University of Missan

Engineering college
Civil engineering

Sanitary Engineering Laboratory

Experiment No.2
salinity and drinking water

Name: Sarah Mohammad shamal

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Introduction:
The total dissolved solids(TDS) concentration can be related
to the conductivity (CE)of the water, but the relationship is not
a constant. The relationship between total dissolved solids
and conductivity is a function of the type and nature of the
dissolved positively charged (cations) and negatively
charged (anions) in the water and possible the nature of any
suspended materials. For example, a NaCl solution and KCl
solution with a conductivity of 10000 umhos/cm will not have
the sample concentration of NaCl or KCl and they will have
different total dissolved solids concentration.
Conductivity is a measure of water’s capability to pass
electrical flow. This ability is directly related to the
concentration of ions in the water . These conductive ions
come from dissolved salts and inorganic materials such as
alkalis, chlorides, sulfides and carbonate compounds. The
more ions that are present, the higher the conductivity of
water. Likewise, the fewer ions that are in the water, the less
conductive it is. Distilled or deionized water can act as an
insulator due to its very low (if not negligible) conductivity
value. Sea water, on the other hand, has a very high
conductivity.

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Salts dissolve in water to produce an anion and a cation. These
ions make up the basis of conductivity in water.

What is Salinity?
Salinity is an ambiguous term. As a basic definition, salinity is
the total concentration of all dissolved salts in water . These
electrolytes form ionic particles as they dissolve, each with a
positive and negative charge. As such, salinity is a strong
contributor to conductivity.
Total dissolved solids (TDS)
comprise inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter
that are dissolved in water. The principal constituents are
usually the calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium and the
anions carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate and,
particularly in groundwater, nitrate TDS is expressed in units
of mg per unit volume of water (mg/L) or also referred to as
parts per million (ppm).

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 TDS can also affect water taste, and often indicates a high
alkalinity or hardness.
Where do TDS and Salinity Come From?
Conductivity and salinity vary greatly between different bodies of
water. Most freshwater streams and lakes have low salinity and
conductivity values. The oceans have a high
conductivity and salinity due to the high number of the dissolved
salts present.

How salinity is measured

Salinity relates to the amount of salt in the water, where the salt
can be in many different forms (salt used in food is sodium
chloride).
There are two main methods of defining the concentration of salt
in water:
 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) - measured by evaporating water
to dryness and weighing the solid residue
 Electrical Conductivity (EC) - measured by passing an electric
current through the water and measuring how readily the current
it flows TDS are recorded in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or parts
per million (ppm). The standard EC unit is microSiemens per cm
(µS/cm). It is often referred to simply as an 'EC Unit'.
 The TDS analysis is generally considered a more accurate
measure of salinity. However, determining EC is much simpler

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and quicker, using a portable hand held instrument. EC is often
used to give an estimate of TDS as a result,
You will however see other units and need to be aware of the
relationships between them. μS/cm relates to other units as
follows:

The theoretical relations between TDS and EC

TDS (mg/L) ≈Salinity (EC) x 0.55
The conversion factor “0.55” is used for River water but this value
ranges from 0.5 to 0.7 depending on the water source.
TDS ( mg/L)= 0.6 EC ( µS/cm at 25 oC)

Measure the salt content in the liquid:

1. Collecting your water sample
 Make sure that your collecting container is very clean. Previous
contents could affect your result. Use a container with an
opening large enough to take the EC meter. Do not use jars
which smell (eg. vegemite, pickle jars) if samples are to be kept
for a while.
 Choose a sample which is representative of the body of water
being considered. It needs to be a sample which is like most of
the water you want to get information about. If you don't collect
a representative sample you're wasting your time. Try to take
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 your sample too close to the surface, bottom or sides of the
waterbody.
 Flowing Water - For rivers and creeks try to take your sample
in a place where the water is flowing. Sample well below any
stream> junction (a rule of-thumb is the equivalent of 10 stream
widths downstream) to allow good mixing.Still Water - eg.
Dams, swamps and lakes. Saline water is denser than fresh
water. This means, that in a still water body, the saline water
will settle to the bottom. If you have an offtake pipe from the
base of the dam, sample water from here.
 Groundwater - Stock bores can be tested at the trough. However,
the water should be freshly pumped. The salinity of water sitting
in an unused trough may be higher than the actual groundwater
salinity level due to concentration of the salts through
evaporation. Investigation bores may be tested using a bailer to
collect a water sample. Make sure you ask the permission of the
individual or department responsible for the bore.
 Rinse the container two or three times with some of the water to
be sampled.
2-equpements:
a- pcs tester 35
b- water sample
3-Taking your salinity reading
After preparing the water sample for testing, it was a multi tester,
ie, it was prepared for more than one test, which includes
1. PH level
2 - EC level electrical conductivity
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3. TDS level soluble solids
4. SALT level
After selecting the test to be done by the mode button put the
water in the container that is within the device and then put the
device in the pot as the device contains electrodes that one of the
electrodes send an electrical signal and the other receives it and
then the device displays the result on a screen is in the machine
where the result in ppm units, which means part per million
Equivalent to the same amount of mg / l
It is preferable to wash the device after the experiment.

Result
TDS=1113ppm
Temperature =20.7o C
Specification :
TDS
0.0-131.9ppm
Range 132-1319ppm
1.32-13.19ppt
13.2-66.0ppt

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