Hydrocarbons Test

Overview

What problem does this solve for our lake?

• Hydrocarbons behave differently from nutrients or bacteria, and that difference shapes how you should test for them.
• They do not dissolve well. They arrive attached to particles, and they settle. Within days of entering a lake most PAH mass has moved out of the water column and into the bottom sediment, where it stays for years or decades. That means a water sample taken a week after a spill can come back nearly clean while the sediment beneath the marina holds a substantial accumulated load.
• They also concentrate up the food chain. Benthic organisms living in contaminated sediment take them up, fish eat those organisms, and the compounds accumulate. Several on this panel — benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene — are recognized carcinogens.
• The panel spans three weight classes, which matters diagnostically. The light compounds (naphthalene and the methylnaphthalenes) indicate fresh petroleum — a recent leak or spill. The mid-weight compounds (acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene) point toward general fossil-fuel residue. The heavy compounds (benzo and indeno compounds) are combustion products from engines, road surfaces, and burning, and they are the most persistent and the most toxic. Which group dominates tells you whether you are looking at a leak or at decades of accumulated road and engine runoff.

What's included?

• A complete hydrocarbon pollutants 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 SW-846 Method 8270C 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.
• Sediment analysis, which is where hydrocarbons actually accumulate. Contact the Boathouse if sediment is what you need — the collection method and container differ.
• Gasoline-range or diesel-range total petroleum hydrocarbons, which are separate analyses
• BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene)
• Fingerprinting to identify a specific fuel source or responsible party

Requirements

• IMPORTANT — read the detection limits before you order. The laboratory sets a detection and reporting limit for each compound under EPA SW-846 Method 8270C and reports them with your results. Some PAHs affect aquatic life at very low concentrations, so check the limits against your purpose. A non-detect means below the laboratory's limit; it does not mean zero. If you need low-level detection for a regulatory or legal matter, contact the Boathouse before ordering.
• A sample collected in the amber glass container provided, filled with no headspace, and not rinsed
• No sunscreen, insect repellent, or two-stroke fuel residue on hands or equipment — these will contaminate the sample
• Same-day shipment after collection, kept cold
• 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.