Water quality is a term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its suitability for a particular purpose. When the average person asks about water quality, they probably want to know if the water is good enough to use at home, to play in, to serve in a restaurant, etc., or if the quality of our natural waters are suitable for aquatic plants and animals. More and more nowadays we are hearing about situations where the quality of our water is not good enough for normal uses. Yes, water quality has become a very big issue today, partly because of the tremendous growth of the Nation's population and urban expansion and development.
Rural areas can also contribute to water-quality problems.
These excess nutrients have the potential to degrade water quality if incorporated into runoff from farms into streams and lakes All this growth puts great stress on the natural water resources, and, if we are not diligent, the quality of our waters will suffer.