×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

(OP)
Dear All,

Could anyone tell me what is the acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water? The water in the question will be used for mixing the concrete. Per ASTMD3921 lab report gives a value < 1.0 mg/L. Is this acceptable for potable water? Appreciate your input.

Thanks
skc8002

RE: Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

skc8002:

There is no specific oil and grease EPA limitation for potable water, though there are a number of restricted compounds which may possibly (probably) be present in oil and grease contamination of the water.

To answer your question, I would think that potable water should have a zero (below detectable limits by oil and grease analytical methodology) oil and grease concentration, notwithstanding other restricted organics that might be present.

Orenda

RE: Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

I think you may have (perhaps unintentionally?) juxtaposed a couple sort of arguably separate technical questions in your inquiry -- it thus might help (for better response) to clarify with some more information.  Will this "potable" water containing "oil and grease" only be used for mixing concrete (and for what concrete application/strength etc.), or will some of this water be drank by folks, and in what country/state/health jurisdiction etc.?  While I suspect most texts/codes may say basically any water that is "potable" will normally work for mixing normal concrete for normal applications, I suspect at least vice versa may not necessarily be true in all areas around the world that might accept varied levels of impurities.  At least in the past I believe some codes e.g. ACI 318 have even allowed some non-potable waters to be used for mixing some concretes for some applications, providing certain performance criteria can  be satisfied with said water.

RE: Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

Appreciate responses to my query.

The water in question shall be used for mixing concrete only. We have to follow BS codes on the project. BS spec/code requirement for mixing water is "no visible traces of oil and grease in mixing water". Folks on the site did oil and grease test per ASTMD3921 instead and got the result as < 1.0 mg/L. I couldn't find any quantification of "no visible traces" in litreture. Does <1.0 mg/L falls under "no visible taces" domain?

Other approach is that if the water could be accepted as potable, it should be good as mixing water. Thats why I asked for the acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water.

Regards,
skc8002

RE: Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

If you have a question as to whether the water in question (containing some oil and/or grease?) will adversely affect e.g. strength properties of the concrete, you might consider mixing samples with it, as well as with a control water that does not contain the oil/grease, and compare results.  While <1 ppm certainly doesn't seem like much and hard to imagine a problem in concrete, I think whether or not you see oil or grease on the surface or container walls etc. in a water or wastewater sample in general could depend on the nature of the contaminant (types, miscibility etc.) as well as how long the sample sits in the container.  Beyond this (and a little curious as to why this has come up), you might could use someone with more experience than I!  

RE: Acceptable level of oil and grease in potable water

Potable water should have no detectable oil and grease. Oil and grease would not be able to travel through a water treatment plant.

Use your standard of no visible traces. If there are visible traces, have them run the water through a sand filter to remove the visible traces.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources