TDS (total dissolved solids)
Also called: salinity
The concentration of dissolved minerals in water, which determines whether it can be used directly or requires treatment.
TDS governs suitability more than almost any other quality parameter. Water suitable for irrigation may be unusable for boiler feed or cooling without treatment, and treatment is capital cost plus a permanent operating line item plus a brine disposal problem.
In arid basins, the cheapest available water is frequently the most saline, which is exactly why quality data belongs next to quantity data in any siting decision rather than in a later engineering phase.
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