What are the key factors that influence water quality?
Many factors affect water quality. Substances present in the air affect rainfall. Dust, volcanic gases, and natural gases in the air, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen, are all dissolved or entrapped in rain. When other substances such as sulphur dioxide, toxic chemicals, or lead are in the air, they are also collected in the rain as it falls to the ground. Rain reaches the earth’s surface and, as runoff, flows over and through the soil and rocks, dissolving and picking up other substances. For instance, if the soils contain high amounts of soluble substances, such as limestone, the runoff will have high concentrations of calcium carbonate. Where the water flows over rocks high in metals, such as ore bodies, it will dissolve those metals. In the Canadian Shield, there are large areas with little soil and few soluble minerals. Consequently, the rivers and lakes in these areas have very low concentrations of dissolved substances. Another factor influencing water quality is the
