The following is a list of contaminates and recommend levels and can be used in helping you analyze your anyitcal water report
General Water Report Guidelines
- pH: Normal range 6.5-8.5 with Reverse Osmosis/Distilled Water having a range of 5.0-6.0
- Chloride: Levels above 250 mg/L may cause a “salty taste”. Levels above 1000 mg/L are not recommended for livestock.
- Fluoride: Levels above 2.0 mg/L are not recommended.
- “Soft Water”: 0-85 mg/L (0-5 grains/gallon)
- “Moderately Hard Water”: 85-150 mg/L (5-9 grains/gallon)
- “Hard Water”: 150-300 mg/L (9-18 grains/gallon)
- “Very Hard Water”: 300-500 mg/L (18-30 grains/gallon)
- Levels above 2000 mg/L are not recommended for livestock.
- Nitrate-Nitrogen:
- Levels between 0-10 mg/L are acceptable.
- Levels between 20-40 mg/L may pose a risk to some livestock.
- Levels above 40 mg/L are not recommended for livestock.
- Calcium and Magnesium: Cause the “Hardness” of the water.
- Sodium: Levels above 100 mg/L are considered to be high. Water softeners recharged with sodium chloride (salt) increase the sodium level.
- Sulfate: Levels above 250 mg/L may cause a mild taste and levels above 500 mg/L may cause diarrhea in both humans and livestock
- Iron: Levels above 0.3 mg/L may cause taste, odor and staining on fixtures and laundry.
- Manganese: Levels above 0.05 mg/L may cause taste and black/grey staining on fixtures and laundry.
- Electrical Conductivity: A measurement of the conductivity of the water. Typically, the higher the electrical conductivity of the water, the higher the dissolved salts/solids.
- TDS-Total Dissolved Solids: Levels above 1000 mg/L may cause taste. Shortened water heater life may be caused by levels above 400 mg/L. Levels above 7000 mg/L are not recommended for livestock.
Source: Michael H. Bradshaw, and G. Morgan Powell, Understanding your Water Test Report, Kansas State University, October 2004 Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th edition, 1992