# Can anyone make sense of this



## darrensp (8 Dec 2016)

Hi everyone 

I have come across the test results for my local supply of water.

Could anyone give me some meaningful information from it?
http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/~/me...Water 201509 Dhu Loch Bute Last 12 Months.pdf


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## dw1305 (8 Dec 2016)

Hi all, 





darrensp said:


> Could anyone give me some meaningful information from it?


The pH is a bit of a red herring, because the water will have a had a small amount of NaOH added to it to raise the pH above neutral and stop any lead (Pb) etc. coming into solution from old pipes etc. 

After that there isn't much of anything in the water, other than slightly elevated levels of sodium (Na), which almost certainly indicates the loch is close to the sea, that probably accounts for the slightly raised conductivity reading as well. Nitrate levels are very low, indicating that very little of the catchment is agricultural. 

It doesn't tell you about the hardness of the water (it should be on a separate document) but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't <"soft" or "very soft">.

cheers Darrel


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## darrensp (8 Dec 2016)

Thank you very much Darrel.

You are correct about the loch being close to see as it is a small island I live on.


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## darrensp (8 Dec 2016)

And you are right it is classed as soft as found here:
http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/me...ality/ScottishWaterHardnessData2015.pdf?la=en


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## dw1305 (8 Dec 2016)

Hi all, 





darrensp said:


> as it is a small island I live on.


I wondered if the Bute bit was the island of Bute. 

Your water is pretty much a blank slate when it comes to adding nutrients. It is much easier to add solutes to water than take them away. 

cheers Darrel


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