Alabama Water Quality Information System

— Choose a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) —


	1.-		Are there areas where elevated concentrations of phosphorus in stream water are associated with phosphate rock or large natural soil phosphorus levels?


	2.-		Are there general differences in the natural quality of groundwater and surface water?


	3.-		Are water supplies in urban areas better or worse in quality than those in rural areas?


	4.-		Can algae have beneficial effects on water supplies?


	5.-		Do aquatic ecosystems have an unlimited capacity to maintain their quality?


	6.-		How can the actual laboratory testing procedures and protocols affect variability of bioassay tests for whole effluent toxicity (WET)?


	7.-		How do water quality standards for public drinking water compare to dialysis water quality standards?


	8.-		How do we determine water quality?


	9.-		How do we measure water quality?


	10.-		How do you access the STORET water quality data, which originates from many sources but is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?


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


	12.-		How does saline ground water become saltier than the oceans?


	13.-		How much sulfate (SO4) is typically found in surface waters?


	14.-		How salty is sea water in comparison to fresh water?


	15.-		How should samples for whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests be preserved and how much holding time is allowed for these bioassay tests?


	16.-		How variable is the salinity (total dissolved solids or TDS) of lakes, rivers and streams across the United States?


	17.-		If algae are the primary oxygen producers in water, how do algae blooms cause severe oxygen depletion in water?


	18.-		Is it common to find pure water in nature?


	19.-		Is it okay to use fluoridated water in kidney dialysis machines?


	20.-		Is sea water the saltiest water found on earth?


	21.-		Is water pollution and water contamination the same thing?


	22.-		Is water that meets drinking water standards suitable for use in kidney dialysis machines that are used to remove wastes from a person�s blood whose kidneys are failing?


	23.-		What actions, activities or practices tend to reduce natural water purification?


	24.-		What are brine wells?


	25.-		What are plankton organisms?


	26.-		What are silicates and why do most waters contain some concentration of them?


	27.-		What are the key factors that influence water quality?


	28.-		What do we mean by an "unhealthy aquatic ecosystem"?


	29.-		What do we mean by water quality?


	30.-		What does water purity really mean?

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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.