Total suspended solids
Overview
Total suspended solids (TSS) includes both sediment and organic material suspended in water, unlike suspended sediment concentration measurements that only include inorganic material. TSS can cause problems for fish by clogging gills and for aquatic plants by limiting growth because of reduced light penetration. In addition, TSS provides a medium for the accumulation and transport of other constituents such as phosphorus and bacteria.
Water-quality standards and criteria are developed by the States, approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and then promulgated (passed into law) as standards by each State. Graphs on this website allow comparison of measured and computed data to these standards and criteria by plotting them as straight lines. When evaluating data to decide whether water quality is suitable for the intended use, viewers are cautioned to consider the uncertainty associated with these computed data.
Water-quality Standards and Criteria
Benchmark maximum for Cheney Reservoir: 100 mg/L
A benchmark maximum value of 100 milligrams per liter has been defined for total suspended solids at Cheney Reservoir.
Kansas maximum (narrative only)
Current water-quality criteria in Kansas for TSS are narrative criteria that state that artificial sources of suspended solids cannot be added that would interfere with aquatic life.
Source: Kansas Department of Health and the Environment (view online)
Stations That Measure or Compute Continuous Total suspended solids
Click a station to view measurements of total suspended solids.