Irrigation Water Testing
Irrigation water is becoming increasingly important in parts of New Zealand, particularly on the east coast of the South Island where rainfall can be scarce. Because irrigation water often has significant levels of dissolved salts, it can have a detrimental effect not only on the irrigated soil, but also on the pumping equipment used. It is therefore important to test the water in order that any issues may be anticipated and the productivity of irrigated land and associated water resources maintained. Guidelines for Irrigation water quality can be found in the ANZECC guidelines. These guidelines cover a wide variety of analytes, therefore we have selected the most appropriate for the irrigation water testing.
Testing covered by our Irrigation Water profile:
- Total Anions
- Total Cations
- pH
- Total Alkalinity
- Hydroxide Alkalinity
- Carbonate
- Bicarbonate
- Free Carbon dioxide
- Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)
- Electrical Conductivity (EC)
- Approx Total dissolved Salts
- Total Boron
- Total Calcium
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- Total Copper
- Total Iron
- Total Magnesium
- Total Manganese
- Total Phosphorus
- Total Potassium
- Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR)
- Total Sodium
- Total Zinc
- Chloride
- Nitrate-N
- Nitrate
- Sulphate
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Irrigation Water Kits can be requested here. A kit contains 2 sample containers which are all required for one test, i.e. they should all be filled from the same sampling point. If you require microbe testing please consult us.
Effluent Testing
Use of dairy effluent as a source of nutrients for pasture growth has become commonplace, however frequently farmers have little insight on the nutrient composition of effluent being applied, which will change regularly depending on animal feed inputs. This can result in sub-optimal use of effluent as a resource or over application of other nutrient sources, such as fertiliser. As such, Hill Labs has developed a specific test, the Dairy Effluent Test, for testing effluent composition.
TEST |
TYPICAL CONCENTRATION |
Total Nitrogen |
0.44 kg/m3 |
Total Phosphorus |
0.08 |
Total Potassium |
0.3 |
Total Calcium |
- |
Total Magnesium |
- |
Total Sodium |
- |