Last Updated on November 25, 2021 by TODD FRANZEN
Turbidity is what we refer to as the cloudiness in water quality. What does this mean? Well, it means that there are items (such as light refraction) in the water which make it difficult for us to see through. What causes turbidity? What types of items can create turbidity?
If you have ever seen a stream or river after a rainstorm, and it appears to be dirty That’s Turbidity. It’s the measure of relative clarity in a liquid. Turbidity consists of sediment and silt, and pollutants like metal, bacteria, and more.
So how do we get rid of it? There are two main steps to take when you want to remove the cloudiness from your water: Filtration, which removes particles larger than 0.01 microns in size, and disinfection.
Filtration
Filtration is the process of removing particles larger than 0.01 microns in size from water using porous media made up of sand, crushed rock, activated carbon, or a manufactured type of filter media with holes smaller than these particles allowing clean water to pass through while capturing them on its way out.
Municipalities will filter water down to 0.0001 microns before they treat the water to current regulations.
Disinfection
This is the process of killing disease-causing bacteria and viruses. This can be done by using chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet light and killing these organisms on contact. Causing them to mutate into a form that cannot reproduce in order to survive.
These processes are not 100% effective at removing turbidity from water. And it’s nearly impossible to make sure that all organisms are killed during disinfection.
Some other ways to reduce turbidity include adding coagulants which act as relatively large magnets by attracting smaller particles together. It’s easier to filter these larger masses. Or using clarification processes like slow sand filtration which uses fine silt to act as a filter medium.
There are three main types of Turbidity: Cloudy Suspended Solids, Colloidal Material, and Dissolved solids.
Cloudy Suspended Solids
These pesky little particles are the ones that make your water cloudy. They’re so small, but their sheer numbers can give an overall clouded appearance to a body of water!
Colloidal Material
This is a suspension of very fine particles in a fluid medium, where these particles have an affinity for each other and will not settle unless removed from the liquid or made insoluble by chemical reactions. Colloids can remain in a liquid for long periods of time.
Dissolved Solids
These are particles that are dissolved, mixed into the water, and cannot be seen. Dissolved solids can only be removed by chemical reactions, filtration through activated charcoal, or reverse osmosis filters.
What causes these different types?
There are many things that can contribute to turbidity in water quality. These include:
– Sediment from natural erosion and weathering processes such as wind, rain, or snow
– The presence of organic materials such as decomposing plants and animals
– Materials introduced by human activity include garbage, sewage overflows, runoff containing fertilizers
What is the difference between them?
The difference between these is that sediment will be visible, while dissolved solids and colloidal materials are not. What can we do to reduce turbidity?
Turbidity in water quality cannot always be eliminated. The particles causing it may simply be too small for filtration or chemical treatment to remove them completely, but there are ways you can reduce it.
– Reduce the amount of sediment coming into a water supply by planting vegetation away from streams and rivers to prevent erosion
– Use a slow sand filtration method that will remove particles larger than 0.45 microns in size while using fine silt as a filter medium, then an ultraviolet light to disinfect the water.
– Follow proper procedures for handling and disposing of garbage, sewage overflow, or fertilizers that might be contaminating the water supply.
Turbidity does not have a direct effect on human health, but it can indicate other types of contamination such as organic materials which may contain disease-causing organisms or radioactive contaminants. What are the different types of turbidity?
What Types of Items Create Turbidity?
Turbidity is the measure of how cloudy a liquid becomes due to its movement. For example, all the silt and sediment that washes off the hillside into the stream or river causes turbidity. Suspended solids. The more volume, the faster it goes with momentum. Stirring up the dirt and ground below.
Road culverts, boulders, trees will create pockets of turbulence in the water. Stirring up more sediment and silt. This is just the Natural Element without human interference. Sewage, industrial waste, and petroleum are examples of that.
What are the three main causes of turbidity?
Cloudy suspended solids, colloidal materials, and dissolved solids.
What can we do to reduce it?
You can reduce turbidity by reducing sediment coming into a water supply, using slow sand filtration.
Filtration is key to removing turbidity along with other contaminants. This is key in practice before consuming water of any kind!
What is the name of a Turbidity test?
The Nephelometer is an instrument used to measure light scattered by particles in a sample. This determines if its cloudy suspended solids or colloidal material. The nephelometric method uses an incident beam to pass through the water at 90 degrees and then reflect
A nephelometer is used to measure colloidal material and particles larger than 0.45 microns in size by shining a light through them while measuring how much is scattered.
What do all of these terms mean to me as a consumer?
Turbidity is a measurement to determine the extent of the cloudiness in water quality, but there are other factors such as pH and temperature.
It mainly affects your perception of how clean it looks rather than its actual health risks or benefits. What causes turbidity?
What is turbidity’s impact on health?
Turbidity does not have a direct impact on health, but it can indicate other types of contamination such as organic materials which may contain disease-causing organisms or radioactive contaminants.
This is one example of hundreds of the reasoning why we need to take filtration into our own hands. Whether that is a personal water filtration device or a whole home system, taking control of your own water not only makes sense but adds a layer of safety to everyday life as well! Click Here for more info.