Methodology: The analysis of phosphorus uses a spectrophotometer. Phosphorus is oxidized to the phosphate ion (PO4---). Reagent dye is added and the absorbance read.
Environmental Impact: Rainfall can cause varying amounts of phosphates to wash from farm soils into nearby waterways. Phosphate will stimulate the growth of plankton and aquatic plants which provide food for fish. This may cause an increase in the fish population and improve the overall water quality. However, if an excess of phosphate enters the waterway, algae and aquatic plants will grow wildly, choke up the waterway and use up large amounts of oxygen. This condition is known as eutrophication or over-fertilization of receiving waters. This rapid growth of aquatic vegetation eventually dies and as it decays it uses up oxygen. This process in turn causes the death of aquatic life because of the lowering of dissolved oxygen levels.
Phosphates are not toxic to people or animals unless they are present in very high levels. Digestive problems could occur from extremely high levels of phosphate.
Criteria: There are no criteria for phosphorus content of water bodies. However, the following criteria for total phosphorus have been proposed:
1. no more than 0.1 mg/L for streams which do not empty into reservoirs,
2. no more than 0.05 mg/L for streams discharging into reservoirs, and
3. no more than 0.025 mg/L for reservoirs.