Freshwater quality

If your stream has a muddy-bottom or soft-bottom (made of silt or mud), you need to use a different method than if your stream has a stony-bottom.

Use a net & the kick-net method to collect a greater range of benthic macroinvertebrates and more accurately assess the diversity of the community.

If you don’t have a net, you can collect stones from the streambed and collect the invertebrates that are clinging to the stones.

Macrophytes are large aquatic plants. How to assess macrophyte cover with just a measuring tape and a willingness to get wet.

How you can assess the types and amount of periphyton: communities of algae and cyanobacteria attached to the sediment surface or plants.

Phosphate is measured in SHMAK using the Hanna Instruments Phosphate Checker. Where to order phosphate checkers and reagents.

The nitrate test included in SHMAK is a colorimetric test. Where to order additional Aquaspex Microtest® Nitrate-N kits.

Temperature and conductivity are two easy measurements you can take in your stream. Here's how to use a temperature logger.

Some SHMAK tests require you to collect a water sample. If you are sending your water sample to a lab for analysis, here's a list of some water quality labs.

SHMAK is available as a starter kit, a standard kit and SHMAK+. Here we explain what is included in the kit and what extras you need to purchase on your own.

The various assessments in SHMAK are done over different lengths (reaches) of stream. Mark out the longest reach first, then shorter reaches.

SHMAK Stream Site Assessment - How to record some basic information about your stream site so you can interpret your results.