Surface water quality encompasses a wide range of conditions that are part of the aquatic environment in a waterbody. In turn, the aquatic environment provides diverse habitat and a clean water supply for aquatic life, wildlife and humans. In Alberta, there is a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems across the mountain, boreal and prairie-parkland regions.
There is no single or simple measure of water quality. Water may be tested for a few characteristics or numerous natural substances and contaminants, depending on the need. This can be done using traditional methods, such as collecting a representative water sample from a waterbody and sending it to a laboratory for analysis. Surface waters may also be analysed more immediately using basic, hand-held electronic meters. More sophisticated electronic meters can also be installed that can store and transmit data via satellite technology.
Water quality measurements fall into three broad categories:
Physical, chemical and biological measurements can be used together to describe the overall quality or health of aquatic ecosystems.