Useful vocabulary

Water quality parameter

The term parameter, as in the phrase "water quality parameter," has a fairly broad meaning. Usually, this term refers to a characteristic or an aspect of water that can be measured and reported and which helps to describe the quality of the water. Under various circumstances, any of the following might be considered water quality parameters:

• temperature,
• dissolved oxygen content,
• total dissolved solids,
• concentration of a particular dissolved mineral constituent — for example, sodium ion (Na⁺), potassium ion (K⁺), calcium ion (Ca⁺⁺), chloride ion (Cl^-), or bicarbonate ion (HCO₃^-).

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