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R E E N N e w s l e t t e r, S p r i n g 1 9 9
8River Stories
New Water Monitoring Kits
GREEN and LaMotte Company have formed a partnership to develop new water quality monitoring tools for watershed education programs worldwide. LaMotte has demonstrated a strong commitment to education by creating high-quality, low-cost field monitoring kits that are safe and easy to use. Our partnership has resulted in the development of new GREEN low-cost, standard and advanced water monitoring kits.
Low-Cost Water Monitoring Kit
The GREEN Low-Cost Water Monitoring Kit includes all needed equipment, reagents, instructions, a waterproof sampling glove and safety guidelines so ordinary citizens can safely test surface water for eight important water quality parameters: dissolved oxygen, total coliform bacteria, pH, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature change, nitrates, phosphates and turbidity. It contains non-hazardous, innovative tabletized chemical reagents, so it is less expensive and safer to ship than traditional test kits, and the tests are easier for the non-technician to conduct in the field.
The low-cost kit, for the first time, makes these scientific water quality tests accessible and affordable to ordinary citizens. The kit represents an important breakthrough, one which makes it possible for a greater number of schools and community groups around the world to quickly and reliably identify surface and well water issues&emdash;before those issues threaten human health or compromise local environmental integrity.
This low-cost kit, in contrast to traditional water testing kits which can cost hundreds of dollars, is simple to use and will put information on local environmental quality into the hands of those who need it most&emdash;local citizens. The kit is not intended to produce research-quality results; it is designed to provide data with sufficient accuracy and precision to alert citizens about current risks or identify troubling trends in local water quality.
The kit includes background information on how to incorporate water monitoring activities within the context of a school- and community-based educational initiative. The kit has been designed to complement GREEN's established programs and other supporting educational materials. It can be combined with any of the publications in GREEN's set of educational resources, but has been specifically designed to be used in conjunction with the Field Manual for Global Low Cost Water Quality Monitoring. Together, the two represent a comprehensive package to facilitate understanding of the local environment and promote action projects to improve environmental quality.
Standard Water Monitoring Kit
The Standard Water Monitoring Kit was created specifically for groups that are interested in developing a comprehensive watershed education program. Like the low-cost kit, the standard kit includes all equipment, reagents, instructions and safety guidelines to test water, using new TesTab� methods, for dissolved oxygen, total coliform bacteria, pH, biochemical oxygen demand, temperature change, nitrates, phosphates and turbidity. In addition, each kit contains equipment for benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring using the leaf pack method and a comprehensive instructors manual. The standard kit also has been designed to be used in conjunction with the Field Manual for Global Low Cost Water Quality Monitoring.
Advanced Water Monitoring Kit
The Advanced Water Monitoring Kit meets the demands of those who are interested in gathering water quality data with the precision and accuracy outlined in the 11th edition of the Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring. This kit contains the equipment used by both educators and water quality professionals around the world. While not as simple to conduct as the tablet tests found in the standard and low-cost kits, the tests in the advanced kit provide more accurate results that will stand up to rigorous data analysis.
By providing a series of water monitoring kits that range in price, portability and sophistication, we hope to serve the needs and resources of both new and well-established watershed education programs around the world.