NITRATES

A measure of the oxidized form of nitrogen, a basic building block for proteins. Nitrates are directly useable by living organisms, and are an essential macronutrient in aquatic ecosystems.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING TEST KIT:

1. Rinse a color viewing tube with river water several times. Fill it to the mark with a sample of river water.

2. Add the contents of a Hach NitraVer 6 powder pillow. Stopper the tube with a rubber stopper and shake vigorously for 3 minutes. Let the sample stand undisturbed for another 30 seconds. Unoxidized particles of cadmium metal will remain in the sample and settle to the bottom of the viewing tube. This is normal and has no effect on the results of the test.

3. Pour the contents into a new viewing tube, leaving the metal particles behind. Rinse out the tube containing the metal particles.

4. Add the contents of a Hach NitriVer 3 powder pillow to the sample. Stopper the tube and shake for 30 seconds. A red color will develop if nitrate is present. Allow the color to develop for at least 10 minutes -- but no more than 20 minutes.

4. Insert the viewing tube into the right opening of the color comparator. Fill a second viewing tube with a sample of river water and place it in the left opening of the color comparator.

5. Hold the comparator wheel up to a white piece of paper reflecting the sun. Rotate the wheel until the color on the wheel matches the color of the sample containing the pH indicator.

6. Read the concentration in mg/l of nitrogen in the sample from the window at the bottom of the comparator. To convert to concentration of nitrate, multiply this number by 4.4.

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:

If your system has too many or too few Nitrates, you have a problem

EFFECTS OF TOO FEW NITRATES:

• Less food for aquatic organisms
• Lower diversity and quality of aquatic life
• Less decay, less ammonia
• Breakdown in Nitrogen cycle

EFFECTS OF TOO MANY NITRATES

• Too much algae
• Fast aquatic plant growth
• More decay
• Lower quality of life
• Eutrophication

WHICH PROBLEM DO YOU HAVE?

• Could human sources be causing high Nitrate levels?
• If your area is rural, what are the septic tank regulations?
• Is there a company in the phone book that cleans out septic tanks? Try to call them and ask what they do with the material.
• What fertilizers do the local farmers use?
• If you live in an urban area, is there a Chemlawn? Try to call them, ask what they use as fertilizer, and how many customers they have.
• If your levels are low, is the upstream area industrialized?
• RURAL AREA: How can Nitrate runoff from fertilizer be controlled?
• URBAN OR SUBURBAN AREA: How many people do you think over-fertilize their lawns?

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