3P-5E-2.5C-30012-05/06-SB

for Water ExaminationMANUAL OF WATER SUPPLY PRACTICES

Simplified Procedures

12

Advocacy Communications Conferences Education and Training Science and Technology Sections

The Authoritative Resource on Safe Water SM

This is the fifth edition of Simplified Procedures for Water Examination, AWWA

M12. This manual provides operators with simplified procedures for tests commonly

needed for process control in drinking water production. This edition includes new

and updated methods, laboratory equipment, and safety procedures.

The methods included in this manual are based on the presumption of high-quality

water of known and relatively constant composition. This manual also may serve

as a tool to acquire laboratory skills that will facilitate the use of AWWA’s Standard

Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater.

M

AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA is the largest organization of water professionals in the world. AWWA advances public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the entire water community. Through our collective strength we become better stewards of water for the greatest good of the people and the environment.

Fifth Edition

Simplified Procedures

for Water Examination

AWWA MANUAL M12

Fifth Edition

Science and Technology

AWWA unites the drinking water community by developing and distributing authoritative scientific and technological knowledge. Through its members, AWWA develops industry standards for products and processes that advance public health and safety. AWWA also provides quality improvement programs for water and wastewater utilities.

MANUAL OF WATER SUPPLY PRACTICES—M12, Fifth Edition

Simplified Procedures for Water Examination

Copyright © 1975, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2002 American Water Works Association

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information or retrieval system,except in the form of brief excerpts or quotations for review purposes, without the written permission ofthe publisher.

Project Manager and Technical Editor: Melissa ChristensenProduction Editor: Carol Magin Stearns

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

Printed in the United States of AmericaAmerican Water Works Association6666 West Quincy AvenueDenver, CO 80235

ISBN 1-58321-182-9 Printed on recycled paper

Contents

iii

Figures, vii

Tables, xi

Foreword, xiii

Acknowledgments, xv

Icon Key, xvii

Chapter 1 Water Quality Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction, 1Laboratory Procedures, 1Sampling Techniques, 2Using the Metric System, 5Working With Chemicals, 5Safety Procedures, 8Equipment, 17Record Keeping, 39

Chapter 2 Alkalinity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Purpose of Test, 41List of Simplified Methods, 41Simplified Procedure, 42

Chapter 3 Aluminum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Purpose of Test, 45List of Simplified Methods, 45Simplified Procedure, 46

Chapter 4 Ammonia–Nitrogen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Purpose of Test, 47List of Simplified Methods, 47Simplified Procedures, 48

Chapter 5 Calcium Carbonate Saturation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Purpose of Test, 51List of Simplified Methods, 51Simplified Procedure, 51

Chapter 6 Carbon Dioxide (Free) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Purpose of Test, 55List of Simplified Methods, 55Simplified Procedure, 56

iv

Chapter 7 Chlorine Residual (General) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Purpose of Test, 61List of Simplified Methods, 62Simplified Procedures, 62

Chapter 8 Chlorine Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Purpose of Test, 75List of Simplified Methods, 75Simplified Procedure, 75

Chapter 9 Chlorine Dioxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Purpose of Test, 79List of Simplified Methods, 79Simplified Procedures, 80

Chapter 10 Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Purpose of Test, 87List of Simplified Methods, 87Simplified Procedures, 87

Chapter 11 Conductivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Purpose of Test, 91List of Simplified Methods, 91Simplified Procedure, 92

Chapter 12 Dissolved Oxygen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Purpose of Test, 95List of Simplified Methods, 95Simplified Procedures, 95

Chapter 13 Fluoride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Purpose of Test, 101List of Simplified Methods, 101Simplified Procedure, 101

Chapter 14 Hardness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Purpose of Test, 105List of Simplified Methods, 105Simplified Procedure, 105

Chapter 15 Iron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Purpose of Test, 111List of Simplified Methods, 111Simplified Test Procedures, 112

Chapter 16 Jar Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Purpose of Test, 115List of Simplified Methods, 115Simplified Procedures, 116

v

Chapter 17 Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Purpose of Test, 129List of Simplified Methods, 129Simplified Procedure, 129

Chapter 18 Nitrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Purpose of Test, 133List of Simplified Methods, 133Simplified Procedures, 133

Chapter 19 Nitrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Purpose of Test, 137List of Simplified Methods, 137Simplified Procedure, 137

Chapter 20 Ozone (Residual) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Purpose of Test, 141List of Simplified Methods, 141Simplified Procedure, 141

Chapter 21 pH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Purpose of Test, 145List of Simplified Methods, 145Simplified Procedure, 145

Chapter 22 Phosphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Purpose of Test, 149List of Simplified Methods, 149Simplified Procedures, 150

Chapter 23 Silica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Purpose of Test, 157List of Simplified Methods, 157Simplified Procedure, 157

Chapter 24 Sodium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Purpose of Test, 161List of Simplified Methods, 161Simplified Procedure, 161

Chapter 25 Solids (Dissolved) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Purpose of Test, 165List of Simplified Methods, 165Simplified Procedure, 165

