Nitrate Testing: A Simple Guide for Water Quality

Testing for nitrates should be carried out regularly, especially if you use your own water source or live in areas of intensive agriculture. There are a few ways of testing for nitrates in water, but unless you have access to a lab or other chemicals, the easiest way is to use a nitrate-testing kit. This will also allow you to easily and immediately judge the color of the test against a chart for nitrate levels.

Things You'll Need

• Nitrate strips
• Small clean container (around 10 to14 oz. should suffice)

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Instructions

• 1

  Collect a sample of water in your clean container. If using tap water, run the tap for a few minutes, so the water reaches the purest and coldest state possible.

• 2

  Dip the nitrate test strip into the water until it is saturated then remove and shake off any excess water.

• 3

  Leave the strip to settle for about a minute and then compare the color of the strip to the color chart provided with the testing kit to find the nitrate level in parts per million (PPM).