Nitrates

Background Information

Nitrogen is an element needed by all living plants and animals to build protein. In aquatic ecosystems, nitrogen is present in many forms. It can combine with oxygen to form a compound called nitrate. Nitrates may come from fertilizers, sewage, and industrial waste. They can cause eutrophication of lakes or ponds. Eutrophication refers to the aging of a lake or other body of water. Cultural eutrophication occurs when nutrients are added from agricultural runoff, sewage, detergents or other sources such as golf courses or lawns. Advanced stages of cultural eutrophication can be detected by an unmistakable "rotten egg" smell. Bodies of water with high levels of nitrates usually have high BOD levels and low DO levels.

Test Procedure

Perform the nitrate test using the nitrate-nitrogen test kit from LaMotte (or other supplier). Follow the instructions provided with the kit. Record nitrate-nitrogen levels in ppm. Nitrate-nitrogen levels can be converted to nitrate by multiplying by 4.4 but for this project, nitrate-nitrogen levels will be recorded.

What To Expect

A nitrate-nitrogen reading of less than 1.0 ppm is considered to be excellent. A reading between 1.1-3 ppm is considered to be good. A reading between 3.1-5 ppm is fair, and a reading greater than 5 ppm is considered to be poor.

References