River water samples showing degrees of turbidity. Turbidity is the cloudiness of a fluid caused by particles in suspension. Turbidity affects water quality and suspended solids in the water can reduce effective water disinfection, essential for drinking water supplies. Turbidity can be affected by the amount of sediment there is in suspension often connected to water flow; algae and algal blooms; pollution, such as pathogens microbeads, wastewater effluent, sewage, airborne particulates, and road particles.