Human can conceivably last a few days without much food or sleep, but take away water and we’re sunk. Clean and safe drinkable water is one of the most important things that we in first world countries often take for granted. We can simply turn on a tap or a faucet and have drinkable water. However, for other countries — and indeed, in some parts of our country — that’s an impossibility. And even if we have safe water now, it’s important to be conducting water testing kits and be doing water quality analysis regularly. It’s all too easy for our water sources to be corrupted and by monitoring water quality indicators, such as water conductivity and resistivity, we can ensure that we’re keeping ourselves safe. Pushing our local and federal governments to care about our water quality and other environmental issues helps keep us all safe, with access to the resources we need.
What’s the Danger to Our Water Sources?
A lack of water or water that’s safe to drink (often caused by poor sanitation and hygiene) cause a little over 3% of all deaths across the world and almost 4% of daily adjusted life years (DALYs). Indeed, poor sanitation contributes to the contamination of water sources globally and is actually one of the top causes of water pollution. There are around 2.5 billion people on our planet who don’t have better sanitation and 70% of these people live in Asia (that’s almost 2 billion people!)
Additionally, industrial, agricultural, and manufacturing industries need to be held accountable, given that on a daily basis, two million tons of sewage and industrial and agricultural waste wind up in the world’s water sources. There are methods for dealing with sewage in a way that preserves our aquatic resources, but not every industry wants to spend the extra resources, despite how much water often powers their field.
Why Do We Measure Water Conductivity and Resistivity?
Water conductivity and resistivity is a great measure of the purity of the water. When water conductivity is tested, scientists and researches look to see how easy it is for the water to pass an electrical current through it. Resistivity measures how difficult it is for an electrical current to pass through the water.
Since conductivity depends on how many inorganic dissolved solids (like metals) are present in the water, it can tell us a lot about what’s going on. And, for example, organic compounds are not good conductors.
However, water conductivity and resistivity tests are also highly affected by temperature. If the water is warmer, the higher the conductivity is; the colder the water is, the lower the conductivity is. There’s a standard, then, to get the most accurate readings possible. Instrumentation has to be reported as conductivity at 25 degrees Celsius.
It should be noted that ultrapure water does not conduct electrical currents well, per the 18 megohm-cm resistivity (55nS/cm conductivity). Measuring resistivity is usually reserved for high purity water applications, but measures of conductivity are used more generally for the whole spectrum of monitoring water quality.
How Can We Improve Our Water Quality?
On a small level — and one that can make a big difference! — it’s important that we’re looking after our own waste properly. Grass clippings and leaves should be mulched or composted; if fertilizer is used, try and make sure it’s zero-phosphorous or as organic as you can get. Try to reduce storm water runoff and plant native plants. Get rid of your hazardous waste responsibly and follow the appropriate measures for doing so.
On a bigger level, we can petition our lawmakers to set rules in place that govern agricultural and industrial industries to regulate their waste in a way that benefits our water sources and ultimately, ourselves. Water is not an unlimited resource, especially as the world’s population grows, and it’s important to make sure that we’re preserving it for the generations ahead.
Do your part and keep our water pure. Whether you actively spread the word, change your own habits, or petition our government to make change happen, know that you’re fighting for a good cause.
