Solution Exercise 21
The sum of the cation milliequivalents (i.e., positively charged ions) is 7.79 meq/L. The sum of the anion milliequivalents (i.e., negatively charged ions) is 7.56 meq/L. The charge balance is calculated as:
[latex]C.B. = \frac{\left( \Sigma_{cations} - \ \Sigma_{anions} \right)}{\left( \Sigma_{cations} + \ \Sigma_{anions} \right)}(100)[/latex]
[latex]\frac{\left( 7.79\frac{meq}{L} - 7.56\frac{meq}{L} \right)}{\left( 7.79\frac{meq}{L} + 7.56\frac{meq}{L} \right)}(100) = 0.0145(100) = 1.45\%[/latex]
The charge balance is less than 5% and is therefore an acceptable charge balance.