MODEL PROGRAM FOR WATER QUALITY MEASUREMENT

Abstract

This thesis develops a model program for water quality measurement which can be implemented by nonprofessionals in the assessment of water quality and the consequences of pollution on an aquatic ecosystem. The model was developed after ineffective correlations resulted from data collected during a two-year monitoring project in Prince Georges' County, Maryland. Overburdened with analytical procedures and the scientific classification of aquatic organisms, the data which was accumulated proved to be of uncertain validity and, therefore, of questionable value. Alteration of perspective proposed in the model was accomplished by developing a guide for organization and selectively choosing specific physical, chemical, and biological parameters that could be correlated and applied by the nonprofessional to interpret water quality. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH were chosen because of their effects on one another, on toxicity and the nature of effluents entering the stream, and on aquatic organisms. The basis of the biological analyses was directed toward total and fecal coliform bacteria and species diversity index. Fecal coliform bacteria have been proven to be effective indicators of sewage pollution, and the comparison of diversity indices when correlated with chemical and physical parameters have proven to be effective natural indicators of water quality.