Water quality

Rivers, oceans, lakes, aquifers, groundwater, stormwater, urban canals, underground streams, estuaries, and more -- we are passionate about water quality! This page will help you find resources to explore the waterbodies you care about, and connect with other people who have the same interests:

Questions on Water Quality:

Title	Author	Updated	Likes	Comments
Using UVC or "deep UV" light to detect lead by fluorescence	@warren	almost 3 years ago	0	14
Can DIY spectrometers be useful for pH determination and/or dissolved organic carbon of a water solution?	@alejobonifacio	almost 3 years ago	2	19
Can pond testing kits be used for stream/river water?	@belkinsa	almost 3 years ago	0	3
What can you do about oil in your ditch following a natural disaster when traditional resources/normal pathways are not available?	@laurel_mire	over 3 years ago	0	10
How do I...use luminescence with the spectrometer?	@Ag8n	over 3 years ago	0	8
What are some observable tell-tale signs of wastewater pollution?	@bhamster	over 3 years ago	1	11
What groups or agencies are looking at the intersections of land/soil management and ocean pollution?	@laurel_mire	over 3 years ago	1	1
Tips about seeking funding for water testing?	@Greenhorns	over 3 years ago	1	5
Water testing protocols for Sulfide Mining?	@Greenhorns	over 3 years ago	0	1
As soil and water share similar pollution problems, what research methods can be shared between them?	@alejobonifacio	over 3 years ago	0	10
What kind of spatial acidity variation could be evidence of pollution source in a river?	@warren	over 3 years ago	2	5
Who is a specialist in our area on water quality/pollution?	@Wendydelgado	almost 4 years ago	0	1
Does anyone have any concerns regarding the water quality in New Orleans?	@stevie	almost 4 years ago	0	3
What are the differences in water quality in various bodies of water in the New Orleans area?	@Chickynuggies02	almost 4 years ago	0	2
Is Bayou water cleaner than river water?	@pawpatrol	almost 4 years ago	0	2
How can I test whether beach foam is natural or potential pollution?	@bhamster	over 4 years ago	3	6
Will high turbidity levels affect the babylegs trawl?	@stevie	over 4 years ago	1	1
What are ways to monitor for oil and gas spills on private property?	@stevie	over 4 years ago	0	2
Looking for water controller resource	@lanesharman	over 4 years ago	1	1
Are there examples where environmental concerns were addressed as a result of people filing complaints (or suspected permit violations)?	@stevie	almost 5 years ago	2	7
How can you tell if a sheen on water is bacterial or petroleum (oil)?	@stevie	almost 5 years ago	1	1
Are there simple tests for nitrates in well water?	@stevie	about 5 years ago	1	8
DFRobot Turbidity Sensor Troubleshooting	@mimiss	about 5 years ago	2	5
Reused fracking water?	@charlotte_clarke	about 5 years ago	2	1

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Monitoring

Water quality parameters

Read about different water quality parameters here, including pH, nitrogen, conductivity, temperature, ORP and turbidity:

https://publiclab.org/common-water-contaminants

Also see this overview of 7 ways to monitorn water quality:

https://publiclab.org/notes/anngneal/12-08-2017/7-ways-to-measure-monitor-and-evaluate-water-quality

Groups and projects working on water quality issues:

Title	Updated	Version	Views	Likes
BabyLegs	about 4 years ago by a1ahna	29	9,521	6
Water Quality Sensor	about 5 years ago by warren	12	10,861	2
Coqui conductivity sensor	over 5 years ago by warren	57	5,725	22
Riffle: an Open Source Water Monitoring Approach	about 7 years ago by warren	100	6,088	15
KnowFlow	over 7 years ago by liz	2	1,693	3
Open Water	almost 8 years ago by klie	122	5,339	19
infoamazonia-network	over 9 years ago by vjpixel	2	557	2

Water quality related pages

Title	Updated	Version	Views	Likes
Wastewater	about 3 years ago by bhamster	2	290	0
Assess Turbidity in Water	over 5 years ago by liz	13	4,481	2
Common Water Contaminants	over 5 years ago by warren	36	2,090	4
Nitrogen	almost 6 years ago by warren	3	425	1
Water quality parameters	almost 6 years ago by warren	13	636	2
Filters	almost 6 years ago by warren	11	695	2
Water conductivity monitoring	over 6 years ago by warren	9	1,403	2
Conductivity of Water and Community Science	almost 7 years ago by gilbert	5	908	1
pH	almost 7 years ago by warren	4	598	0
Turbidity Measurement Methods & Regulations	about 7 years ago by gilbert	1	1,802	0
Water Sensors	almost 7 years ago by Nova	41	7,132	6
Water Sampling	over 7 years ago by warren	2	1,763	2
NPDES	almost 8 years ago by warren	17	1,004	0
Parâmetros de qualidade da água	about 9 years ago by vjpixel	3	6,231	0
water quality indices	over 9 years ago by vjpixel	5	1,079	2
What's going on in Water Monitoring?	over 10 years ago by kanarinka	5	618	4
Water Quality Primer with Jeff Walker	over 10 years ago by kanarinka	4	776	3
The Open Water Project: FAQ	over 10 years ago by donblair	4	644	2

Activities

Purpose	Category	Status	Author	Time	Difficulty	Replications
PureLab：Experiment and Installing Water Filters Record In Banmentun	-	-	@shanlter	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
¿Cómo mido el pH de una solución con un repollo morado? Su relación con la calidad de agua	-	-	@alejobonifacio	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
How to measure the pH of a solution with a purple cabbage? Its relation to water quality	-	-	@alejobonifacio	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Coqui BBv1.0: Testing conductivity of a solution	observe	draft	@donblair	1h	easy	1 replications: Try it »
Water Quality Testing At Turkey Creek	-	-	@Delaney	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
¿Cómo evaluo la calidad de un ambiente acuático con mi teléfono móvil? / How do I assess the quality of an aquatic environment with my mobile phone?	observe	complete	@alejobonifacio	1h	easy	0 replications: Try it »
¿Cómo evaluar la calidad de un río con insectos acuáticos (bioindicadores)? / How do I assess the quality of an river with aquatic insects (bioindicators)?	-	-	@alejobonifacio	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Practice reporting suspected frac sand violations	-	-	@stevie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
¿Cómo detectar abrillantadores ópticos (aguas residuales) yendo a un río? / How to detect optical brighteners (wastewater) going to a river?	-	-	@alejobonifacio	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
Draft: Collect a sample for laboratory analysis	-	-	@warren	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
How to test a water sheen to tell if it is bacterial or petroleum	-	-	@stevie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
How to find out if waterbodies near you in the US are healthy or impaired	observe	-	@bhamster	30m	easy	0 replications: Try it »
Draft: Find the concentration of a liquid with a DIY spectrometer	-	-	@warren	-	-	0 replications: Try it »
How to collect a water sample	-	-	@stevie	-	-	0 replications: Try it »

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