Extreme flooding events are increasingly common across the UK and the world.Devastating floods in Pakistan have displaced upwards of 33 million people, with one-third of the country underwater as of September 2022. Floods this extreme lead to the ruination of agricultural land, the loss of livestock, and even human deaths in the thousands. While flood events arenҴ always this extreme in their impacts, they always have an effect on water quality. Letҳ take a look at how. Contaminants travel in stormwater The high volumes of water present in floods sweep over farmlands, infrastructure, and industrial areas. As a result, chemicals, fuel, animal waste, bacteria, and other harmful substances are often present in floodwater as it accumulates. This water then makes its way into water wells or communitydrinking systems if the infrastructure isnҴ equipped to manage floods נand most arenҴ. As well as this, contaminant-laden flood water can also penetrate groundwater resources. In short, it enters our drinking water and poses a serious risk to human health. Storm overflows and sewage pollution Storm overflows are essentially Ѳelief valvesҠfor sewage systems. In heavy downpour (which precedes flooding!), lots of rain can enter sewage pipes and cause them to overflow into peopleҳ toilets and homes. Instead, the storm overflow systems mean that the effluent and extra rainwater is released into rivers and seas. Still not an ideal solution, if you ask us נread our blog on sewage pollution here! Why is this not ideal, you ask? Regardless of flooding, sewage pollution impacts beach-goers and wildlife alike. But in the event of a flood, the effluent can spread to the streets, into homes, and even drinking water sources, depending on the severity of the flood. Degraded water quality As contaminated flood water reaches rivers, lakes, wetlands, andoceans, the aquatic organisms there can suffer. Ifindustrial chemicals and agricultural pesticides reach these bodies of water, they can become heavily polluted, andharmful algal blooms form. Sediment carried in flood water can then settle at the bottom, clogging riverbeds and changing habitats for the worst. Itҳ important to note that sometimes, natural flooding carries vital nutrients and helps renew ecosystems. But in a world so heavily polluted and where flooding is increasing by the day, itҳ hard to ignore the largely harmful effects on water quality and, indeed, human life. As water quality deteriorates, so too does our access to clean crops, seafood, and drinking water. It goes without saying, then, that itҳ crucial to address the reasons behind flooding and to create flood-resilient architecture and infrastructure! It all starts with monitoring Without a robust water monitoring system, all efforts to reduce flooding and improve water quality are futile. After all, you canҴ manage what you canҴ measure. Here at Aquaread, weҲe passionate about water quality and provide monitoring equipment for a range of uses. Whether you want to assess the impacts of flooding onBlue Green Algae growth, or the presence ofrefined oil or thepH of a given body of water, weҶe got you covered with arange of sensors. We also have a whole host ofwater level testing equipment thatҳ absolutely crucial to a flood monitoring and response strategy. Read about how we helped give the village of Stansted Mountfitchet more time to react to flooding byinstalling two early warning devices here. If you have any questions about how we can help, donҴ hesitate togive us a call! The postHow Flooding Affects Water Quality appeared first onAquaread.