1. Water Quality Testing Ms. DC and Ms. Arya

2. What should we test our water for??

3. What is Turbidity? • Measurement of how clear the water is • Unclear water is said to be “turbid.” • Turbidity is caused by matter such as clay, silt, and other material in the water • Could be the result of soil erosion, run-off, and algal blooms

4. Test Your Water Turbidity 1. Pour 25 mL of water into the turbidity beaker. 2. Use the Secchi disk to measure turbidity

5. What are Phosphates? • Phosphates come from phosphorus, a plant nutrient • Frequently found in run-off from construction • Used as a fertilizer for landscaping

6. Phosphates • Can cause algal blooms which remove oxygen from the water • Over HALF of all phosphates in water come from household detergents

7. Testing Your Water for Phosphates 1. Using the 25 mL from turbidity testing, pour 5 mL into a test tube. 2. Add one Phosphorus TesTab. 3. Cap the tube and mix until tablet dissolves. Wait for 5 minutes.

8. What are nitrates? • Nitrates come from nitrogen, a nutrient that helps plants grow • High levels of nitrates cause aquatic plant and algal blooms which remove oxygen from water • Unpolluted waters usually contain about 4 parts per million of nitrates • Above 40 parts per million is unsafe for drinking

9. Nitrates • Nitrates get into our watershed by • Human and Animal wastes • Decomposing organic matter • (matter that was once living breaking down) • Lawn and crop fertilizer run-off

10. Test Your Water for Nitrates 1. Using the water from the turbidity experiment, pour 5 mL of water into a clean test tube 2. Add one Nitrate #1 TesTab. Cap the tube and mix until tablet dissolves 3. Add one Nitrate #2 CTA TesTab. Cap tube and mix. 4. Wait 5 minutes.

11. What is Dissolved Oxygen? • Just like animals on land, aquatic animals need oxygen to live • Oxygen is dissolved in the water • Algal blooms use up all the oxygen leaving little for the animals in the water

12. Testing Your Water for Dissolved Oxygen 1. Pour 5 mL of water into the test tube. 2. Put one TesTab into the tube and dissolve the tablet. 3. Compare the color the water turns to the chart.

13. What is pH? • One of the most common water tests • Results tell you how basic or acidic the water is • A pH range of 6.5 to 8.2 is healthy for most organisms • Blue Crabs need a pH of 8.0 • Rapidly growing algae can increase the pH of water

14. Measure Your Water’s pH 1. Pour 10 mL from the turbidity experiment into a test tube 2. Add one pH Wide Range TesTab 3. Cap the tube and mix until the tablet is dissolves. 4. Compare to color chart.

15. Coliform Testing • Coliform is a group of bacteria that is commonly found in animal feces • High coliform amounts can result in disease in aquatic animals as well as people swimming in that water

16. Testing Your Water for Coliform • Write your name on your nutrient agar plate • Dip a sterile swab into your water • Streak your nutrient agar plate • Put your plate in the middle of the table • Ms. DC will put your plate in an incubator (37°C) overnight. You will look at your plates tomorrow.