Electrical conductivity is also known as conductivity or specific conductance. It is a measure of the ease of the flow of electricity. For those that understand electricity, conductivity is the mathematical inverse of electrical resistance. It is used to help determine the total amount of dissolved salts in water because it is related to the total amount of dissolved ions (electrolytes) in solution. For instance, pure water has a very low conductivity because water is a poor conductor though if you add a teaspoon full of table salt (Sodium Chloride) the conductivity will sky rocket. A value of 700 uS/cm is the maximum contamination level in drinking water. If you’d like to know about electrical conductivity in your water, Edge Analytical can help.
You can reduce the conductivity of water by distilling it or by a process known as reverse osmosis (R.O.).