A critical review of methods of water quality assessment Essay

A critical review of methods of water quality assessment - Essay Example As per the report of Chapman, it is easier to note that biological methods allow careful screening of any effect which may be arising because of any reservoir or water body (Hartje 2002). It should also be noted that the biological methods are applied in order to help measure the intensity of the change in the ecological cycle. However, there are many indicators which would give a clear idea as to what extent is being noted in terms of ecological change (Yamaguchi andWesselink 2000). These indicators can be dead fish or the changing colors of the water etc. At one hand these indicators might help in analyzing the changes which are undergoing in the ecological cycle while on the other hand there are some of the aquatic changes which will take place and cannot be identified without the usage of aquatic biota. One of the biological assessments which is being commonly used in order to undergo water quality assessment is the past time assessment of the environment (Dinar and Albiac 2009). This is in the context of the fact that aquatic organisms leave their traces to affect the ecological cycle which can be noted when the changes is already on its final stage. In simpler words, it is complicated for the biologists to evaluate the change in its initial stages (Roy, Oborne and David 2009). It is because of this reason that assessment is undertaken by considering past time and the present time of the environment. Another method which is being employed world wide is acute toxicity testing which is applied in cases where water is greatly affected by pollution (EnecoTech 2004). Chemical method for assessment of water quality is noted as a very expensive form of quality measuring tool. Chemical method does not show a longer duration result as in the biological method in which organisms give a longer period results. In this way assessment can be done without loosing any sample (Northern Territory Government