Ron Haimbaugh : East Fork of Poplar Creek

I routinely test for fertilizer runoff at this site but have yet to find any. I suspect the kits I am using are not sensitive enough. I have been testing for Nitrate, Nitride, Ammonia, and Phosphate. The Phosphate kit I have is supposed to be a pretty good one (Chemets) and is much more than test strips. I am even filtering the water but the results always come back clear, or green. Clear would indicate no phosphates. If phosphates were present the results should be a shade of blue. I also tested in Iowa and had the same results - inconclusive. Next season I may test for dissolved oxygen and probably other things.