ABSTRACT
Water quality means different things to different people, depending on their goals for the water. A chemist in the laboratory will regard high-quality laboratory water as water free from chemical impurities or suspended solids. High-quality environmental water has different criteria. The same chemist on a wilderness backpack trip might identify high-quality water as water in a pristine environment unaltered by human activity. If the chemist is also a fisherman, she or he might regard high-quality water as a good habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms. A drinking water treatment plant manager will define high-quality water as water with a minimum amount of substances that have to be removed or treated to produce safe and palatable drinking water. A broad view of high-quality water will take into consideration its suitability for particular uses.
