Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	1.-		A local contractor was digging a pond behind my house when he discovered water seepage about ten feet below the surface that had a brown to black color with what looked like an oil film on top of the water. He refused to work any more in this area until I was able to determine if this was coming from buried waste, a broken pipeline or whatever. What is causing this?


	2.-		Although reflected light can give water a blue color, can light passing through water also look blue?


	3.-		Are there different types of surfactants?


	4.-		Are there microbes capable of using arsenic in surface water as an energy source?


	5.-		At what concentration can the Tyndall effect be observed on colloidal suspensions?


	6.-		Can magnetism, electrical energy, light energy, or special types of catalysts be used to create a specially clustered form of water that has health benefits?


	7.-		Can polyelectrolyte chemicals exhibit both cation and anion properties in an aqueous solution (water)?


	8.-		Can smoke from a fire cause rainfall?


	9.-		Can water and oil be mixed to form a solution?


	10.-		Can we produce electricity from tides and waves?


	11.-		Can wetting agents improve the efficiency of irrigation water?


	12.-		Can you tell by the size or texture of a food how much water was used to actually produce the food item?


	13.-		Do all raindrops fall at the same velocity?


	14.-		Do falling raindrops always have the same shape?


	15.-		Do polyelectrolyte type chemicals form weak or strong electrolytes in solution?


	16.-		Do water molecules exist in special clusters that can be controlled?


	17.-		Do water particles in the atmosphere simply change to ice when the surrounding temperature reaches freezing?


	18.-		Does our neighboring planet of Mars have water?


	19.-		Does water contain energy?


	20.-		Does water dousing really work?


	21.-		How big can hailstones get?


	22.-		How can radar be used to determine the amount of rain in an approaching storm?


	23.-		How can the oceans serve as a great potential power source for the earth?


	24.-		How can you tell if a salt dissolved in water will increase or lower pH?


	25.-		How do you calculate power needs for pumping water?


	26.-		How does capillarity affect soil water holding capacity?


	27.-		How does evaporative cooling with water work?


	28.-		How does natural purification of liquid water work on earth?


	29.-		How does water clean itself?


	30.-		How important are ocean phytoplankton organisms to total global photosynthesis?

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This website was developed by the ACES Water Quality Team, under the leadership of Dr. James E. Hairston. It is funded, in part, by USDA-CSREES water quality grant support under Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998.