Organic phosphorus is a part of living plants and animals. It is attached to particulate organic matter composed of once-living plants and animals. Inorganic phosphates comprise the ions bonded to soil particles and phosphates present in laundry detergents. This scarcity of phosphorus is attributed to its relationship with organic matter and soil particles. Because algae only require small amounts of phosphorus to live, excess phosphors causes extensive algal growth called algal blooms.
Algal blooms color the water a pea-soup green and are a classic symptom of cultural eutrophication.
Sources of phosphorus are human wastes, animal wastes, industrial wastes, and human disturbance of the land and its vegetation. Chloride Test Ammonia Test Benthic Macroinvertabrates Benthic macroinvertebrates are bottom dwelling organisms that live in, crawl on or attach themselves to the river bottom. These are visible with the naked eye. Macroinvertebrates are good indicators of river health because they are sensitive to pollution, they live in the water over a year, cannot easily escape pollution as a fish can, and can easily be collected. Fecal Coliform Fecal coliform bacteria are derived from the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals.