Essay On Water Quality Management

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Monitoring is a critical and expensive but necessary step in proving the success of any water quality management plans that are implemented. It is essentialthat any data obtained from monitoring, be retained for at least 5 years in order to measure the success of the management planand to what degree. Monitoring programmes are required to be sufficient as to provide a measurement for:
• Nutrient and sediment introductionduring storm flow conditions;
• Adaptation of biological species
• Chemical water parameters
• Physical water parameters
• Nutrient and sediment outflows;
• Influence of levels over short and long term periods
• Climatological conditions
1.2 Roles and responsibilities in water safety management
Water suppliers do not include many aspects of water quality management as it is often outside of their direct responsibility. It is therefore, for this reason, that collaborative multiagency are involved in the management of water quality. Water safety is most efficiently ensured by preventative actions that take account of the characteristics of the water supply from source to end user. Where some sources and catchments are beyond the water supplier’s jurisdiction, it is necessary to involve other authorities for water quality management for monitoring, reporting, emergency response and communication. (World Health Organization, 2011)

1.3 Surveillance and quality control
Effective protection of public health has been achieved by using a dual-approach, where the roles and responsibilities of service providersand authorities responsible for independent oversight are differentiated. As an example, the functions of surveillance and quality control are best performed by separate and independent entities to prevent a conflict...

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...ainfall. Inappropriate disposal methods are also a cause of contamination. Nitrate, for example, may occur as a result of tillage when there are no additional plantations to consume nitrate released from activities such as excess use and decomposing plants.
3.4 Constituents
In order to make educated judgements of the suitability of water for irrigation use, it is important to know the types of impacts to be expected. Due to the hydrological characteristics of South African rivers, quantity and quality can be highly variable. Impacts will depend on the exposure time to water of a given quality. Soil quality and their effect with water quality are equally important characteristics in establish the suitability of water for irrigation. Table XX shows the chemical constituents expected to cause toxicity in agriculture and the respective guideline concentrations allowed.

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