Good water quality in a watershed is a function of good physical, chemical, and biological properties which can sustain all uses. It is critical for sustenance of life. Human activities can definitely affect water quality in watersheds. Also, hurricane is one of the ecological phenomena that can affect water quality. The purpose of this study was to determine te extent to which surface waters from Galveston and Houston, Texas were polluted one year after Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike, and to find out if the bodies of water met the Mississippi Water Quality Criteria (MSWQC)/EPA Standard. It was also to compare the distribution of pollutants in the different bodies of water. During each of the months of July and September 2009, water samples were collected from a water body at a location 5 miles north of Galveston and at three different sites. In September 2009, water samples were also collected from three different sites from the Buffalo Bayou of Houston in the vicinity of the University of Houston, Texas. The water samples were taken to the Alcorn State University (ASU) Laboratory and tested according to the directions of the manufacturers of LaMotte water pollution detection kits. The chemical parameters tested and recorded in parts per million (ppm) were ten, namely, alkalinity, ammonia-nitrogen, carbon dioxide, chlorine, dissolved oxygen, water hardness, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, and sulfide.
Results/Conclusions
The results were recorded, analyzed, and compared with the Mississippi Water Quality Criteria (MSWQC)/EPA Standard. Based on the results, water samples from Galveston and Houston were not badly polluted but met the Mississippi Water Quality (MSWQZ)/EPA Standard with the exception of carbon dioxide, water hardness, and phosphate. There were some variations in contaminant concentration readings between water samples from Galveston and Houston. This study was supported by grants from the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
