ToolboxLab TestingBasic Lake Test

Labeled water sample bottles packed for certified lab analysis

Lab Testing

Basic Lake Test

Name: Basic Lake Test
Brand: Lake Pulse
Price: 163.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Six core parameters from one surface sample — the standard first look at a lake's chemistry.

$163

Checkout arrives with the store connection. Orders attach to the lake on your account.

Overview

The Basic Lake Test bundles the six measurements that limnologists reach for first: pH, conductivity, total phosphorus, nitrate, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and turbidity. Together they describe your lake's chemical balance, its nutrient supply, and its clarity — the three things that determine whether a lake stays clear and stable or tips toward algae. One surface grab sample, one kit, one accredited lab report. If you have never tested your lake and don't know where to start, this is where you start.

What's measured & how

6 parameters · Core chemistry panel (6 parameters)

What's measured & how for Basic Lake Test
Parameter	Result type	Unit	MDL	RL	Analytical method
pH	Quantitative	pH units	0.01	0.01	SM 4500-H+B
Conductivity	Quantitative	µmhos/cm	2	2	SM 2510 B
Total Phosphorus	Quantitative	mg/L as P	0.008	0.01	EPA 365.1
Nitrate as N	Quantitative	mg/L as N	0.01	0.1	EPA 300.0
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)	Quantitative	mg/L as N	0.249	0.5	EPA 351.2
Turbidity	Quantitative	NTU	0.11	1	EPA 180.1

pH
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
pH units
MDL:
0.01
RL:
0.01
Analytical method:
SM 4500-H+B
Conductivity
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
µmhos/cm
MDL:
2
RL:
2
Analytical method:
SM 2510 B
Total Phosphorus
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
mg/L as P
MDL:
0.008
RL:
0.01
Analytical method:
EPA 365.1
Nitrate as N
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
mg/L as N
MDL:
0.01
RL:
0.1
Analytical method:
EPA 300.0
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
mg/L as N
MDL:
0.249
RL:
0.5
Analytical method:
EPA 351.2
Turbidity
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
NTU
MDL:
0.11
RL:
1
Analytical method:
EPA 180.1

MDL = method detection limit. RL = reporting limit. Provided by the performing laboratory.

You get

Signed laboratory report, filed in your lake's Documents & Reports
Each result loaded into your lake's Data Library (Plus, Lake Admin, PRO)

How it's produced

Test type: Core chemistry panel (6 parameters)
Sample: One surface-water grab sample, collected by you with the kit
Return shipping: Prepaid 2-day return to the laboratory
Analyzed by: Independent accredited partner laboratory, with full chain of custody
Method basis: EPA-approved
Turnaround: 10 business days from lab receipt
Analytical method: EPA 180.1; EPA 300.0; EPA 351.2; EPA 365.1; SM 2510 B; SM 4500-H+B

Product category

Physical ProductShips to you
ConsumableLab testing

Availability
Kit ships in 2 business days
Shipping
Flat-rate to your front door. Shipping details
SKU
SL-SL-SW-E-S-AA1

Example result

0.031 mg/L as P

Method: EPA 365.1

Eutrophic range (above ~0.025 mg/L)

Turnaround

Results are available within 10 business days of the lab receiving your sample.

What problem does this solve for our lake?

Most lake communities are working from impressions rather than measurements — the water looks greener than it used to, the weeds seem worse, someone remembers when you could see the bottom. Impressions can't tell you whether anything has actually changed, and they can't tell you why. The Basic Lake Test replaces the impression with six numbers that professionals use to classify a lake's condition.
Here is what each one tells you and why it is in the bundle:
pH (SM 4500-H+B; MDL 0.01, RL 0.01) — how acidic or basic the water is. Most healthy lakes sit between about 6.5 and 8.5. Values outside that range stress fish and change which nutrients are available to algae. A pH that climbs during the day is itself a sign of heavy algal photosynthesis.
Conductivity (SM 2510 B; MDL 2, RL 2; umhos/cm) — how well the water carries an electrical current, which is a proxy for total dissolved salts and minerals. Think of it as the lake's fingerprint. A rising trend often points to road salt, septic effluent, or watershed runoff reaching the lake.
Total Phosphorus (EPA 365.1; MDL 0.008, RL 0.01; mg/L as P) — the single most important number for predicting algae. In most freshwater lakes phosphorus is the nutrient in shortest supply, so it controls how much algae the lake can grow. Add phosphorus and you get more algae, almost without exception.
Nitrate as N (EPA 300.0; MDL 0.01, RL 0.1; mg/L as N) — the mobile, plant-available form of nitrogen. Elevated nitrate usually means fertilizer, septic, or agricultural runoff is reaching the water.
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (EPA 351.2; MDL 0.249, RL 0.5; mg/L as N) — organic nitrogen plus ammonia. Combined with nitrate it gives you total nitrogen, which together with phosphorus tells you which nutrient is limiting growth in your lake.
Turbidity (EPA 180.1; MDL 0.11, RL 1; NTU) — how cloudy the water is. Cloudiness from algae means a different problem than cloudiness from sediment, and turbidity read alongside the nutrient numbers tells you which you have.

