What can be monitored?

There are many properties of water that can be monitored and that can indicate good or poor water quality, depending on your intended uses for that water body. The properties of water that are most commonly monitored in Iowa include:

• Bacteria: Many bacteria that live in acquatic environments are pathenogenic, or harmful to man. When people use surface waters for drinking supplies, the water must be treated for bacteria before being consumed. Some bacteria may originate in livestock manure.

• Dissolved Oxygen: Aquatic organisms, invertebrates and fish require sufficient levels of dissolved oxygen in order to live. Oxygen is removed from the water as decomposers consume oxygen during the process of breaking of chemical bonds in organic matter. Oxygen depletion occurs when many plants die and decompose.

• Nitrates: Nitrates accelerate the population growth of microscopic organisms in surface waters, and can contribute to the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. High levels of nitrates are also harmful to human beings — water high in nitrates that is intended for use by humans needs to be treated before being consumed.

• Phosphorus: Phosphorus also accelerate the population growth of microscopic organisms in surface waters and contributes to the “"dead zone"” in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Temperature: Temperature is a factor in determining whether organisms live or not. Temperature also affects the solubility of oxygen in water, which aquatic organisms need in order to survive.