River & Stream Water Quality Monitoring

Parameter, unit, and data-qualifier descriptions

 Washington State Department of Ecology

Parameters | Units | Data qualifiers

Parameters

Some parameters have multiple entries to accommodate methods changes. If you need to know which method was used, contact the person named in the "contact" box below the station photograph.

code parameter description method * Storet code unit detect limit
Ag_DIS Silver, Dissolved
EPA200.8
ug/L 0
Ag_TR Silver, Total
EPA200.8
ug/L 0
ALK Alkalinity
SM2320 P410 mg/L 1
As_DIS Arsenic, Dissolved Dissolved Arsenic EPA200.8 P1000 ug/L 0
As_DIS Arsenic, Dissolved ICP/MS
P1000 ug/L 0
As_TR Arsenic, Total TOTAL ARSENIC EPA200.8 P978 ug/L 0
BOD5 5 Day Biol Oxygen Demand
BOD5 P310 ug/L 0
Cd Cadmium, Total
EPA200.8 P1113 ug/L 0.1
Cd_DIS Cadmium, Dissolved
EPA200.8 P1025 ug/L 0
CHL Chlorophyll a Flourometer SM10200H3M P32211 ug/L 0.1
CHL Chlorophyll a Spectrophotometric method. Corrected for pheophytin SM16-1002G P32211 ug/L 0.1
Cl Chloride
EPA300.0
mg/L 0.1
COD Oxygen, Chem Demand
EPA410.1 P340 mg/L 4
COLOR Color
EPA110.2 P80 Pt-Co 0
COND Conductivity Measured with Beckman meter which could not be field calibrated. Formerly EIM method SM 2510-B. SM2510F P95 umhos/cm 0
COND Conductivity Daily instrument calibrations (Former method SM2510-B) SM2510B P95 umhos/cm 0
Cr Chromium, Total hex and tri EPA200.8 P1118 ug/L 0.2
Cr_DIS Chromium, Dissolved hex and tri EPA200.8 P1030 ug/L 0
Cu Copper, Total
EPA200.8 P1042 ug/L 3
Cu Copper, Tot Rec total recoverable copper as Cu
P1119 ug/L 3
Cu_DIS Copper, Dissolved
EPA200.8 P1040 ug/L 0
DOC Dissolved Organic Carbon
EPA415.1 P681 mg/L 0
EC E. coli
EPA1103.1
#/100ml 1
ENT Enterococci Bacteria Method also reported as SM17-9230C EPA1600
#/100ml 1
FC Fecal Coliform Bacteria
SM16-909C P31616 #/100ml 1
FLOW Flow Ecology rating RATINGF P60 CFS 0
FLOW Flow Estimated by outside agency EST_GageF P60 CFS 0
HARD Hardness The sum of Mg and Ca determined by EPA 200.7 (ICP) as mg equivalent CaCO3/L SM2340B P900 mg/L 1
Hg Mercury, Total All Hg data should have been reported here. EPA245.7 P71900 ug/L 0.05
NH3_N Ammonia-Nitrogen Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. EIM Method was EPA350.1 prior to 05/01 SM4500NH3H P610 mg/L 0.01
NH3_N Ammonia-Nitrogen Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation EPA350.1 P610 mg/L 0.01
NH3_UN Unionized Ammonia Calculated
P619 mg/L 0.01
NI_DIS Nickel, Dissolved
EPA200.8 P1065 ug/L 0
NI_TR Nickel, Total
EPA200.8 P1074 ug/L 0
NO2_DIS Nitrite-Nitrogen, Dissolved Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation. Spectrophotometric method assumed. No documentation. EPA354.1 P613 mg/L 0.01
NO2_DIS Nitrite-Nitrogen, Dissolved Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. Spectrophotometric method assumed. No documentation. EPA354.1 P613 mg/L 0.01
NO2_N Nitrite-Nitrogen Spectrophotometric method assumed. No documentation. EPA354.1 P615 mg/L 0.01
NO2_NO3 Nitrate+Nitrite-Nitrogen Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. EIM Method was EPA353.2 prior to 09/00 SM4500NO3I P630 mg/L 0.01
NO2_NO3 Nitrate+Nitrite-Nitrogen Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation EPA353.2 P630 mg/L 0.01
NO3_N Nitrate-Nitrogen Method originally assumed to be EPA352.1; changed to SM in 2004. SM4500NO3I P620 mg/L 0.01
OP_DIS Phosphorus, Sol Reactive Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. EIM Method was EPA365.3M prior to 05/01 SM4500PG P671 mg/L 0
OP_DIS Phosphorus, Sol Reactive Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation EPA365.3M P671 mg/L 0
OP_TOT Phosphorus, Total Reactive Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation. Like OP_DIS except unfiltered. No digestion. EPA365.3M P70507 mg/L 0.01
OXYGEN Oxygen Winkler without biiodate correction for thiosulfate. (prior to March 89) EPA360.2 P300 mg/L 0
OXYGEN Oxygen Winkler with biiodate correction for thiosulfate. (after Feb 89) EPA360.2 P300 mg/L 0
Pb Lead, Total
EPA200.8 P1114 ug/L 1
Pb_DIS Lead, Dissolved
EPA200.8 P1049 ug/L 0
PCTSAT Oxygen, Pct Sat

