Concepts:

Abiotic factors of water quality affect the biotic components of an aquatic ecosystem:

A. Oxygen content is the overall most important factor: high oxygen-saturated water produces high biodiversity. Other factors affect oxygen content:
• Temperature--higher temperature water is not able to hold as much dissolved oxygen as cooler water.
• turbidity--High turbidity lowers photosynthesis which decreases oxygen content.
• Nutrient levels of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus affect plant growth. Excessive algae growth can create massive die-offs which deplete the oxygen levels.
• Surface area, speed of water, and depth all affect the amount of oxygen that will be dissolved in the body of water.

B. Other water quality factors include:
• pH--Acidic waters produced through acid rain, surrounding plant life, bottom substrate can create an environment that fewer or no life forms can survive. This is not usually a problem in western states where substrates are highly alkaline.
hardness--amount of minerals dissolved

Important water quality factors of drinking water include health and aesthetic properties of taste and odor. Hardness, presence of heavy metals and other minerals, bacterial presence, pH are tests that are important in tap water.