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Summary: A set of downloadable files which will help you learn how to do water testing as simply and inexpensively as possible. |
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$14.95 — 34 page PDF document, Word document, and Excel worksheet-BETA VERSION |
Village women in Mexico monitoring wells for nitrate contamination.
Testing village drinking water with Coliscan Membrane Filtration and Hach presence/ absence tests. The coliform levels from the drinking water well were consistently lower than the purchased bottled water, and frequently zero coliforms per 100 ml, which is a lower level than that frequently found in bottled drinking water in the US.
Testing a spring for electrical conductivity/ Total dissolved solids.
Tap water on right has no general coliforms. Same water after passing through a reverse/ osmosis drinking water filter (left) is positive for general coliforms. It's about to be tested with a UV light to see if it also has fecal coliforms (it didn't).
River water in background has 20,000 coliforms per 100 ml, 500 times more than is typically considered safe for swimming. Amazingly, the water from the hand dug shallow well in the foreground had zero.
Photograph of a plate from a local swimming hole showing general and fecal coliform bacteria concentrations (sample size is 5 ml). |
This information should be especially useful for lay people who have taken an interest in the quality of natural waters or a water system, including water quality activists, surfers, managers of small water systems (particularly those attempting to meet the onerous new clean water act requirements for surface water supplies), rural homeowners, development workers, aid workers and other water guardians who want to learn to test water or improve their existing testing program.
The suppliers of water quality testing supplies seem to assume that users are well-versed in all applicable lab techniques. They also seem to assume that users don't care how much the tests cost, or how much trash is generated.
This packet is designed to give your water quality testing effort a boost by sharing what we've learned about doing cheap, materials-efficient tests that help give an accurate picture of what is going on.
These tests are somewhat, but not too technically involved. If you think you could do high school chemistry lab experiments well if you did them over and over, you'll be fine. Detail orientation and persistence are the keys.
The examples include samples showing the quality of natural waters, including:
They also include samples from water and wastewater systems, including:
Author: Art Ludwig. Oasis Design, June 2004. 8.5x11, 34 pages, 7 tables. $14.95 for three file set (3.21 mb).
You can download files (or have them e mailed to you) immediately after processing your order.
All files have a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the file for any reason, just let us know and your credit charge will be refunded in full (there is no shipping/handling on files).
All the information is in PDF format and can be viewed/printed with Adobe Acrobat' free reader (download).
Microsoft Word is required to use the editable version of the instructions. Microsoft excel and some idea of how to use it are required to use the editable version of the data entry spreadsheets.
At present there isn't any interpretation of the examples.
This item is new and still somewhat ragged around the edges. We're considering it a "public beta," until we hear back that it is working well for people.
If we'd found it at the start of our water testing program, it would have saved us thousands of dollars of time. Please let us know if you've found it highly useful, incomprehensible, or whatever, using our Feedback page.
In order to get:
hovabator 1602n incubator weight 4lbs 7.5 x18 x18 $33.95 912 236-0651 fax 234-9978.
A lightweight styrofoam incubator. It has it's own adjustable thermostat and provision for humidifying the interior, which can help keep petri dishes from drying out in arid conditions.
Use Coliscan® Easygel®.
Coliform Easygel (28001) - Coliform growth medium- 10 tests/set $13.50
Coliscan media have a refrigerated shelf life of 6 months. Frozen, they last a year or more. At room temperature, a couple weeks.
You also need:
1 mL Dropper - # DRP01 Dropper, sterile/individually wrapped -Price: $0.12
ea
or
3 mL Dropper - # DRP03 Dropper, sterile/individually wrapped - Price: $0.14
ea
See Micrology Labs contact info at bottom of next listing.
Use Coliscan® Membrane filtration kit.
The apparatus is more involved, the materials are still cheap.
Coliscan MF Water Monitoring Kit - # CMFK2:
The kit comes complete. Kit includes: 1 Filtering apparatus, 1 Syringe with hose (vacuum device), 2 Coliscan MF bottles, 20 membrane filters, 20 dishes w/ absorbent pad, 20 3 mL Dropper, 5 filter support pads, Instruction and interpretation guide. $39.50
Coliscan media have a refrigerated shelf life of 6 months. Frozen, they last a year or more. At room temperature, a couple weeks.
1 888 easygel 327-9435 http://www.micrologylabs.com
Micrology labs is a small operation; you can get people who really know what they are talking about on the phone.
Presence/Absence Test, with MUG, disposable, twelve pack
Product #: 2401612, $ 40.30
In order to check for fecal coliforms, you also need a UV lamp: Hand-held, battery-operated, long-wave UV lamp. Uses four AA batteries not included.
Product #: 2584600, $ 18.85
800 227-4224 http://www.hach.com
I like the DiST®5 handheld EC/TDS/Temp meter. It has these features:
HI98311: DiST® supplied complete with protective cap, 4 x 1.5V batteries and instructions.... $78.00
http://www.automatedaquariums.com/h_98311.htmIf you have to be able to report to the EPA, this is the cheapest solution I know of:
2100P Portable TurbidimeterMSDS's are readily obtainable from the manufacturers.
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$14.95 — 34 page PDF document, Word document, and Excel worksheet-BETA VERSION |
• www.oasisdesign.net • Copyright © Art Ludwig 1997 -2013
