Technical Memorandum Report No. 20
Water Quality and its Relation to Usage
N. C. Burbank, Jr.
November 1969
ABSTRACT
The relationship between water quality and its ultimate use has been established over the years. Often the quality of raw water available has governed the site selection for an industrial establishment and, equally important, has determined whether a community grew and prospered or failed to develop. Molokai has an abundance of water on its eastern coastal mountains and a lack of water on its southern and central plain. The surface water is generally of good quality while the ground water may be of extremely variable quality. Water quality criteria specifically describe the characteristics of water as being desirable for a general or a specific use. The determination of these characteristics can only be determined after a long period of use and observation. On observation of undesirable effects, the quantitative relationship between the water constituent and its effect must be correlated and the limiting water quality standard set. Often the water constituents may interrelate and may either intensify or nullify the effects of each on the other. The specific parameters of quality are determined from these observations.