Water Quality Testing

Water quality testing generally refers to two things:

Indicator bacteria are bacteria types that are normally present in the human gut and when found in streams indicate that sewage is leaking in through failing septic systems or broken sewer pipes. Along with these come pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Nutrients: phosphorus and nitrogen act as nutrients to algae growth. The resulting algae blooms result in depletion of oxygen that kills fish and other wildlife through a process called eutrophication. Some species of algae produce highly toxic compounds. These nutrients come primarily from sewage and fertilizer runoff from lawns and gardens.

Our standard panel of water quality tests include:

1. Enterococcus (IDEXX Enterolert)
2. E. coli (IDEXX Colilert)
3. Phosphorous (Hach 8190 DR800 Digestion Test 'N Tube for 0.00 - 3.50 mg/L PO4 3- )
4. Nitrogen (Hach 10206 Spectrophotometer, LR, TNT plus 835 for 0.23 – 13.5 mg/L NO3- -N basis)
5. YSI sensors for pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature and salinity)

Example Projects with Water Quality Testing: