AS Spring and Bore Pre-requisite Source Water Quality Analysis

For drinking water supplies using the Acceptable Solution for Spring and Bore Drinking Water Supplies (AS-SB), this testing suite establishes baseline water quality before adopting the Acceptable Solution, ensuring that the source water meets necessary treatment requirements.

Why This Suite Is Important

Before using the Acceptable Solution for Spring and Bore Drinking Water Supplies (AS-SB), the source water must be tested to ensure it is suitable for treatment with cartridge filtration and UV disinfection.

• Microbiological and chemical contaminants can compromise treatment effectiveness.
• Iron, manganese, and turbidity levels must be assessed to ensure they do not interfere with UV disinfection.
• Nitrate, arsenic, and boron must be below regulatory limits to ensure water safety.
• Testing under different environmental conditions ensures that water quality is assessed when it is most likely to be at its worst, providing a true representation of treatment needs.

The Maximum Acceptable Values (MAVs) and treatment limits for these determinands are:

• Microbiological Contaminants:

  • E. coli: Must not be detected in 100 mL samples
  • Total Coliforms: Presence indicates potential contamination

• Chemical & Physical Contaminants:

  • Iron: 0.2 mg/L (Aesthetic guideline, staining at high levels)
  • Manganese: 0.04 mg/L (Aesthetic), 0.4 mg/L (Health-based limit)
  • Nitrate-N: 11.3 mg/L as NO₃-N (to prevent Blue Baby Syndrome in infants)
  • Arsenic: 0.01 mg/L
  • Boron: 1.4 mg/L
  • Silica: No MAV, but scaling potential at high levels
  • Hardness: No MAV, but levels >200 mg/L can cause scaling issues
  • Turbidity: <1.0 NTU for effective disinfection
  • UV Transmittance @ 254 nm: Must be suitable for UV disinfection based on manufacturer specifications