HOW DOES CONSTRUCTION AFFECT WATER QUALITY?


For a long while, humanity has been largely ignorant of its impact on the environment. Only now are we starting to consider how we can avoid water pollution and the like – but we’ve still got a long way to go.


Among the largest sources of water pollution are sewage, agricultural run-off, oil pollution, dumping waste, and construction run-off.


The importance of clean water cannot be overemphasised and we can no longer be afforded blissful ignorance on the topic. So let’s look into the impacts construction can have on water quality.


Construction pollutants


cheap) solution – it would take 10,000 litres of clean water to take 1 litre of high-pH concrete wash to acceptable pH levels.


Care must be taken to avoid concrete wash contamination where possible and, where it occurs, use carbon dioxide as a neutralising agent.


Suspended solids


Pollution as a byproduct of construction can occur in more ways than one. As you might expect, the above chemical pollutants can be physically leaked from building sites.


But there’s another kind of construction pollution that comes in the form of silt-laden waters.


This occurs when the topsoil layer is stripped. Because vegetation is the land’s best defence, when topsoil is tripped away it has no protection from run-off or rainwater. When machinery operates - particularly in wet conditions - it churns up the land further and soil particles sit suspended in surface water.


This muddy water can actually be harmful to natural life should it enter drains or bodies of water nearby, blocking fi sh’s gills as well as reducing visibility and sunlight penetration into water.


Silty water must be dealt with accordingly. Minimal space should be stripped (only what’s absolutely necessary), silt fences installed, and ditches dug to divert run-off.


The pollutant potential of construction sites can be quite alarming, and without careful planning, signifi cant incidents can occur.


Pollutants that could be leaked into the nearby environment and affect water quality include:


• Diesel • Oil


• Cement • Glue • Paint


• Other toxic chemicals such as solvents.


When these pollutants reach the water supply, they can have fatal impacts on aquatic life and even reach the underground aquifers our drinking water is sourced from.


Concrete wash, for example, has an incredibly high pH level that can irreversibly harm bodies of water. Dilution is not a plausible (or


Pollutant management


The Environment Agency’s guidance on ‘Temporary dewatering from excavations to surface water’ maintains that contractors wishing to discharge anything other than clean water into the surrounding environment need a Bespoke Permit. For this reason, a pollutant management strategy is vital.


Why comply? The effects of pollution


Not only should contractors comply for legal and fi nancial reasons (they could receive a hefty fi ne otherwise), but for the sake of the Earth — we’ve only got one, after all.


Construction site run-off can leak into waterways and poison water life, killing aquatic plants and fi sh.


Storms and rivers then carry this run-off into the ocean, where the increased nitrogen and phosphorous levels contribute to the growth of algal blooms. Such toxic algal blooms can deplete oxygen levels, creating uninhabitable ‘dead zones’ that endanger marine life.


It can also spread into groundwater, which is one of the biggest sources of human drinking water and incredibly diffi cult to clean once polluted.


Believe it or not, we don’t have water available to us in limitless supplies – in fact, experts say that we’re running out of it. If that’s not a good enough reason to avoid water pollution, we don’t know what is!


Making the most of water monitoring


Without monitoring it, construction pollution is impossible to manage. To be sure you are complying and doing your bit to protect the environment, it’s important to have a strategy in place that involves measuring water quality and managing pollutants.


Aquaread is a leading supplier of water monitoring equipment, designed to keep you, the planet, and other people safe. We have a range of solutions available to aid in the measuring and recording of construction-related environmental data.


Our multi-parameter Aquaprobes, for example, can be used for occasional or long-term monitoring of water quality to ensure compliance with a variety of parameters – from pH to salinity.


You can view our range of water monitoring equipment for use in construction on our web site.


Author Contact Details Chris Peacock, Aquaread Limited • Bridge House, Northdown Industrial Park, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 2NK UK • Tel: +44 01843 600 030 • Email: info@aquaread.com • Web: www.aquaread.com


IET JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022


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