Water Quality Testing

Methods

Chloride
Dip one test strip into a 50ml water sample for 10 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 25 seconds, then match to the colour chart. Complete colour matching within 10 seconds.

Iron
Dip one test strip into a 200ml water sample for 5 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 15 seconds, then view through the aperture to match with the closest colour. Complete colour matching within 15 seconds.

Copper
Dip one test strip into a 200ml water sample for 15 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 30 seconds, then view through the aperture to match with the closest colour. Complete colour matching within 15 seconds.

Sulphate
Dip one test strip into a 50ml water sample for 10 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 20 seconds, then match to the colour chart. Complete colour matching within 30 seconds.

pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine & Total Hardness
Dip one test strip into a 200ml water sample for 5 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 20 seconds, then match pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine & Total Hardness in this order to the colour chart. Complete all colour matching within 10 seconds

Total Nitrite and Nitrate
Dip one test strip into a 50ml water sample for 2 seconds, remove and wait 1 minute (or 2 minutes if water temperature is below 12ºC). Then match to the colour chart. Complete colour matching within 2 minutes.

Free Chlorine
Dip one test strip into a 50ml water sample for 20 seconds with a constant, gentle back and forth motion. Remove the strip and shake once, briskly, to remove excess water. Wait 20 seconds, then match to the colour chart.

Hydrogen Sulphide
Fit vial to the top line with water. Dip one Low Range Hydrogen Sulphide Test Strip into the sample for 20 seconds with a gentle, steady up and down motion. Remove and discard the strip. With the colour chart on a flat surface, place the sample vial on the white circles (see fig. 2). Viewing from the top, slide the vial from one white circle to the next until the best colour match us found (see Fig. 2). This product contains a very small amount of lead acetate, so do not return to the river.

Notes

Bacteria in water
Coliform bacteria are normally round In the intestines of warm-blooded animals. For this reason coliform bacteria are used to indicate water contamination from animal or human waste.

Hydrogen Sulphide in Water Hydrogen Sulphide, generated mostly from decaying plants and animals, is most commonly characterized by a pungent "rotten egg" odour in the water. The presence of Hydrogen Sulphide, in high concentrations, can cause health problems and give water an unpleasant smell and taste.

Total Nitrite and Nitrate in Water
Nitrite and Nitrate find their way into drinking water from farm fertilizer, industrial waste, sewage, biological waste, feed lot run off, and natural forming mineral deposits. They are tasteless and odourless, so a sample must be tested to identify contamination. The presence of Nitrates and Nitrites can often be a sign of other harmful pollutants In the water. They can be harmful to health; Nitrate levels above 10ppm are linked to "blue baby syndrome" in infants.

pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine and Total Hardness in Water
"pH" is a measure of the acidic or alkaline nature of water. Lower numbers indicate acids while higher numbers indicate alkalines.  A pH result of 7 is Neutral.

Total Alkalinity is a term used to quantify the amount of alkali present in water. Total Alkalinity and pH are tested together because their values usually "flow" together. For example, a water sample that has a higher pH tends to have high Total Alkalinity. Likewise, water with lower pH will typically read low or zero for Total Alkalinity.

Hard Water (above 120ppm. originally called "hard" because it was hard to form suds with soap) contains high levels of dissolved minerals, particularly calcium and magnesium. Soft Water (below 80ppm) contains very few dissolved minerals.

Total Chlorine is the fourth parameter found on this strip. You will find some total chlorine In the water after treatment by municipal chlorination plants. Total chlorine is the measurement of combined chlorine + free chlorine (sea Free Chlorine section below).

Iron in Water
Iron is naturally occurring from rocks. Current research does not associate iron levels in water with any heaith effects. However, iron in water above O.3ppm can have an unpleasant taste and be rust coloured.

Copper In Water
Copper is not normally found in river water. Formation in water occurs during corrosion of copper pipes. Copper, when found in water, can cause stomach and intestinal distress.

Free Chlorine in Water
"Free Chlorine" is the cleaning agent used by most water treatment facilities. One typically finds between 0.2ppm and 4.0ppm of Free Chlorine in tap water. After Free Chlorine acts upon microorganisms, it will convert to Monochloramines (Free Chlorine + Monochloramine (Reacted or Combined Chlorine) = Total Chlorine). Monochloramine is the chemical that can give treated water the characteristic "chlorine" odour you may have smelled while swimming In a chlorinated pool.

Sulphate in Water
Sulphur-Reducing Bacteria (SRB), when present, will use sulphates to produce hydrogen sulphide, which gives the water a rotten egg smell.

Chloride In Water
Chloride is a common ion found in water. High chloride content may harm growing plants. At 250ppm, chloride may cause a detectable salty taste.

Test Tips

1. Free Chlorine Test Strip measures the free chlorine level in the water sample. Take a bottle sample of river water and insert the test strip. Wait 15 seconds.

2. pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine & Total Hardness - pH results may read falsely low if Total Alkalinity is 80 ppm or less.

3. Total Nitrate and Nitrite (ax N) - If water temperatures very cold or below 12ºC wait 2 minutes before matching colours. Colors are stable for 2 minutes.

4. Iron (Fe+2) This test strip is for testing fresh water samples that are oxygen poor. The Iron test strip will not quantitatively detect oxidized iron. Allow the water to run for 1 minute before collecting the sample. Then, test the collected sample immediately.

5. Bacteria - This test consists of the large bottle contained in this kit, which contains Absence/Presence media (well-known for its reliability as a bacteria test media). Take the EZ Coliform Cult" MUG bottle and carefully remove the cap (do not touch the inside of the cap). Carefully hold the cap with one hand and, with the other hand, fill the bottle to 16 inch below the neck (about 100 mIx). DO NOT OVERFILL and DO NOT SPILL the bacteria growth media in the bottle. Replace the cap and secure it tightly Shake the bottle vigorously until the media is dissolved (about 20 seconds). The solution should be a clear yellow in colour. Place the capped bottle in a room temperature area away from direct sunlight and where it cannot be disturbed. After 48 hours incubation (a period when bacteria, if present, can multiply and produce acid in the media, causing a colour change), observe the colour of the liquid. Clear yellow (negative) means that no harmful bacterial growth was detected. Blue-green (positive) means that it is highly likely that harmful bacteria (coliform) caused the color change and the tested water should be considered unsafe.