Testing water for nitrate
In this activity, students test nitrate levels in various samples of water and draw possible informed conclusions about the results.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
explain why excessive nitrate can be harmful
demonstrate how to test water for nitrate
make an informed decision about safe nitrate levels in drinking water.
Nutrient leaching
Dr Ross Monaghan from AgResearch at Invermay in Otago describes the problems caused by nutrients leaching into water systems. He also explains why winter is a high-risk period for nitrogen leaching.
Download the Word file for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
discussion questions
student handout.
Useful links
Taumata Arowai, New Zealand's water regulator, has a lot of resources and guides about drinking water standards. Specific information for the public is found here.
