Definition
The various procedures used to analyze samples of surface water (lakes, streams, and rivers); groundwater (from springs and wells); and wastewater for physical, biological, and chemical constituents.
Water testing may be performed to evaluate the background or environmental water quality, characteristics of water before or after treatment (including water for human consumption – drinking water), and suitability of water for industrial uses such as laboratory, manufacturing, or equipment cooling.
The sampling protocol and methods used are important to overall success of the testing and assessment process. The collection and analysis should be conducted in accordance with established procedures and standards specifically required by local, state, or national laws and regulation (Schulze et al. 2011; USDA-NRCS 2012). The water sampled is representative of the variability of the chemical, physical, or biological systems observed in the temporal and spatial distribution of the...
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References
Schulze T, Streck, G, Paschke A (2011) Aquatic chemistry and biology, (Chapter 3). In: Wilderer P (ed) Treatise on water science. Elsevier, Oxford. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/referenceworks/9780444531995#ancv0020. Accessed Jan 2018
USDA-NRCS (U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service) (2012) Springs and wells (Chapter 12). U. S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Engineering Handbook, Part 650, Washington, DC. 51 pp. https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=32186.wba
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Stumpf, A.J. (2018). Water Testing. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_296-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_296-1
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