AWRC WATER QUALITY LABORATORY

Dr. Marc A. Nelson, Director
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, 700 RESEARCH CENTER BOULEVARD,
Fayetteville, AR 72701
CAMPUS ADDRESS: ENRC-1000, FARM ROUTE
Phone: (479) 575-7317, Fax (479) 575-6720
E-Mail: manelson@uark.edu

"We are dedicated to obtaining the highest quality field samples and data on time the first time to meet the demands of the BEST in water quality research."
M.A. Nelson

AWRC's Water Quality Lab provides inorganic analysis for drinking water and surface water. The Water Quality Lab is accredited for surface water by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, for drinking water by the Louisiana Department of Health, and nutrients by the U.S. Geological Survey. The lab has the analytical capability to analyze organic carbon and Total coliform/E. coli in water. Below will be brief descriptions of the labs' equipment and parameters the Lab is capable of analyzing. All instruments and analytical parameters are for water.

Lachat Instruments Quick Chem 8500 (automated wet chemistry) with three
analytical channels. The channels are phosphorus, ammonia and nitrate + nitrate.

Dionex DX-120 Ion Chromatograph with an IonPac AS4A-SC analytical
column for detection of fluoride, bromide, chloride, nitrate-N and sulfate.

Skalar Formacs TOC analyzer with the analytical capability for total carbon, total organic
carbon, inorganic carbon, non-purageable organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon.

Hitachi U-2000 Spectrophotometer (manual wet chemistry) with the analytical capability for phosphorus, silica, chemical oxygen demand and Nitrite-N.

The lab has the following capabilities as well:

Jarrell Ash ICAP 9000 upgraded with an ADaM-II analytical data manager with a Spectro Instruments USN-100 Ultrasonic Nebulizer. The parameters analyzed are aluminum, barium, beryllium, cadimium, calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, potassium, sodium, vanadium and zinc.

Parameters with methods not dedicated to just one specific instrument is ash free dry weight, chlorophyll a, dry weight, biomass (standing crop), pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids and fixed and volatile solids.

Total coliform/E. coli is analyzed using the Coilert methods for bacteria analysis of water and reported statistically as most probable number (MPN) per 100ml of water.

The Lab has put together several analytical packages for common water uses in cooperation with the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Please contact your local Extension office for more information. Price sheets and basic package sheets can be found below. Please call the Lab at 479-575-7317 for any questions or before submitting samples.

Click here for the Information Sheet for Water Analysis, basic package and individual pricing information. Call the lab at 479-575-7984 for further assistance.

The lab is the only lab in the state accredited under the EPA NELAC standards.