Rush Creek 2012 EmmaBeccaCassidy Feat. Guido

Temperature The purpose of the temperature test was to check the temperature of the river to make sure the organisms living there have good and safe living conditions. You could get a better idea of the animals living in or near the stream.

Temp. Implications The stream is pretty good right now, but if you wanted to improve the conditions of the river you could always add shade such as trees to cool the river down. When the river is cooler more organisms can live there. You also can make the stream deeper (dredge) so it will become deeper and the temperature will go down. Stop run-off, and the temp. will also cool down.

Temperature SIteTemperatureAverage Temperature Temperature Change WQI Site A Site B19.3 Q-Value91.7

Stream Flow Our purpose for this test is to find the flow velocity. We also wanted to know the volume of water that moves through a specific point in a river at a specific time. We also wanted to verify the important responsibilities of the characteristics of the river.

Stream Flow Implications If we wanted the stream to go faster we would take away anything that blocks the water flow. Like removing trees, rocks, and other debris. To make the stream go faster you could make the stream more narrow, causing all the water to go through a narrower path and speeding it up.

Dissolved Oxygen SiteDissolved Oxygen Mg/L Water Temp. (C) Atmospheric Pressure (mmHg) 100% dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) Percent Saturation (%) A % B % Average %80% Q-Value87.5

Dissolved Oxygen The purpose of the dissolved oxygen test was to see how much oxygen was being given off in the stream. The amount of oxygen in the stream decides what fish and plants can live there. The diversity of organisms is greater at higher DO levels.

Implications of DO ~Imps. To make the DO levels higher, to add more organisms, you could add more rocks, plants, and add rapids. To lessen the dissolved oxygen you could add algae, which takes up DO.

Nitrates SiteNitrates A8.7 B8.3 Average8.5 Q-value37

Purpose of Nitrates The purpose of the nitrate test was to see how many nitrates are polluting Rush Creek. Nitrates cause the temperature to rise, which causes organisms to die.

Becks pouring water into a sample jar, to test the BOD! ;D Cass and Emma testing the Dissolved Oxygen. Ems testing the Phosphate levels!

Implications Of Nitrates The stream needs improvement in the nitrates section. The nitrate levels in Rush Creek were fairly high. To improve the nitrate levels you could try and stop the run off levels. Contain where the pollution goes. Try and stop the run off before it gets to the stream.

Fecal Coliform M/L filteredFilter 1 (A)Filter 2 (B)AverageCFU E. Coli Coliform Final Value700 Q-Value28.25

Purpose of Fecal Coliform The purpose of the fecal coliform test was to see how much e. coli and coliform is in the water. The filter showed us the “dots” of e. coli and coliform. The tests also prove if the water quality is good enough and safe enough to drink and use. The concentration of fecal coliform is measured to determine the likelihood of contamination.

Implications of Fecal Coliform The main cause of high fecal coliform levels is raw sewage that enters the stream. To stop these high levels, humans can stop raw sewage from entering the stream. Naturally water will contain some bacteria, but us humans can stop most of the unneeded bacteria from entering. To improve the quality of the stream, stop sewage from entering the river.

pH SitepH units A7.2 B7.5 Average7.35 Q-Value92

Purpose of pH The purpose of the pH test was to determine whether the stream has a safe amount of pH in it. The measure of pH in the water is very important as an indication of water quality. Having the right amount of pH in a stream is very important to the life that lives there.

Implications of pH The Rush Creek rates “excellent” on the WQI chart. So the stream doesn’t really need any improvements. If you wanted to make the stream better if it needed improvements you could add more acidic or basic substances.

Turbidity SiteTurbidity A.4 B6.6 Average Turbidity (NTU) 3.5 Q-Value87.6

Turbidity The purpose of the turbidity test was to see how clear and clean the water of Rush Creek is. The more particles in the water the higher the turbidity.

Implications Turbidity To improve the turbidity of the stream (to make it clearer) you can try to stop runoff from entering the stream, or stopping erosions. Some things you cannot stop, for example fish the kick sediments up from the bottom floor will cause the water to become cloudy. When the water is cloudy it was cause the water temp to rise because the sun absorbs into it more.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand SiteDay 1Day 5 DO (mg/L) A B BOD1.15 Q-Value95

Purpose of Biochemical Oxygen Demand The purpose of the BOD test was to see how much oxygen the water would give off on the first day, and then five days later. The amount depends on what is in the water, such as plant life and the organisms that live there. Also, the location the location of the stream.

Imps. Of BOD The stream of Rush Creek is average on the BOD chart. If the stream needed improvement, a big thing to help would be to stop human pollution. Some things you can’t really stop, such as decomposing organisms or plant growth. But, human pollution is definitely something us humans could try and reduce.

Total Dissolved Solids ReadingTDS (mg/L) Average695.45

Purpose of Total Dissolved Solids The purpose of the TDS test was to see how many dissolved solids were in Rush Creek. There are two kinds of solids, suspended and dissolved. Both of them are given off by the objects and organisms in the water. But, the levels need to be safely monitored

Imps. Of TDS The level of dissolved solids is hard to keep steady. New rocks and such are always added to the stream. We can try to keep hazardous substances out of the stream such as unneeded salts, bases, acids, and hard water minerals.

Total Solids Beaker #Mass of empty beaker (g) Mass of beaker plus solids (g) Mass of solids (g) Mass of solids (mg) Total volume (L) Total Solids (mg/L) Site A B Average30140 Q-Value61.7

Purpose of Total Solids We did this test to see how many total solids (salt, sodium chloride and other solid particles) were in Rush Creek. A high amount of TS is usually common in many stream. Rush Creek placed fairly high in the TS section.

Cass calibrating a probe for a test! Emma collected a sample of water from site B!

Implications of Total Solids Runoff is yet again another reason for high amounts of total solids. Industrial wastes, water that was not treated at a sewage plant, and urban runoff from parking lots are other reasons for high levels. Stopping all these will improve the stream greatly.

Purpose of Phosphates We tested the phosphate levels of the stream to see if the river had an excess amount of phosphates. Yes, phosphates are an essential nutrient for aquatic plants. If the level is too high it can be extremely dangerous. Too much of it can lead to eutrophication which leads to an abundance of algae and plants. Phosphates are the factor that determines the growth of plants.

Imps. Of Phosphate Rush Creek had a low level of phosphates. Which is good, because very small amounts are needed. Too many phosphates can be classified at pollution. Phosphates decrease the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and cause organisms to die. Humans add phosphate to fertilizers and in the water, which ends up as runoff into the river. Stopping runoff will majorly help the phosphate levels of streams.

“It’s a bug’s life” Many bugs do live in Rush Creek! Our group collected many, many, caddisfly larva, a stonefly nymph, snails, a worm, and even a crayfish! In the biotic index Rush Creek rates “excellent” for the quantity and quality of bugs!

Calculation of Bugs StoneflyCaddisflyCrayfishSnailsAquatic worms Biotic IndexExcellent!

Bugs collected at Rush Creek! Above: Water Striders. Below: Caddisfly and an aquatic worm!

Emma trying to collect bugs! <<< Doing too many things at once!

TestResultsUnitQ-ValueWeighting factor Subtotal Temp..5C pH7.35pH unit Turbidity3.5NTU Total Solids280Mg/liter Dissolved Oxygen 80% sat day BOD1.15Mg/liter Total Phosphate.95Mg/liter PO^4 -p Nitrates4.5Mg/liter NO^3 –n Fecal Coliform 450CFU/100 mL

66.88 MEDIUM