Water analysis.....sort of????

[DirtyCoconuts]

So I called my water utility and asked about a water analysis since the one they publish is just about contamination

They said they would come out and do one for me. I was excited. Then they called and left a message saying, “ your water is all good!” Click

Wait!? What was the analysis? I call and speak to above guy who says they only test a few things and really to make sure the water at my spigot is the same as leaves the plant but here are some numbers

Ph 8.25
Alkalinity 41 mgL
Hardness 43 mgL
Trividity.04 ntu
Conductivity 171
Color 2
Chlorine (or bleach) 2.9 mgL
Iron .01
Phosphate.47


I got no TDS and none of the minerals I know lol

Is any of this even useful to me or do I have to go to a real lab and just pay for one?

[estación seca]

Alkalinity and hardness can be though of as indirect measurements of dissolved positively charged ions - sodium, calcium and magnesium. Yours are not very high, but if you adjust the pH of the water you probably don't need to supplement Ca or Mg. I think turbidity is the word you were looking for rather than truvidity? How cloudy is the water. Conductivity measures the total number of charged particles in the water but doesn't tell you what they are. That's not very high, either.

Overall other than the pH your water should be fine for your plants, especially because you have so much rain. Consider doing an acid titration with your water and a pH lowering agent from a hydroponics store. Record how much acid it takes to bring your pH down to 6.0. From then on you can add that amount of acid per gallon without measuring the pH.

Rain is normally acidic because of the carbon dioxide dissolved in it. No reason to adjust the pH.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Awesome info, ES. Thanks!

[Ray]

Dr. Bill Argo, who formulated the MSU fertilizers and K-Lite, published a primer on plant nutrition in the IPA journal a few years ago.

You ought to read the one on water quality.

[DirtyCoconuts]

whoa...that is a heavy and dense read.

I recall in the past that i tried to read this and found myself skipping the confusing parts lol

i have to sit with this and see what i can filter out of this LOL

[realoldbeachbum]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

whoa...that is a heavy and dense read.

I recall in the past that i tried to read this and found myself skipping the confusing parts lol

i have to sit with this and see what i can filter out of this LOL

Same here DC. Heavy read. I understood about 1% of it.

I received analysis from JR Peters ($40) -- and the same situation -- don't understand most, but I have taken it on as a challenge. Maybe I can comprehend enough to get better quality water.

Not willing to buy RO equipment and not willing to put forth the labor to catch rain water, so this is the best route for me.

[wisdomseeker]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

whoa...that is a heavy and dense read.

I recall in the past that i tried to read this and found myself skipping the confusing parts lol

i have to sit with this and see what i can filter out of this LOL

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

So I called my water utility and asked about a water analysis since the one they publish is just about contamination

They said they would come out and do one for me. I was excited. Then they called and left a message saying, “ your water is all good!” Click

Wait!? What was the analysis? I call and speak to above guy who says they only test a few things and really to make sure the water at my spigot is the same as leaves the plant but here are some numbers

Ph 8.25
Alkalinity 41 mgL
Hardness 43 mgL
Trividity.04 ntu
Conductivity 171
Color 2
Chlorine (or bleach) 2.9 mgL
Iron .01
Phosphate.47


I got no TDS and none of the minerals I know lol

Is any of this even useful to me or do I have to go to a real lab and just pay for one?

Often times it can be difficult for an author to avoid the technical jargon/aspects of a subject, which can make for a heavy read instead of an easy read.

*You may just have to get a private lab to provide the answers you are looking for.

EPA requires every community water supplier to provide an annual CCR (consumer confidence report) to their customers. CCR's are also known as 'drinking water reports' or a 'water quality report'. Trying to keep this simple... not all CCR's are the same. They are generally designed to help the consumer understand what is in their water. Most just provide the basic information required.

I will say this with a degree of certainty: most water purveyors provide a water report because the EPA requires them to do it. The water supplier knows what is in their 'raw' water, and they also know what they must remove (treat) in order not to violate levels the EPA allows. EPA determines what levels are safe to have in drinking water. They also determine the basics of what must be included in a CCR.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production...g_ccr_2011.pdf

CCR's must explain any and all violations, how the problem must be fixed, how those violations might affect your health, and sometimes they might even help you understand if the violation is an ongoing issue. Personally, for what it's worth ~ a single violation is very concerning to me.

I don't know exactly where you reside, but did notice Florida under your user name. Pulled up a CCR in Ft. Lauderdale (from 2019) as an example. The CCR is fairly basic, providing the minimum of what is required for a CCR.
Water Quality Report and Online Registration Form to receive the report via U.S. mail | City of Fort Lauderdale, FL
The information in that report may, or may not, be useful to the consumer of that water.

This is the reason I mentioned you might have to get a private lab to give specific answers to your questions. Or maybe (just maybe) you can get in touch with a non-hostile employee in the water supplier's lab that is willing to help you out (although they might hold a $ sign over you to help out).

[DirtyCoconuts]

thanks WS, i appreciate that

[Clawhammer]

What are the symptoms of watering with high pH water? Does it just make nutrients difficult for the plant to absorb? Thanks!

My tap water is about 7.4, extremely low TDS and KH. I have avoided adding pH Down due to my extreme lack of buffering capacity. I inject ferts from a stock solution while watering and could easily add pH Down to that solution but I have been hesitant.

[estación seca]

realoldbeachbum and Dirty Coconuts - Khan Academy has free online chemistry courses. It only takes some time and effort. This stuff is not difficult at all; you just haven't learned it yet.

Clawhammer - 7.4 is not all that high and won't cause trouble with orchids. Minerals might be absorbed slightly more effectively if it were lower, but most people provide far more with fertilizer than necessary, so your plants are likely getting enough. I wouldn't bother adjusting my pH if it were 7.4.

But - with low buffering capacity, the pH likely drops a lot when you add fertilizer. I suggest you measure the pH of your mixed fertilizer solution. It might surprise you.