ToolboxLab TestingChlorophyll-a Test

Labeled water sample bottles packed for certified lab analysis

Lab Testing

Chlorophyll-a Test

Name: Chlorophyll-a Test
Brand: Lake Pulse
Price: 215.00 USD
Availability: InStock

The direct measure of how much algae your lake is actually growing.

$215

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

Overview

Chlorophyll-a is the green pigment every photosynthetic alga carries, so measuring it measures algal biomass directly. Where phosphorus tells you how much fuel your lake has available, chlorophyll-a tells you how much of that fuel has already been converted into algae. It is the standard biomass metric in limnology and one of the three variables — with total phosphorus and water clarity — used worldwide to classify lake trophic condition. Method EPA 446.0. Reporting limit 1 mg/m3, which is the same value as 1 µg/L.

What's measured & how

1 parameter · Algal biomass pigment

What's measured & how for Chlorophyll-a Test
Parameter	Result type	Unit	RL	Analytical method
Chlorophyll-a	Quantitative	µg/L	1	EPA 446.0

Chlorophyll-a
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
µg/L
RL:
1
Analytical method:
EPA 446.0

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: Algal biomass pigment
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 446.0

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-VQ1

Example result

5.4 µg/L

Method: EPA 446.0

Moderately productive (~2–7 µg/L)

Turnaround

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

What problem does this solve for our lake?

A lake can have high phosphorus and still look clear, or modest phosphorus and turn green every August. Nutrients set the ceiling; chlorophyll-a tells you how close to that ceiling your lake is running. That distinction matters, because the two situations call for different responses.
Chlorophyll-a is also the number that connects the chemistry to what people actually notice. Residents don't see phosphorus. They see green water, they see the dock disappear from view at four feet, they see the summer their grandchildren didn't swim. Chlorophyll-a is the measured version of that experience, and it is what makes a nutrient conversation legible to a board or a county commission.
As a rough orientation: under about 2 µg/L is a clear, low-productivity lake; roughly 2 to 7 µg/L is moderately productive; above about 7 µg/L is a productive, nutrient-enriched lake where blooms become likely; and readings above 30 µg/L generally correspond to visible bloom conditions. Your lake's natural baseline depends on its geology, depth, and watershed, so the trend in your own numbers matters more than any single threshold.

What's included?

A complete chlorophyll-a 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.
Species identification. This measures total algal pigment, not which algae are present.
Cyanotoxin measurement. Chlorophyll-a does not distinguish harmful cyanobacteria from harmless green algae, and it does not measure microcystin.
Phycocyanin, the pigment specific to cyanobacteria.

Requirements

A sample collected from open water at a consistent depth, typically just below the surface
Protection from light between collection and shipment — chlorophyll degrades in sunlight, so keep the sample dark and cold
Same-day shipment after collection
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

Algal biomass reported in mg/m3, equivalent to µg/L
A direct input to standard trophic state classification
The measured link between your nutrient results and the water clarity residents actually experience
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

Pair it with total phosphorus every time. Alone, chlorophyll-a tells you what is happening. With phosphorus, it tells you why, and whether it will get worse.
Keep the sample dark and cold. This is the one test where sloppy handling between the dock and the shipping box will visibly change your result.
Sample the open water, not the bloom. If you want to know your lake's condition, sample a representative site. If you want to document a bloom event, that is a separate sample and should be labeled as such.
Three samples a season beats one. Early summer, mid-summer, late summer captures the seasonal curve that a single sample cannot.
A high reading is not a toxin result. Chlorophyll-a counts all algae. If you are concerned about cyanobacteria specifically, that requires a different measurement.

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.

Blooms move, and toxin production can change quickly. A low or non-detected result applies only to the water sampled. The absence of a detected bloom or toxin does not mean the water is safe.

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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