ASTM D6146-97

Designation: D 6146 – 97
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS
100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM
Standard Guide for
1
Monitoring Aqueous Nutrients in Watersheds
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6146; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus are plant nutrients, both naturally occurring and
manmade, that can threaten water resources. Nutrients that run off or infiltrate through the soil profile
can result in unfishable and unswimmable streams, lakes, and estuaries, and unsafe surface and ground
water used for drinking. High concentrations of nitrate in drinking water are a threat to young infants,
and surface waters can suffer from algal blooms, fish kills, and unpalatable and unsafe water for
swimming and drinking. Nutrients are also added to watersheds via chemigation.
This guide recommends a process for developing and implementing monitoring projects for
nutrients in a watershed. It follows Guide D 5851 with more specifics applicable to watersheds and
nutrients. These guidelines are presented for use in the nationwide strategy for monitoring developed
by the Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring (ITFM). The nationwide monitoring strategy is
an effort to improve the technical aspects of water monitoring to support sound water quality
decision-making. It is needed to integrate monitoring activities more effectively and economically to
2
achieve a better return of investments in monitoring projects (1).
Guide D 6145 is offered as a guide for monitoring actual and potential nonpoint and point source
pollution within a watershed. The guide is applicable to surface water and ground water resources,
recognizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of naturally occurring and manmade impacts
to the entire watershed hydrologic system.
1 Scope 1.4 Safety—Health and safety practices developed for a
project may need to consider the following:
1.1 Purpose—This guide is intended to provide general
1.4.1 During the construction of sampling stations:
guidance on a watershed monitoring program directed toward
1.4.1.1 Drilling practices during monitoring well installa-
the plant nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus. The guide offers a
tions,
series of general steps without setting forth a specific course of
1.4.1.2 Overhead and underground utilities during monitor-
action. It gives assistance for developing a monitoring program
ing well drilling,
but not a program for implementing measures to improve water
1.4.1.3 Traffic patterns/concerns during sampling station
quality.
installation,
1.2 This guide applies to waters found in streams and rivers;
1.4.1.4 Traffic patterns/concerns during surveying sampling
lakes, ponds, and reservoirs; estuaries; wetlands; the atmo-
station locations and elevations,
sphere; and the vadose and subsurface saturated zones (includ-
1.4.1.5 Drilling through materials highly contaminated with
ing aquifers). This guide does not apply to nutrients found in
fertilizers, and
soils, plants, or animals.
1.4.1.6 Installing monitoring equipment below the soil sur-
1.3 Nutrients as used in this guide are intended to include
face.
nitrogen and phosphorus in dissolved, gaseous, and particulate
1.4.2 During the collection of water samples:
forms. Specific species of nitrogen include: nitrate, nitrite,
1.4.2.1 Using acids for sample preservation,
ammonia, organic, total Kjeldahl, and nitrous oxide. The
1.4.2.2 Sampling during flooding events and ice conditions,
species of phosphorus include total, total dissolved, organic,
1.4.2.3 Traffic on bridges,
acid-hydrolyzable, and reactive phosphorus as described in (2)
1.4.2.4 Condition of sampling stations following flood
events,
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-19 on Water and is
1.4.2.5 Sampling of water or soils, or both, highly contami-
the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D19.02 on General Specifications,
nated with fertilizers,
Technical Resources, and Statistical Methods.
Current edition approved June 10, 1997. Published October 1997.
1.4.2.6 Conditions of sampling stations resulting from van-
2
The boldface numbers given in parentheses refer to a list of references at the
dalism,
end of this standard.
1

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
D 6146
1.4.2.7 Adverse weather conditions, and 3.2.5 watershed—all lands enclosed by a continuous hydro-
1.4.2.8 Transporting liquid samples. logic surface drainage divide and lying upslope from a speci-
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the fied point on a stream. (D 4410, D-19)
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
4 S
...