Water as a Very Important Substance to Mankind - Assignment Example

Site two, on the other hand, is an urban area. The Institute for Natural Resources and paragraph 4 describes water from such sites as having the lowest biodiversity and abundance due to less favourable habitats and high concentrations of dissolved heavy metals like Lead and Copper from industries, as is the case here. The water also has the lowest pH due to dissolved acidic gases from the atmosphere and the highest conductivity due to high concentrations of dissolved salts picked up by run-off. Furthermore, it has high Biological Oxygen Demand due to high temperatures from rooftops and pavements.

Site three is open woodland. Water from this site has the highest biodiversity and abundance due to favourable habitats, low Biological Oxygen Demand because of low temperatures, and lowest conductivity due to low concentrations of dissolved salts. In addition, faecal bacteria are high due to uncontrolled wastes. The same has the lowest concentrations of nitrates, phosphates, Copper, and Lead and dissolves salts due to the absence of pollutants (Institute for Natural Resources, par 4). It is, therefore, clear that the quality of water relies on the source. Natural environments are best.