Chapter 26 Sulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Purpose of Test, 169List of Simplified Methods, 169Simplified Procedure, 169

vi

Chapter 27 Taste and Odor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Purpose of Test, 173List of Simplified Methods, 173Simplified Procedure, 174

Chapter 28 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Purpose of Test, 177List of Simplified Methods, 177Simplified Procedure, 177

Chapter 29 Turbidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Purpose of Test, 179List of Simplified Methods, 179Simplified Procedure, 180

Chapter 30 Bacteriological Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Purpose of Test, 183List of Simplified Methods, 184Simplified Procedures, 185

Appendix A References and Other Sources of Information, 197

References, 197Technical Assistance, 198Product Information and, in Some Cases, Technical Assistance, 198

Appendix B Safe Storage of Laboratory Chemicals, 201

Chemical Storage, 201Summary, 203

Appendix C List of Compounds, 205

Glossary, 209

Index, 213

AWWA Manuals, 219

Preparing Common Types of Desk Reagents, endsheet

Periodic Table of the Elements, endsheet

vii

Figures

1-1 Making solutions for the standard curve, 7

1-2 Typical photometric calibration curve, 9

1-3 Material Safety Data Sheets, 11

1-4 Plant information and safety center, 11

1-5 Right-to-know information, 12

1-6 First aid station, 12

1-7 Eyewash and shower stations, 13

1-8 Fume hood, 14

1-9 Safety procedures using fume hood, 14

1-10 Personal safety equipment, 16

1-11 Laboratory safety essentials, 16

1-12 Beakers, 17

1-13 Varieties of flasks, 18

1-14 Graduated cylinder, 18

1-15 Transfer (volumetric) and measuring pipets, 19

1-16 Pipet bulb, 19

1-17 Buret, stand, and clamp, 20

1-18 Reading of meniscus, 21

1-19 Automatic pipet, 21

1-20 Dispenser bottle top, 22

1-21 Amperometric titrator, 22

1-22 Digital titrator, 23

1-23 Bottles commonly used in the laboratory, 23

1-24 Crucibles, 24

viii

1-25 Varieties of funnels, 24

1-26 Petri dish, 25

1-27 Test tubes and storage rack, 25

1-28 Aspirator, 26

1-29 Desiccator, 26

1-30 Electronic balance, 27

1-31 Balance table, 28

1-32 Beam balance, 28

1-33 Autoclave, 29

1-34 Microscope, 30

1-35 Muffle furnace, 30

1-36 Oven, 31

1-37 Vacuum pump, 31

1-38 Membrane filter apparatus, 32

1-39 Conductivity meter (or bridge), 33

1-40 Jar testing equipment, 33

1-41 pH meter setup in a laboratory, 34

1-42 Turbidimeter (l) and spectrophotometer (r), 34

1-43 Color comparison kit with color wheels for several analyses, 35

1-44 Color comparison kit, featuring ampoule comparators, for dissolved oxygen, 35

1-45 Colorimeter, 37

1-46 Spectrophotometer, 37

1-47 Cuvettes, 38

1-48 Gas burner (Bunsen or Fisher burner), 38

1-49 Water still and deionizer cartridge, 39

1-50 Reverse osmosis system with cartridge polisher, 40

ix

6-1 Apparatus for collecting samples with dissolved gases, 58

9-1 Gas purging unit, 84

16-1 Laboratory G curve for flat paddle in the gator jar, 122

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xi

Tables

1-1 Conversion factors, 5

1-2 Chemicals commonly used for water treatment, 6

1-3 Conversion from percent transmittance to absorbance, 10

2-1 Determining sample volume by alkalinity range, 43

2-2 Factors to calculate phenolphthalein alkalinity as calcium carbonate, 43

2-3 Calculating alkalinity from titration results, 44

2-4 Relative proportions of various alkalinities, 44

7-1 Calibrating comparator standard using potassium permanganate, 65

7-2 Dilution table for various strengths of residual chlorine, 68

7-3 Calculating free available chlorine from amperometric titration results, 69

7-4 Calculating free available chlorine from titration results, 72

8-1 Dilutions for determining chlorine demand using dilute solution, 77

8-2 Dilutions for determining chlorine demand using strong solution, 77

10-1 Dilutions to prepare color standards, 89

13-1 Dilutions to prepare fluoride standards, 104

14-1 Sample volumes for various calcium carbonate hardness ranges, 108

15-1 Preparing iron calibration standards, 113

16-1 Chemical addition of alkalinity for jar testing, 121

17-1 Preparing manganese calibration standards, 131

19-1 Solutions and concentrations for nitrite standards, 139

19-2 Light paths to determine nitrite concentrations, 139

22-1 Dilutions to prepare phosphate standards, 153

22-2 Sample volumes for indicated metaphosphate range, 155

23-1 Selecting light path length for various silica concentrations, 159

26-1 Dilutions to prepare sulfate solutions for calibration curve, 171

xii

27-1 Preparing samples for threshold odor analyses, 176

28-1 Temperature conversions, 178

30-1 Selected bacteriological samples based on population size, 185

30-2 Microbiological techniques, 187

B-1 List of incompatible chemicals, 204

C-1 List of Compounds, 205