Water quality refers to the comparison of the mineral and biological contents of a source of water to a set of standards, usually determined by the government or a scientific agency. The quantification of water quality is called hydrometry. While water-quality tests can be conducted on a do-it-yourself basis, the at-home hydrometrist would do well to understand the causes of poor water quality before he or she starts taking samples and sending them to the lab for testing.
The leading cause of poor water quality is industrial pollutants. As water is essentially an ecosystem of the earth, just about any discharge ends up in the water eventually. This being said, most water bodies are relatively clean and very few are toxic. Some expectations are the tailings ponds of coal and oil refineries and metal mines. Most large cities will have industrial facilities that will discharge a certain amount of effluent into the nearest water body. However, most urban dwellers have little to fear of these sources of water contamination, as most cities have elaborate and advanced water filtration facilities.
A more vulnerable region for water pollution are rural areas or sub-urban areas very near to agricultural regions or ones that were once agriculturally oriented. Farm run-off is the next leading cause of water pollution. Industrial farms and even most family owned operations spill out large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides over huge areas of land. The rains drag this dangerous mix of chemicals and bio matter into the drainage ditches which eventually find their way to the main water body. Since new suburban housing developments and old rural communities rarely have expensive filtration systems in place, they are particularly vulnerable to drinking contaminated water.
Sewer leakage is the last frequent cause of water contamination, and it is a danger in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike. Since sewer effluent is normally tightly controlled, it is not often a danger. However, heavy rainfall or sewer main blockages can result in escaped sewage finding its way into the drinking water. Particularly for homes with wells or septic tanks, right after a heavy rainfall is a good time to test for water quality, as flooding is usually the source of a water quality problem that appears where none existed before.
The most dangerous contaminants to humans are microorganisms such as viruses that can find their way into a normal clean water source. Rural properties that draw from a private well should be most concerned about this sort of contamination as viruses can get into the well without much warning until someone becomes ill. For people in cities, since water quality is closely monitored, micro-organisms are less of a concern. However, particularly in older houses, lead pipes as well as any kind of decayed plumbing can lead to mineral contamination.
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