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Action for Ocean Wetlands and Rivers

Understanding Water Quality and Testing

If you’re concerned about the health impacts of the water you drink and swim in, then understanding water quality and testing is important.

Australia is a water-scarce country, and our limited water resources that support life are threatened by factors including climate change, pollution, and the destruction of natural ecosystems like rivers, wetlands and coastal waters that help provide clean water.

Water testing and monitoring, as well as effective management of water resources and ecosystems that protect water quality, is vital. Communities across Australia can help ensure water quality by using citizen science to monitor and measure water quality, by helping to protect and restore vital water ecosystems like wetlands and rivers, and by raising awareness of the importance of water quality.

What is water quality and why is it important?

Water quality is measured using several indicators, including the presence of heavy metals, bacteria, nutrients, and pesticides in water. Anyone who’s watched the film Erin Brockovich will be acutely aware of how water quality can affect human health and the environment.

Water quality is measured to test how safe water is for drinking, swimming, agriculture, and supporting aquatic life.

Clean water is important for human health. We need clean water for drinking and sanitation and to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera. Good water quality is also important to support aquatic ecosystems and the plants and animals that live in them.

Furthermore, good water quality is needed to support many industries in Australia, including agriculture, and therefore also affects livelihoods and economies.

The importance of water quality testing

Here are some of the reasons why it’s important to test the quality of water:

1. To protect public health

By testing water, scientists are able to make sure that it’s safe for human consumption. That includes screening the water for contaminants like bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, pesticides, toxins, etc.

As water is used for a variety of recreational purposes, such as in public swimming pools, and water parks, and is swum in at beaches, rivers, and waterways, testing the quality of the water also helps keep the public safe from any potential threats or dangers.

2. To protect environmental health

By testing the quality of water in lakes, rivers, oceans and other waterways, measures can be taken to conserve and protect ecosystems and the wildlife they support.

Regular water quality testing also helps to monitor for signs of pollution or risks, so that if any risks are identified the source can be traced and appropriate action can be taken.

3. To protect industries such as agriculture that rely on clean water

There are many industries that require clean water for many of their processes, including the agricultural sector. By regularly checking the water quality, water-related risks can be minimised and avoided, helping to ensure human safety and protecting livestock, crops, and the environment.

In many industries, there are strict standards regarding discharging of effluents, to safeguard nearby water bodies and the environment.

4. To comply with water laws and regulations

Water quality standards need to be met through compliance, and there may be strict fines and penalties imposed for those found in contravention of relevant water-related laws.

By establishing water quality standards and enforcing compliance, authorities are able to help protect human health, the environment, and the economy.

Through regular monitoring, authorities can check whether compliance is being maintained, and can also detect any changes in water quality.  Early detection can help to ensure appropriate action is taken in time, to prevent serious risks to human and environmental health.

Water quality and water security: the importance of nature-based solutions

Maintaining water quality and ensuring that water resources are sustainably managed to protect water security are generally high priorities for water-scarce countries like Australia.

While water quality testing helps to identify any water-related risks and contaminants, it’s important to also take proactive measures to maintain and improve water quality and to manage water resources sustainably.

Nature-based solutions can help to deliver all of these goals, through the protection of ecosystems like rivers, wetlands, forests, and waterways that naturally support water quality and water availability. Nature-based solutions harness the power of natural ecosystem processes to provide and sustain the provision of clean water.

By protecting and restoring ecosystems, we can harness their ability to improve and maintain water quality and ensure the continued provision of adequate water resources.

The benefits of nature-based solutions for water quality and security

Nature-based solutions, such as protecting and restoring wetlands, mangroves, forests, green urban infrastructure, and rivers – can provide a range of benefits for water quality and security, as outlined below.

These benefits have vast economic value, which makes the conservation of these ecosystems an economic priority. The value of a wetland’s natural purification services, for example, can be massive. Wetlands also provide a host of additional ecosystem services that can be valuable, and costly to replace. For example, in Australia wetlands are estimated to have averted AUD 29.6 billion in damages during 54 storms that occurred between 1967 and 2016 – making wetlands a cost-effective solution to minimising cyclone damage alone.

  • Wetlands

Wetlands can purify water by removing nutrients, trapping sediment, and removing pollutants and contaminants from water. Wetlands also provide a range of additional ecosystem services including climate regulation, flood control, and supporting biodiversity.

But, wetlands can only provide ecosystem services like this if they are able to function optimally and maintain their biodiversity – which requires their protection and restoration. This includes sustainable wetland management to prevent pollutants and contaminants from being released into wetlands.

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  • Mangroves

Mangrove ecosystems provide nurseries for fish and marine species, help protect the coast from storms and flooding and also sequester carbon, and help mitigate climate change. In addition, mangroves filter water and thereby improve water quality.

  • Forests

Not only can forests positively impact water quality, but they can also help reduce water treatment costs for drinking water while helping prevent erosion, mitigating floods and climate change, and helping groundwater to be recharged. Importantly, forests help control the water cycle and support biodiversity and a range of related ecosystem services. There’s also evidence that rainfall trees are linked, and that by protecting and restoring forests in Australia we can also ease drought.

  • Green urban infrastructure

Green urban infrastructure in the form of rain gardens, green roofs, urban shade forests, Nature Blocks, urban parks, urban protected areas, and other urban biodiversity can also help to enhance water quality and water security.

They can do this by, amongst other things, allowing rainwater to be naturally filtered by the soil, and reducing runoff. Green urban infrastructure has many other benefits including providing habitat for nature and endangered species, protecting against the heat island effect, and mitigating climate change.

  • Rivers

Rivers and streams also contribute to water quality and support biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services. By removing dams, restoring natural river flows, and restoring vegetation along the banks of rivers, water quality can be enhanced. Moreover, tackling pollution in rivers can contribute significantly to improved water quality.

CVA has empowered thousands of volunteers to take part in our SeaToSource program which resulted in the removal of around 19 tonnes of litter from Australian waterways.

Get Involved in Protecting Water Quality and Water Security

Communities across Australia can take part in protecting water quality and ensuring water security. By helping to protect vital ecosystems that naturally help to maintain the water cycle and filter water for contaminants, while supporting biodiversity and climate mitigation – nature-based solutions can tackle the water crisis.

There are many ways you can get involved with CVA to do this: