Why is turbidity important in drinking water production?
Turbidity is used as a way to measure how well a treatment plant is operating. Well operated plants have low turbidity, and are unlikely to have other problems, such as with microorganisms, passing through the system. High turbidity indicates that a process is not working as well as it should. This does not necessarily mean there is health risk, but it is an indicator that actions need to be taken to improve water quality. Federal and State standards have recently changed to reduce the allowable amount of turbidity in drinking water and in the treatment processes used to produce that water. These new standards include more notification of the public when the treatment processes are not working optimally.
