ToolboxLab TestingTSS & Turbidity Test

Labeled water sample bottles packed for certified lab analysis

Lab Testing

TSS & Turbidity Test

Name: TSS & Turbidity Test
Brand: Lake Pulse
Price: 144.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Both clarity measurements together — how much material is in the water, and how much it matters.

$144

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

Overview

TSS and turbidity answer related but distinct questions. TSS is gravimetric: the sample is filtered and the residue weighed, giving the actual mass of material suspended in the water. Turbidity is optical: it measures how much light the water scatters, which is what the eye perceives as cloudiness. Measuring both gives you the load and its ecological consequence. TSS by SM 2540 D, MDL 0.2 mg/L and RL 0.2 mg/L; turbidity by EPA 180.1 in NTU, MDL 0.11 and RL 1.

What's measured & how

2 parameters · Clarity, gravimetric and optical

What's measured & how for TSS & Turbidity Test
Parameter	Result type	Unit	MDL	RL	Analytical method
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)	Quantitative	mg/L	0.2	0.2	SM 2540 D
Turbidity	Quantitative	NTU	0.11	1	EPA 180.1

Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
Result type:
Quantitative
Unit:
mg/L
MDL:
0.2
RL:
0.2
Analytical method:
SM 2540 D
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: Clarity, gravimetric and optical
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: 8 business days from lab receipt
Analytical method: EPA 180.1; SM 2540 D

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-FM1

Example result

6.2 NTU

Method: EPA 180.1

Compare to your state turbidity standard

Turnaround

Results are available within 8 business days of the lab receiving your sample.

What problem does this solve for our lake?

The two measurements diverge in ways that are diagnostic, which is the reason to run them together rather than separately.
TSS tells you the load — how much material, by weight, is present. This is the number for sediment budgets, erosion assessment, and evaluating whether a shoreline stabilization project worked.
Turbidity tells you the effect — how much that material interferes with light. Light penetration is what determines how deep aquatic plants can grow, how much of the water column supports photosynthesis, and how well sight-feeding fish can hunt.
Where they diverge is informative. Fine clay particles produce very high turbidity at low mass, because small particles scatter light efficiently. Coarse sand produces high TSS at low turbidity. Algae produce both, but with a characteristic relationship that differs from mineral sediment. A lab report showing high turbidity with modest TSS points toward fine colloidal clay, often from a specific eroding source, and that is a different problem with a different fix than bulk sediment delivery.
Turbidity is also the parameter most state programs regulate and the one most likely to appear in a permit or a TMDL, which makes it the more useful number when you need to talk to an agency.

What's included?

A complete TSS and Turbidity 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.
Chlorophyll-a, which is what separates algal cloudiness from mineral cloudiness
Secchi depth, a field measurement
Particle size distribution or mineralogy

Requirements

A well-mixed sample collected without disturbing bottom sediment
Same-day shipment after collection, kept cold — turbidity changes as particles settle, so the sample should not sit
For source work, multiple sites sampled the same day
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

TSS in mg/L with a 0.2 mg/L reporting limit, and turbidity in NTU with a reporting limit of 1
The relationship between the two, which indicates whether you are dealing with fine clay, coarse sediment, or algal biomass
A turbidity value directly comparable to state water quality standards and permit conditions
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

This is the better buy over TSS alone if clarity is your concern. The extra $80 buys you the interpretation, not just a second number.
Storm sampling is where this earns out. Both values spike during runoff, and the storm response is the signature of your sediment sources.
High turbidity, modest TSS means fine clay. That usually traces to a specific eroding bank, ditch, or construction site rather than general watershed runoff.
Add chlorophyll-a if the water is green rather than brown. Color is a decent first guess at the cause, but only chlorophyll-a settles it.
Compare against your state turbidity standard. This is one of the few Toolbox parameters with a regulatory number attached in most states, which makes it useful leverage.

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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