Salinity and total dissolved solids (NKE Aquaread TDS Total Dissolved Solids Electrode) can be calculated from the EC measurement of water, which helps to indicate the water's purity. The purer the water the lower the conductivity. To give a real-life example, distilled water is almost an insulator, but saltwater is a very efficient electrical conductor.

Major positively charged ions that affect the conductivity of water are sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Major negatively charged ions are chloride, sulfate, carbonate and bicarbonate. Nitrates and phosphates are minor contributors to conductivity, but they are very important biologically. The natural impacts on EC in water are rain, geology and evaporation. Human impacts include road salt, septic/landfill leachate, impervious surface runoff and agricultural runoff.

An EC sensor makes testing and monitoring the electrical conductivity of water simple. EC water conductivity test equipment can be used in the field to take direct measurements of water.

The probe that is inserted into the water sample applies a voltage between electrodes. The drop in voltage measures the resistance of water, which is converted to conductivity. Conductivity is reciprocal to resistance and is measured as the amount of conductance over a certain distance. The basic unit is mho/cm, or 1 Siemen, but this does not occur in natural water. EC meters use the units milliohms and micromhos. 1,000,000 milliohms/cm (mS) and 100,000 micromhos/cm (µS) each equal 1 mho/cm.

Ocean waters have water electrical conductivity of about 5 mS, tap water has EC in the range of 50 to 800 µS, depending on the source, freshwater streams may fall in the range of 100 to 2000 µS and distilled water has EC of between 0.5 and 3 µS. EC is relative to temperature.

The term "specific conductivity" is used when a value has been corrected to reflect the temperature of the water sample. Aquaread's water conductivity meter also measures temperature, so gives the value of specific conductivity.

Water conductivity test equipment can be used to build up an understanding of the typical range of conductivity for a particular water body. This can be used as a baseline for regular monitoring and, if there is a significant change in conductivity, this could be an indicator of a discharge or other pollutant entering the water. Conductivity varies with the water source, i.e. ground water, agricultural runoff, municipal wastewater, rainfall. A change in water electrical conductivity can indicate ground water seepage or a sewage leak.

The EC of water has a critical influence on aquatic life. Every kind of organism has a typical range that it can tolerate. In a commercial sense, testing the conductivity of water may be specifically useful for fisheries. Salts and other substances also affect the quality of water for irrigation or drinking, so water conductivity meters can be used when testing the output of water treatment plants.

The water conductivity meter is just one function of Aquaread's multiparameter water quality monitoring equipment. Use all the parameter readings together to accurately monitor water quality without the need for multiple probes. The EC water testing equipment is suitable for use on surface water, groundwater and wastewater.