P301 % 0
PH pH Liquid probe (mostly low ionic strength probe), calib. 3x daily. PHMETERF P400 pH 1
PH pH Gel probe, infrequent calibration PHMETERF P400 pH 1
PHEO Pheophytin DATE CHANGED AS OF 90/03/16 SM16-1002G P32218 ug/L 0.1
PHEO Pheophytin Spectrophotometric
P32218 ug/L 0.1
PRESS Barometric Pressure Both analog and digital
 BAROF P25 mm/Hg 0
SALIN1 Salinity

P480 PSU 0.01
SALIN2 Salinity

P70305 PSU 0.01
SECCHI Secchi Depth

P78 m 0
SiO2 Silica
EPA200.7
ug/L 0
SSC Suspended Sediment Concentration   ASTMD3977B   mg/L 1
SUSSOL Suspended Solids
SM2540D P530 mg/L 1
TDS Total Dissolved Solids Total Dissolved Solids EPA160.1
mg/L 0
TEMP Temperature Thermister (in river) TEMPTHERMF P10 deg C 0
TEMP Temperature Thermometer (in sample bucket; prior to Feb, 1978) TEMPTHERMF P10 deg C 0
TKN Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total
EPA351.2 P625 mg/L 0.01
TNVS Total Non-Volatile Solids Total Non-Volatile Suspended Solids EPA160.4
mg/L 0
TOC Total Organic Carbon EIM Method was EPA415.1 prior to April, 2008, but was changed to SM5310B SM5310B P680 mg/L 1
TP_P Phosphorus, Total Collected using unspecified techniques and preservation. Prior to 1980.
P665 mg/L 0.01
TP_P Phosphorus, Total Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. Sometimes from MEL as SM4500PI, sometimes as EPA365.1. EPA365.1 P665 mg/L 0.01
TP_P_DIS Phosphorus, Total Dissolved Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. Filtered, digested SM4500PI
mg/L 0.01
TP_PInLine Phosphorus, Total (In-Line digestion) Latchet In-line digestion. Probable high bias in TP, though not in OP or TPLL with this method. Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. Sometimes from MEL as SM4500PI, sometimes as EPA365.1. SM4500PI
mg/L 0.01
TP_P_ICP Phosphorus, Total (by ICP-MS) ICP-MS, no digestion. When turbidity was >4 to 10 NTUs, there was a probable low bias in TP with this method. Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. EPA200.8M
mg/L 0.001
TP_PLL Phosphorus, Total LL Latchet manual digestion. Low Level analysis; Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. SM4500PH
mg/L 0.003
TP_PLL Phosphorus, Total ICP-MS analysis; Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. EPA200.8M
mg/L 0.001
TPN Total Persulfate Nitrogen Collected in acid-washed passenger, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. Manchester/reg10 VAX call this P100021. (Former method: "valderama") SM4500NB P600 mg/L 0.01
TPN_DIS Total Persulf Nitrogen, Dissolved Collected in acid-washed passenger, field-filtered, acid-preserved, shipped on ice. SM4500NB
mg/L 0.01
TRANSMIS Transmissivity

P74 % 0
TURB Turbidity
SM2130 P82079 NTU 1
TURB-JTU Turbidity All turbidities collected prior to 10/79 were set to this code (JTUs) on 7 feb 2003

JTU 0
Zn Zinc, Total
EPA200.8 P1092 ug/L 4
Zn_DIS Zinc, Dissolved
EPA200.8 P1090 ug/L 0

* SM=Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater;  EPA=Methods fo Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes

Units

abbr description
#/100ml number per hundred milliliters
% percent
deg C degrees Celsius (Centigrade)
m meters
mg/L milligrams per liter
pH pH units
PSU Practical Salinity Unit (~ equal to part per thousand)
ug/L micrograms per liter
umhos/cm micro mhos (mho = 1/ohm = 1 Siemen) per centimeter
CFS cubic feet per second
Pt-Co Platinum-Cobalt
NTU nephelometric turbidity units
mm/Hg millimeters Mercury
std. Units standard units

Data qualifiers

code description
E Reported result is an estimate.
G Value is greater than result reported.
J The analyte was positively identified. The associated numerical result is an estimate.
J? Converted from older remark codes with various definitions. Result should be considered an estimate.
U The analyte was not detected at or above the reported result.
UJ The analyte was not detected at or above the reported estimated result.