What's included?

A complete Basic Lake Test kit shipped directly to you
All materials required for clean, contamination-free sample collection
Step-by-step collection and preservation instructions
Prepaid 2-day return shipping to our accredited partner laboratory
Analysis by EPA-approved methods at an accredited partner laboratory, with full chain of custody
Results loaded automatically into your lake's account

What's not included

Sample collection. You collect the sample; we supply everything you need to do it correctly.
Boat, dock, or shoreline access to your sampling site
Depth-profile sampling. This is a single grab sample unless you order multiple kits.
Ice or a cooler for shipping, which you supply
Treatment, remediation, or applicator services
A written management plan. The Boathouse can help you interpret results and decide next steps.
Bacteria, metals, PFAS, pesticides, or chlorophyll-a. These are separate tests.
Sediment analysis. This is a water column sample only.

Requirements

A sample collected from open water, away from the immediate shoreline, docks, and inflows unless you are deliberately testing one of those
Same-day shipment after collection, kept cold
Consistent site and depth if you intend to compare across years
A Plus, Lake Admin, or PRO subscription to have results loaded into your Lake Pulse account
Questions about site selection, timing, or which test fits your lake? Contact the Lake Pulse Boathouse before you order.

What you get back

Results

pH, conductivity, total phosphorus, nitrate, TKN, and turbidity, each reported with its detection and reporting limit
Enough information to place your lake on the standard trophic scale — oligotrophic, mesotrophic, or eutrophic
A nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio that indicates which nutrient is limiting growth in your lake
Results load automatically into your lake's Data Library in the Lake Pulse Portal
Data can be charted in the Analytics Hub, used to trigger alerts, or shared with your board and members
A downloadable, signed lab report is filed in your lake's Documents & Reports for permanent reference
Results are found in your lake's portal, accessible only to Plus, Lake Admin, and PRO subscription tiers

Pro tips

Sample at the same place, same depth, same time of year. Comparability is worth more than precision. A June sample and an August sample from the same lake can look like two different lakes.
Late summer is the honest season. Sampling in May when the water is cold and clear will flatter your lake. If you want to know what you are actually dealing with, sample in late July or August.
Phosphorus is the number to watch. If you only ever look at one line on the report, look at total phosphorus — it is the closest thing to a master control on how much algae your lake can grow.
One sample is a data point, not a trend. Two or three years of consistent sampling is where this starts paying for itself.
Add chlorophyll-a if you want the whole story. Nutrients tell you the fuel supply; chlorophyll-a tells you how much algae the lake is actually growing with it.

Results sync to the Portal for Plus, Lake Admin, and PRO subscribers

Results from this product land in your lake's shared record in the Portal — next to everything else your lake has ever measured, instead of in an inbox.

Compare subscriptions

About these results

Every result shows the date and time the sample was collected. Results reflect one sample, collected at a specific place and depth, and analyzed by an independent accredited laboratory using the method listed on this page. Lake conditions change across a lake and over time, sometimes within hours, in ways a single sample may not capture. Every method has detection and reporting limits; where the laboratory provides them, they are reported with your results. A detection is not a diagnosis, and a non-detection does not prove absence. Results are not a regulatory or compliance determination unless the agency involved accepts them as one. Results can help you make decisions about safe swimming and water use, but no result is definitive for every place and time. It is always good practice to check posted signs and your state or local health authorities. Recommendations are options to consider; decisions, and responsibility for any action taken, rest with you.

Questions on this?

Our team can help you choose the right solution for your lake, explain how results sync to your Portal, or point you to the right subscription.

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