Water Testing
|
Water Testing |
|
|
The quality of irrigation water has a great effect on crops. It is recommended that well and pond water should be tested annually. Mission RCD cannot test drinking or potable water and can only test water from properties within its district's boundaries. The WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS Mission RCD can test are: pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a water sample. pH is important because different plants have different pH preferences, and pH affects the availability of certain nutrients to plants. Electrical Conductivity (EC): Pure water does not conduct electricity but water containing dissolved solids does. ECw is used to estimate a water sample's Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), and also as a measure of salinity. Please visit our Salinity Management page to learn how salinity can harm or help your crop! Total Hardness: Total hardness is primarily a measure of calcium and magnesium and is an indicator of a water's plugging potential due to CaCO3 or calcium carbonate. Calcium: Soils that are supplied with adequate amounts of exchangeable calcium are friable and allow good water penetration and air movement. Magnesium: Magnesium behaves much like calcium. Therefore, adequate levels of both magnesium and calcium help to improve soil structure. Langelier Saturation Index (LSI): LSI is a measure of the water's ability to dissolve or deposit (CaCO3). LSI is used to measure a water sample's plugging potential. Bicarbonate (LSI): Bicarbonate ions will precipitate calcium as a soil dries. This allows sodium to take the place of calcium. As mentioned above, excess sodium can deteriorate soil structure. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR): SAR is a calculation that measures the ratio of calcium and magnesium to sodium. A low SAR indicates that enough calcium and magnesium are present in the water to counter the ill effects of sodium. A high SAR indicates elevated levels of exchangeable sodium are present and the continued use of the tested water could lead to soil structure problems. Chloride (Cl-): Chloride is very soluble and is found in all natural waters. Moderate to high levels of chloride can cause problems in avocados, citrus and strawberries. Nitrate (NO3-): Nitrate is a readily available form of nitrogen to plants that is very mobile in soil. Phosphates (PO4-): Not often found in well water, phosphates can occur in surface water sources. Additional phosphorus may be needed in fishponds for good phytoplankton development. Iron (Fe+): Soluble iron present in irrigation water can cause emitter plugging due to changes in temperature or pH or through the action of bacteria. If you are interested in bringing in a water sample for testing, please use the following protocol to COLLECT A WATER SAMPLE: Water samples should be collected in a clean plastic or glass container that has not been used to hold salty liquids or chemicals. One quart is a sufficient volume. Samples should be cooled in a refrigerator until they are brought to our office. Samples over 24 hours old cannot be accurately tested. To ensure an accurate sample from a well source, the well should be run at full volume for at least one-half hour before collection. The COSTS of the water quality testing are as follows: Irrigation Water Suitability Package - $30.00 (Total Hardness, Bicarbonate, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, Nitrate, pH, ECw, SAR, and LSI) Fish Pond Suitability Package - $15.00 (Ecw, pH, Nitrate, and Phosphate) Individual Tests - $5.00/each (Total Hardness, Bicarbonate, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, Nitrate, pH, or ECw) |
|
|
Last Updated: June 10, 2008