Methods

1. Using the bucket, collect water from a water source. 

2. Place the thermometer in the water and hold until the reading stabilizes. Take the temperature of the water in Celsius.

3. Pour some water into a separate jar that will be used for data collecting.

4. Record watercolor by holding the jar against a white background. 

5. Lower Secchi disk into the water until it is not seen. Once it is not visible, place a clothing pin to water level.

6. Remove from water and measure the length of the string that was under water.

7. For the turbidity tube, make sure to be at a water source that is shallow. 

8. Fill up the turbidity tube with 120 cm of water. 

9. Have one partner looking down the tube while another is grabbing the water releaser. As the water is exiting the tube, let the other person know when the disk at the bottom is visible. 

10. Once the disk at the bottom is visible, cut off the water from exiting the tube and use the measure tape at the side to measure the turbidity of the water.

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Dissolved Oxygen

1. Fill the vial with water until its overflowing. Make sure that there are no air bubbles. 

2. Place two dissolved oxygen test tabs into the vial. 

3. Screw the cap onto the vial and make sure that there are no air bubbles. 

4. Mix the vial until the tabs are dissolved (4 minutes). 

5. Wait 5 more minutes when the tablets have dissolved.

6. Compare the color of the sample to the Dissolved Oxygen color chart.

7. Once done, dump components into waste water container and thoroughly clean with distilled water.

 

Nitrate 

1. Use pipette to fill water up to the black line

2. Add 10 Drops from Nitrate bottle #1( dark Purple Label ) Into the vial 

3. Screw on the cap and shake the vial for 30 seconds.

4. Take off the cap and add 10 drops of Nitrate solution (Light Purple label) to the vial

5. Screw cap back on the vial and shake and invert for 1 minute.

6. Wait 5 mins and compare test to the color card 

7. When done rinse out vial with distilled water 

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Ammonia

1. Use the pipette to fill the vial to the black line

2. Add 8 drops to the vial from the Ammonia #1 bottle(light yellow label)

3. Add 8 drops to the vial from the Ammonia #2 bottles(dark yellow label)

4. Screw the cap back on the vial and shake until both solutions thoroughly mixed together.

5. Wait 5 Mins and then compare the colors

6. When done rinse out cap and vial with distilled water.

 

Phosphate

1. Using the pipette fill the vial to the black line

2. Add 6 drops of Phosphate test solution from bottle #1 (light blue label)

3. Screw on the cap and shake until the solution has been mixed.

4. Add 6 drops of phosphate solution from bottle #2 (dark blue label)

5. Screw on cap and shake until solution is mixed.

6. Wait 3 minutes and then compare colors 

 

pH

1. Use the pipette and fill the vial all the way to the black line.

2. Add 5 drops from the Wide Range pH test solution bottle to the vial. 

3. Screw the cap on and shake vial until it’s thoroughly mixed. 

4. Compare the color sample to the Wide Range pH Color Card.

5. Dump contents into the waste water container.

6. Rinse thoroughly with distilled water.

 

Coli form

1. Unscrew the vial and add 1 mL of water from the water source.

2. Screw the cap back on and make sure to not touch the rim of the vial.

3. Let vial sit in an incubator (35-37 C) for up to 24 hours and check color change.

 

Serial Dilution

1. Measure 99 mL of Distilled water into a graduated cylinder.

2. Transfer your distilled water to a glass jar.

3. Measure 1 mL of sample into a glass jar.

4. Close the lid tightly and shake x 25.

5. Label nutrient agar plates

   1. Date

   2. Initials

   3. Dilution Factor

   4. Incubation Temperature= RT

6. Pipette 1 mL of the stock solution to your first Test Tube.

7. Pipette up and down to mix your sample thoroughly.

8. Transfer 0.1 mL of the sample to your plate.

9. Repeat steps 51-53 for each test tube.

10. Take a glass spreader and dip it into alcohol.

11. Quickly shake off the remaining alcohol and lit it with a lighter.

12. Quickly light the spreader and slightly pick up the plate cover and move around the sample while turning the plate.

13. Quickly close the lid and dip the hook into alcohol to clean it. 

14. Repeat 55-58 for each plate.

15. Repeat steps 1- 59 for each water source.