Progress Report on Water Quality Criteria

Abstract

In this progress report, an outline is presented of the results of Committee 2225 M's subsequent work on the need for professional standards of water quality as presented at the 1960 Bal Harbor Conference. This progress report also outlines the characteristics of an “Ideal Quality Water.” The qualities are delineated on a level to meet the functional definition stated herein, which is limited by the sensitivity of present test methods and by current medical and sanitary knowledge.

Potable Water–Quality Goals

“…Cadmium was found in soft water stored in galvan ized piping overnight amounting to seven times the stand ard. 23 The drinking-water standard "rejection" limit is 0.01 mg/I. The proposed standard "health" limit is 0.01 mg/1.…”

Study and interpretation of the chemical characteristics of natural water

“…The U.S. Public Health Service standards (1962) do not specify any value for hardness. According to the American Water Works Association (Bean, 1962), however, "ideal" quality water should not contain more than 80 mg/1 of hardness.…”

“…A paper on this subject by Bean (1962) gave a set of upper limits that are more stringent than the U.S. Public Health Service standards for most constituents.…”

Dual Water Systems

“…Processes used in the demonstration program are expected to produce water of good chemical quality at a cost of not more than $1 per 1,000 gal. 31 It should be noted that cost data given for saline-water conversion generally only include costs associated with the conversion plant, and do not include the cost of by-product brine disposal. Additional significant costs involved in public water supply operations are those for the collection, transmission, and possible pretreatment of the raw water, and for distribution of the finished water.…”