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Kansas Real-Time Water Quality


NRTWQ Home >> Kansas >> Constituents

Constituents Measured or Computed Continuously in Kansas

Continuous measurements of constituents (water-quality parameters) can be obtained by direct measurement using sensors, or by indirect computation using models.

Below is a list of constituents continuously measured or computed by the USGS in Kansas. Click on a constituent for more detailed information, including a list of where it is measured or computed.

Constituent Name Units Criteria
Acid neutralizing capability (alkalinity, unfiltered) milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate (mg/L-CaCO3)
Actinomycetes colonies per milliliter (col/mL)
Alkalinity milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate (mg/L-CaCO3)
Alkalinity, dissolved milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate (mg/L-CaCO3)
Ammonia plus organic nitrogen, dissolved milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L)
Ammonia plus organic nitrogen, water, filtered, estimated by regression equation, milligrams per lit milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Arsenic, dissolved micrograms per liter as arsenic (ug/L) 10 ug/L
Atrazine micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Atrazine micrograms per liter (ug/L) 3 ug/L, 3 ug/L, 170 ug/L
Bicarbonate, dissolved milligrams per liter as bicarbonate (mg/L)
Boron, dissolved micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Bromide micrograms per liter (ug/l)
Bromide milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Calcium, dissolved milligrams per liter as calcium (mg/L)
Calcium, dissolved milligrams per liter as calcium (mg/L)
Chloride milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Chloride, dissolved milligrams per liter (mg/L) 250 mg/L, 860 mg/L
Chlorophyll-a micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Chlorophylls, water, in situ relative fluorescence units (RFU)
Computed discharge cubic feet per second (cfs) 57 cfs, 20 cfs
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) cells per milliliter (#/ml)
Cyanobacteria probability cells per milliliter (#/ml)
Dissolved Organic Matter Fluorescence micrograms per liter as quinine sulfate equivalent (ug/l QSE)
Dissolved oxygen milligrams per liter (mg/L) 5 mg/L
Dissolved phosphorus milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Dissolved solids milligrams per liter (mg/L) 500 mg/L
Dissolved solids milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Enterococci bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters (col/100mL)
Enterococci, defined substrate test method (DSTM), water most probable number per 100 mL (MPN/100 mL)
Escherichia coli bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters (cfu/100mL)
Escherichia coli bacteria most probable number (MPN)
Escherichia coli bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters (col/100mL) 262 col/100mL, 2358 col/100mL, 2358 col/100mL
Fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters (col/100mL) 200 col/100mL, 2000 col/100mL, 2000 col/100mL
Fecal coliform bacteria colonies per 100 milliliters (cfu/100mL)
Fluoride, dissolved milligrams per liter as fluoride (mg/L) 4 mg/L
Gage height feet (ft)
Geosmin probability > 5 ng/L (ng/L)
Hardness, total milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate (mg/L-CaCO3)
Lake elevation feet (ft)
Magnesium, dissolved milligrams per liter as magnesium (mg/L) 0.076 mg/L
Microcystin probability > 0.1 ug/L (ug/L)
Nitrate plus nitrite milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L as N)
Nitrate plus nitrite, dissolved milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N) 10 mg/L-N
Nitrate plus nitrite, water, in situ, milligrams per liter as nitrogen milligrams per liter as N (mg/L as N)
Nitrate, dissolved milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L) 10 mg/L
Nitrate, total milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N) 10 mg/L-N
Nitrate, water, filtered milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/l as N)
Nitrate, water, unfiltered, field, milligrams per liter as nitrogen milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Nitrite, water, filtered milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/l as N)
Optical backscatter formazin backscatter units (FBU)
Organic nitrogen plus ammonia, total milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N) 2.18 mg/L-N
Orthophosphate, water, filtered, estimated by regression equation milligrams per liter as phosphorus (mg/L as P)
Orthophosphorus, dissolved milligrams per liter as phosphorus (mg/L-P)
Particulate phosphorus milligrams per liter (mg/L)
pH standard units (std units) 6.5 std units, 8.5 std units
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) micromoles of photons per square meter per second (umol/m2/s)
Potassium, dissolved milligrams per liter as potassium (mg/L)
Precipitation inches (in)
Sodium, dissolved milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Sodium, dissolved milligrams per liter (mg/L) 20 mg/L
Specific conductance at 25 degrees Celsius microsiemens per centimeter (uS/cm)
Sulfate milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Sulfate, dissolved milligrams per liter as sulfate (mg/L) 250 mg/L, 1000 mg/L
Suspended sediment milligrams per liter (mg/L) narrative
Suspended sediment concentration, water, unfiltered, estimated by regression equation milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Suspended sediment load tons per day (tons/day)
Total chlorophyll micrograms per liter as chlorophyll (ug/L) 7.33 ug/L
Total Chlorophyll,in situ micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen, water, filtered, estimated by regression equation, milligrams per liter milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N)
Total nitrogen, suspended sediment milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N) 2.18 mg/L-N
Total nitrogen, water, filtered, estimated by regression equation, milligrams per liter milligrams per liter as nitrogen (mg/L-N)
Total organic carbon milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Total phosphorus milligrams per liter as phosphorus (mg/L-P) 0.076 mg/L-P, 0.1 mg/L-P
Total phosphorus milligrams per liter (mg/L) 0.076 mg/L
Total Phycocyanins,in situ micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Total suspended solids milligrams per liter (mg/L) 100 mg/L, narrative
Total suspended solids milligrams per liter (mg/L)
Total triazine herbicides micrograms per liter (ug/L)
Turbidity formazin nephelometric units (FNU)
Turbidity, measured as NTU or FNU formazin nephelometric units (FNU) 9.9 FNU
Water temperature degrees Celsius (°C)