Water School

Did you know that water will never laugh at puns or jokes because it is not a fan of dry humor?Besides the most obvious use of water for drinking, the precious resource is also used for multiple other practices that don’t regularly cross our minds. This includes domestically in our homes, agriculturally for our food, and industrially in business.Water in our homes can be used to bathe, cook, wash dishes and clothes, keep pools clean and full, water grass and lawns and flush toilets. Accord...

Total dissolved solids, or TDS, are the amount of minerals that remain when a water sample is completely evaporated, such as the water spots on your glassware.  TDS is a measurement of all organic and sometimes inorganic solids in water and is reported as milligrams per liter (mg/l). TDS includes elements and organic compounds such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates.  TDS is used as a general indicator of water quality.

Brackish is a term used to describe water that contains more dissolved minerals (see total dissolved solids) than normally acceptable for municipal, domestic and agricultural uses. It has a higher amount of dissolved solids than fresh water but not as high as saltier types such as seawater.Brackish water includes concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 milligrams per liter (mg/l).

Turbidity is the amount of particles suspended in water. It is the factor that causes water to appear cloudy or even opaque.  It is measured by how the particles scatter light rays moving through the water.

An aquifer is an underground geological formation that stores and transmits water in amounts that can be extracted by a water well in useful quantities. For a full size map, click here.

Wetlands provide a habitat for a variety of plants and animals that would fare poorly in other environments. They also provide water storage, functioning like a sponge, storing water and slowly releasing it. This helps ease water’s potential for flooding and erosion. The slow release also contributes to surface water flow during dry periods.Wetlands also can act as a natural water filtration system. As the water enters the wetland, its movement slows around plants, which allows suspended sedime...