Water quality standards indicators

Studies suggest that E. coli is a more reliable indicator of fecal pollution and the occurrence of pathogens in water than fecal coliforms as a whole. A linear relationship has been reported between E. coli and enterococci coimts in the marine environment and swimming-related gastroenteritis [18]. In fact, USEPA [136] recommended that E. coli or enterococci replace fecal coliform bacteria in state water quality standards based on the study by Dufour [38] that showed statistically significant relationship between E. coli and enterococci concentrations in freshwater and rates of swimming-related illness. 

The Use Attainability Assessment (UAA) as well as recent USEPA monitoring indicated that water quality standards in the basin were not being met due to a combination of the natural geologic conditions and metals contamination due to mining. The UAA also discussed historic aquatic life uses in the basin (6). Anecdotal evidence fiom local persons and a variety of other Forest Service, Division of Wildlife, and USEPA data are reported to indicate that the Alamosa River supported at least a limited fishery until 1990. While there is evidence of mining activity in the upper Alamosa River, it was determined to be a minimal influence of stream water quality. 

Water Quality. AH commercial oil shale operations require substantial quantities of water. AH product water is treated for use and operations are permitted as zero-discharge facHities. In the Unocal operation, no accidental releases of surface water have occurred during the last four years of sustained operations from 1986 to 1990. The Unocal Parachute Creek Project compliance monitoring program of ground water, surface water, and process water streams have indicated no adverse water quaHty impacts and no violations of the Colorado Department of Health standards (62). 

Ashbolt N, Grabow WOK, Snozzi M (2001) Indicators of microbial water quality. In Fewtrell L, Bartram J (eds) Water quality guidelines standards and health assessment of risk and risk management for water-related infectious disease. IWA Publishing, London, pp 289-316... 

Success in Solving Environmental Protection Problems. The EPA reported that 1303 chemical plants out of 1371 were in compliance with the 1970 Clean Air Act. This represents a 95 per cent compliance rate. Also, 89 per cent of the chemical plants were in compliance with the 1977 deadline of "best practicable control" specified in the 1972 Federal Water Quality Act Amendments. (4) Hence, the chemical industry has been somewhat successful in utilizing its technology to meet environmental protection standards. Officers from twelve of the fifteen responding firms indicated that R D effort to meet these deadlines represented efficient and effective solutions to pollution control problems. 

International Standard Organization. 1989. Water quality. Determination of chloride. Silver nitrate titration with chromate indicator (Mohr s method). ISO 9297. International Organization for Standardization, Case Postale 56, CH-1211, Geneva 20 Switzerland. 

The goal of the validations is to ensure that concentrations at or below the EQS will not cause an adverse effect. The EQS therefore indicates the concentration below which an unacceptable adverse effect is unlikely to occur. Concentrations above the EQS may or may not cause effects depending on both the magnitude and frequency of the exceedance. In the USEPA approach, as in the aquatic life water quality criteria approach, newly generated data exceeding the standard (for that matter, all newly generated data of acceptable quality) will not replace this standard but will be added to the database from which data for estimating the standard are taken. 

TV Target value. Environmental quality standard used in the Netherlands to indicate the targeted quality of air, water, soil, and sediments. 

Jones, A. B., O Donohue, M. J., Udy, J., and Dennison, W. C. (2001). Assessing ecological impacts of shrimp and sewage effluent Biological indicators with standard water quality analyses. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sd. 52, 91-109. 

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