Another water quality issue that can be affected by topography is pH. Although pH is not affected by as many factors as temperature, it still is just as important. A major cause of a raised or lowered pH is the presence of a nearby industry. Many of the chemical or other byproducts factories may produce contaminate water supplies. These usually do not have pH’s consistent with the water thereby altering the original pH.

The pH of water bodies plays a crucial part in supporting aquatic life. The topography of a body of water with respect to man made landmarks can severely impact the pH of any water source. With relatively high or low pH’s many bodies of water support little healthy life.