Ground Water Analysis

Ground water is enormously varied in chemical composition and the factors controlling the composition includes physical, chemical and biological processes. Hutchinson (1957) defined fresh water as “dilute solutions of alkali and alkaline earth bicarbonate and carbonate, sulfate and chloride with available quantity of largely un-dissociated silicic acid which often is present in excess of sulfate and chloride”. There are also a number of minor elements in true solution, some of them being of great biological interest and a variety of colloidal materials, both inorganic and organic. Quantitative measurements of these parameters in natural water serve as source to address the basic environmental problems. Adopting suitable analytical methods

Initially the water was allowed to run for 15 minutes in order to flush out stationary water. Further, the sample bottles were also flushed with water before the samples were collected. As water is dynamic in nature and during sampling it enter the new environment from its natural environment, its chemical composition may not remain same but may tend to adjust itself according to its new environment (Sawyer, 1978) and its content alters at very different rates particularly with organic materials. Therefore, as soon as the collection of water samples, parameters such as temperature and pH were measured immediately. The remaining parameter were analyzed in the laboratory. Hence, the water was carried to the laboratory in suitable inhert bottles. The samples were analyzed using various analytical method of APHA, 1995; BIS, 1998; NEERI, 1998. The recommended and adopted method for the analysis are represented in Tables 2 and

Refrigeration at 4ºC 24 hours

EC and TDS 500 P.C. Refrigeration at 4ºC 23 days

Alkalinity 200 P.C. Refrigeration at 4ºC 24 hours

Sulphate 100 P.C. Refrigeration at 4ºC 28 days

Fluoride 500 P.C. Refrigeration at 4ºC 28 days

Total hardness 100 P.C. Add HNO3 to pH<2 6 months

Nitrate 100 P.C. Refrigeration at 4ºC add H2SO4 to pH <2 48 hours pH 100 P.C. Analyze immediately 2 hours

Dissolved oxygen 300 G. Analyze immediately or fix on site 6 hours

Phosphate 100 G. Refrigeration at 10ºC 48 hours

Turbidity 100 P.C. Analyze same day store in dark 24 hours

Trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and As) 200 P.C. Add HNO3 to lower pH < 5 6 months

Calcium, Sodium, Potassium 500 P.C. 4 ml of 6N HNO3 to pH <2 6 months

Chloride 100 P.C. Analyze immediately 24 hours Note: P.C. = Polythene Container and G. = Glass (Borosilicate)