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........ prepared by the Soil & Water Conservation Society of Metro Halifax (SWCSMH)

Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center -CDHA

Environmental Services Laboratory, the official laboratory of the NS Dept. of Environment & Labour (NSDEL)

Environmental Chemistry and Water Bacteriology

Select tests

(as a referring service, tests not offered at the QEII may be sent to an alternate facility)

Disclaimer & Copyright Notices

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Source: Lab sheet, August 2002 from
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
Environmental Services Laboratory
Mackenzie Building
5788 University Avenue
Halifax, NS B3H 1V8

Tel: (902) 473-8466 or Fax: (902) 473-4418

Thanks to Jim Halliday for his leading assistance!

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Table of Contents:

• Chemical Analysis:
• RCA (formerly known as RCAp) Analysis
• Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Metals Package
• General Analyses
• Basic Analyses
• Individual Tests
• Home Owner Packages:
• Budget Home Owner Package
• Ultimate Home Ownership Package
• Extensive Home Ownership Package
• Registered Water Supply Package 1
• Registered Water Supply Package 2
• Bacteriological Analyses
• For other tests see the PSC Analytical Lab sheets
• QEII lab is the only Standards Council of Canada accredited laboratory in Nova Scotia capable of measuring Total Phosphorus to the sensitivity needed (0.001 to 0.1 mg/l) as well as Chlorophyll a that are the basics of any authentic limnological studies!

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RCA Analysis

...... formerly known as RCAp (the term, `RCAp' has been copyrighted by the PSC Labs)

...... also check the RCAp of the PSC Labs for some technical info and the Estimated Quantitation Limits (EQL) for the RCA parameters listed below!

(requires black cap bottle only ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $138.00 (savings $102.00)

Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Metals Package

...... also check the RCAp of the PSC Labs for some technical info and the Estimated Quantitation Limits (EQL) for the ICP parameters listed below!

(requires black cap bottle only ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $115.00; individual charge $13.80

General Analyses

(requires additional black cap bottle ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $184.00 (savings $108.00)

Basic Analyses

(requires black cap bottle only ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $80.50 (savings $33.00)

Individual Tests (2002):

(requires black cap bottle only)

Budget Home Owner Package

(requires both black and white cap bottles ...... turn around time 2-4 working days)

2002 cost $47.15 (savings $5.00)

Ultimate Home Ownership Package

(requires both black and white cap bottles ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $138.00 (savings $51.00)

Extensive Home Ownership Package

(requires both black and white cap bottles ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $161.00 (savings $128.00)

Registered Water Supply Package 1:

(Recommended by NSDEL)

(requires additional black cap bottle ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $264.50 (savings $102.00)

Registered Water Supply Package 2:

(Recommended by NSDEL)

(requires both black and white cap bottles as well as an additional black cap bottle ...... turn around time 7-10 working days)

2002 cost $276.00 (savings $106.00)

Includes Registered Water Supply Package 1 + Coliforms (P/A)

Bacteriological Analyses

(requires white cap bottle only ...... turn around time 2-3 working days)

Analytical procedure for measuring Total Phosphorus (TP) in freshwaters

Info supplied by Jim Halliday, August 2002;
also see Total Phosphorus (TP)!

Scope & Application

Summary of Method

Instrumentation

Interferences

1. Samples containing low concentrations of phosphorus must not be stored in plastic bottles (unless they are kept frozen) because phosphates may be absorbed onto the walls of plastic bottles.
2. The sample must be free from turbidity.
3. Mercury at levels above 1 mg/l gives a precipitate in the reduction step (this happens especially if the sample is preserved with mercuric chloride).
4. The following ions can give a reaction similar to phosphate under certain conditions:
   AsO₄^-3, SiO₃^-2, WO₄^-2, GeO₃^-2

   If arsenate is present, the phosphate level can be determined by running an arsenic standard with the same arsenic concentration as the sample for phosphate and subtracting the "apparent" phosphate level obtained from the phosphorus level obtained from the sample.

   Silica will not interfere if the acidity is maintained at the specified level. Unles the other ions are known to be present, they can be ignored for most analysis.

5. Glassware used in phosphate analysis must not be cleaned using commercial detergents containing phosphate.

Sample History

Analytical procedure for measuring Chlorophyll "A" in freshwaters

Info supplied by Jim Halliday, August 2002;
also see Chlorophyll a (Cha)!

General Discussion

The determination of chlorophylls by the trichromatic method is of questionable value. It tends to overestimate chlorophyll "a" when no correction is made for the presence of the degradation product, pheophytin "a". Chlorophyll "b" and "c" values are calculated from readings taken on the slope of the chlorophyll "a" curve and are unreliable. For routine work in fresh water, determination of chlorophyll "a" and pheophytin "a" by spectrophotometry is the most valuable technique.

Two methods for determining chlorophyll "a" in phytoplankton are available, the spectrophotometric and the fluorometric. Fluorometry is more sensitive than spectrophotometry, requires less sample, and can be used for in-vivo measurements.

Pheophytin "a", a common degradation product of chlorophyll "a", can interfere with the determination of chlorophyll "a" because it absorbs light and fluoresces in the same region of the spectrum as chlorophyll "a" and, if present, may cause errors in chlorophyll "a" values. It can be measured either by spectrophotometry or fluorometry, but in fresh water fluorometric measurement is unreliable. The fluorometric method was developed for marine work (chlorophyll "b" is undetectable in the open ocean) and depends on the absence of chlorophyll "b", because after acidification, the fluorescence emission of pheophytin "b" is coincident with that of pheophytin "a".

When measuring chlorophyll "a", measure also the concentration of pheophytin "a". The ratio of chlorophyll "a" to pheophytin "a" serves as a good indicator of the physiological condition of phytoplankton. When pheophytin "a" is measured by spectrophotometry, accurate acidification is required to avoid interference from accessory pigments present in some algae.

Chlorophyll "a" is used as an algal biomass indicator. Assuming that chlorophyll "a" constitutes, on the average, 1.5% of the dry weight of organic matter (ash-free weight) of algae, estimate the algal biomass by multiplying the chlorophyll "a" content by a factor of 67.

Conduct work with chlorophyll extracts in subdued light to avoid degradation. Use opaque containers or wrap with aluminum foil.

Scope and Application

Summary of Method

Principle of Method

Sampling procedure, Preparation and Storage

Filtered samples should be capped and kept in a freezer until ready to proceed with the extraction.

At least 500 ml sample should be collected for analysis.

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