Fundamental water quality
30. Fundamental water quality
To limit the presence of sediment and water-borne pathogens in water designated for human contact.
Two properties of water—turbidity and total coliforms—serve as indicators for the possible presence of many harmful contaminants. High turbidity can provide food and shelter for germs, and may also indicate that a building’s filtration system is not working properly. Removing turbidity may also remove harmful pathogens such as protozoa. Another test is the measurement of total coliforms. Coliform bacteria are naturally present in the environment and are generally considered harmless. However, their presence in water suggests that water may contain more dangerous pathogens, including bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Exposure to these pathogens through water containing coliforms can lead to adverse gastrointestinal effects such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and cramps.
All water being delivered to the project area except water not designated for human contact meets the following requirements:
All water being delivered to the project area except water not designated for human contact meets the following requirements:
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Applicability Matrix
Core & Shell | New & Existing Buildings | New & Existing Interiors | |
---|---|---|---|
Part 1: Sediment | P | P | P |
Part 2: Microorganisms | P | P | P |
Commercial Kitchen | Education | Multifamily Residential | Restaurant | Retail | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part 1: Sediment | P | P | P | P | P |
Part 2: Microorganisms | P | P | P | P | P |
Verification Methods Matrix
Letters of Assurance | Annotated Documents | On-Site Checks | |
---|---|---|---|
PART 1 (Performance) Sediment |
Performance Test | ||
PART 2 (Performance) Microorganisms |
Performance Test |
30.1.a |
The US EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations notes that for systems that use conventional or direct filtration, "samples for turbidity must be less than or equal to 0.3 NTU in at least 95 percent of the samples in any month". |
30.2.a |
The EPA 2012 Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories set a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal for Total Coliforms at 0. |