Metabolism and Iodine Deficiency Disorders Revisited." Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Medknow Publications. 2010. Web.

28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3063534/>."Aluminum in Drinking-water: Background Document for Development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking- water Quality." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, 1 Mar. 2004. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/en/aluminium.pdf>.Beddow, Victoria. "A Brief History of Water and Health from Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times." - IWA Water Wiki. 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/-ABRIEFHISTORYOFWATERANDHEALTHFROMANCIENTCIVILIZATIONSTOMODERNTIMES#Information>.

References

"Blue Lake, Nelson, New Zealand - The Clearest Lake in the World | Amusing Planet." Blue Lake, Nelson, New Zealand - The Clearest Lake in the World | Amusing Planet.

Amusing Planet, 18 June 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/06/blue-lake-nelson-new-zealandclearest.html>.Britannica Editing Team. (2014, October 23). Agostino Bassi (Italian bacteriologist). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/55517/Agostino Bassi#ref19832"Chapter 4 - From the Field to the Lab." How to Measure TSS and Turbidity. Washington

State Department of Ecology. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/joysmanual/4tss.html>Harvard College. (2014) Germ Theory. Retrieved November 18, 2014, fromhttp://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion/germtheory.htmlHelmenstine, Anne Marie. "What Is Alum? - Alum Facts, Types, Uses, and More." About

Education. 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/f/What-Is-Alum.htm>.

References

"Iodine in Drinking-water: Background Document for Development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, 1 Mar. 2004. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/en/aluminium.p df>.Matthews, D. M. (2013). Microbiology lab manual. Unpublished manuscript. Russell Sage College, Troy, NY."Nelson's Blue Lake – The Clearest Freshwater Ever Reported." NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi. 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.niwa.co.nz/news/nelson’s-blue-lake-–-the-clearest freshwater- ever-reported>.Rompré, A., Servais, P., Baudart, J., De-Roubin, M., & Laurent, P. (2002). Detection and enumeration of coliforms in drinking water: Current methods and emerging approaches. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 49, 31-54.Scott, T., Rose, J., Jenkins, T., Farrah, S., & Lukasik, J. (2002). Microbial Source Tracking: Current Methodology And Future Directions. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 68(12), 57965803.

References

"The History of Drinking Water Treatment." Epa.gov. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Feb. 2000. Web. 28 Feb.

2015. <http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/consumer/pdf/hist.pdf>."Wellcare Information For You About PH in Drinking Water." Wellcare

Information For You About PH in Drinking Water. Water Systems Council, 1 Sept. 2007. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. <http://www.watersystemscouncil.org/download/wellcare_informa

tion_sheets/potential_groundwater_contaminant_information_shee ts/9709284pH_Update_September_2007.pdf>.