Water Quality Testing Workshop

The NACD is considering a field test kit for water quality testing. The idea is to develop a test kit that allows quick and dirty testing of water so that if a cave diver becomes suspicious about water quality, he/she could contact the NACD and arrange to have the water tested. If the quick and dirty tests suggest a problem, then more detailed and expensive tests can be done, authorities alerted, etc.

The test kit is ready, more or less. I plan to conduct a workshop on how to do the tests October 14 at 10am at Peacock III. I'll have the tests and equipment and will be showing how to do the tests, record the data, etc.
I can not cave dive due to ear problems, but I can instruct and you all can go do the dive and collect the samples. The tests include nitrate, nitrite, e coli, ph, temp, turbidity, and critter counts (and maybe one or two more I forget at the moment). The water can be sampled at the surface, the boil, or anywhere inside the cave.

Everyone is welcome, but please pm me if you plan to attend so I have a rough idea of what to expect.

-skip

see pm

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Originally Posted by skip

(and maybe one or two more I forget at the moment).

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What about DO?

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Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

What about DO?

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I think things such as doggie do would be covered under e. coli tests. :D

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Originally Posted by Slüdge

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Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

What about DO?

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I think things such as doggie do would be covered under e. coli tests. :D

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Dissolved oxygen

I don't see much doggie do in the caves I dive in,but I see a lot of catfish fecal remnants. Ever wonder why the cat skat room in Devil's got its name?

I can not find a cheap and easy test for dissolved oxygen. it is one of the biggies, but also expensive. biological oxygen demand and total phosphates are the other two not included.

Any suggestions?

I've already incorporated your (KJ) method of counting crayfish, catfish, amphi/isopods, sunfish and added doing bug counts on the surrounding surface area.

[thanks again for the sample data from 2006 - I made nice little charts in Excel showing which critters are more/less dominant where as samples and handouts.]

Maybe you can join us Sunday (10/14, 10am) - your experience and knowledge would be most appreciated.

-skip

Watch eBay for a used hydrolab. They do show up from time to time.

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Originally Posted by skip

I can not find a cheap and easy test for dissolved oxygen. it is one of the biggies, but also expensive. biological oxygen demand and total phosphates are the other two not included.

Any suggestions?

I've already incorporated your (KJ) method of counting crayfish, catfish, amphi/isopods, sunfish and added doing bug counts on the surrounding surface area.

[thanks again for the sample data from 2006 - I made nice little charts in Excel showing which critters are more/less dominant where as samples and handouts.]

Maybe you can join us Sunday (10/14, 10am) - your experience and knowledge would be most appreciated.

-skip

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Skip,

Lamotte makes a DO kit that is good for about 50 tests. It cost about $46-47 at Cole-Palmer or VWR.

http://www.lamotte.com/pages/common/...truct/7414.pdf

CHEMets has a phosphate kit to do 30 test for about $56 again from Cole-Palmer.

http://www.chemtech-usa.com/chemets.htm

I've added Dissolved Oxygen Test and the Phosphate Test. Lamotte's site had a rather involved, glove-wearing, acid pouring, titration procedure at a reasonable price, but the steps were not volunteer or field friendly. However, Ben Meadows (also carries LaMotte) had a CHEMest kit with premeasured reagents and contained mixing method - simple and no-spill.

CHEMest kit also came for Phosphate test. Price was under $50.00 each with enough stuff for 15 tests and reorder supplie kits for half that.

thanks!

-skip

My seventh grade daughter has a science fair project ths year. She is thinking about testing water from the Flint River here in Georgia. Would this kit work for this purpose? Are the testing procedures self-explanatory? Unfortuneately, I will be out of town during the class at Peacock or we would attend. Thanks for your help.