Ducker Lake's Water Quality

Introduction: The purpose of this research is to determine whether there has been a change in the overall water quality of the Lake Tarpon Basin, and if so, whether the quality has improved or worsened. The variables that will determine whether the quality has changed are: nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) and dissolved oxygen (DO). The expected changes are lower dissolved oxygen levels (from the already low levels), higher nitrogen levels (from the already high nitrogen levels), and the state qualifications still are not met for nutrients and dissolved oxygen (Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, River 2010). This topic relates to environmental management because the changes in water quality would be due to pollution, which relates to the question “How does human activity lead to the pollution of water stores?” The hypothesis that will be tested is that Lake Tarpon’s water quality will have worsened since the last measurements by Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, and Rivera in 2010.

“The pH of a solution is a measure of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution and as such is a measure of the acidity or basicity (sic) of the solution. The letters pH stand for power of hydrogen and the numerical value defined as the negative base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions.” (PH, 2002). The pH scale is from 0 to 14. When the pH is higher, the hydrogen ions are fewer and the substance considered alkaline. This means when a pH unit increases by one, there is a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion. For example, if a substance has a 7 pH, it has 10 times as many as hydrogen ions available as 8 pH. A lake having a water pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is considered to be neutral. Researchers tested Peckham Park lake water monthly from August 2015 to April 2016 for water pH levels. A water quality PH test strip taken from a jar and dipped into the lake. After a few minutes, the strip will turn a color and this color determines the pH. The jar the strips came in has a chart of the colors on the back which compared to the color on the strip. The lake tested monthly using the PH test strips, which show the pH level, hardness, toxic, etc. using color-change

Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.

Seawater naturally has a pH of around 8.2, therefore being alkaline. However, as oceans absorb about 30% of the extra Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere there are changes occurring within the water. The change is caused over time and makes the water less alkaline. Scientists have estimated that since the industrial revolution the pH has dropped 0.1 to 8.1. It is predicted that the pH could fal to about 7.8 by

Back to the history, the eutrophication problem was first time concerned by public on Great lakes at the 1960s, the Lake Erie was covered by algae as a result of over dumped phosphorus from the sewage and other waste water, at that time, the Lake Erie was known as the “Dead Sea of North America”(Fitzpatrick, J. J., and Di Toro 1999). The reason cause this problem can be concluded in 2 points, 1. the stresses of overfishing, 2. development of phosphorus-based detergents. At the end of 1960, the Canada and the United States have realized the penetrance of this problem and finally sit on the table to sign an agreement that limiting phosphorus dumps to the Lake Erie, and plan to control existing unstoppable algal growth. Because of the awareness of Canada and US government, the concentration of phosphorus got a significant success. And this problem happened again during the 1990s, but this time the reason why this happen is more complexly.

In summary, there are many different factors that contribute to the health of the Susquehanna River. The factors include the pH, temperature, phosphate, nitrate and dissolved oxygen levels. Another factor is the wildlife living in and around the water. A healthy pH level is from five to eight. The tested level was within this range! The temperature was also at a good level because it was cold enough to have the healthy level of dissolved oxygen. The dissolved oxygen level was about nine. The nitrate levels were excellent, but the phosphate levels were just good because they were slightly above where they are supposed to be. Also, by analyzing the types of macroinvertebrates in the river, the level of pollution can be evaluated. The

Water quality in the Great Lakes is something that has been a criticall issue in the Great Lakes Region for a number of years. Water quality can be anything that affects the benefits humans derives from water. It can include drinking water, food, recreation, and any other use of water that is possible. Many invasive species including zebra mussels and Asian carp pose a great threat to the water quality of the Great Lakes. The ecosystem and industry relying on the Great Lakes are also affected by this invasion. I feel that the best way to stop invasive species from coming into the Great Lakes is to prevent the problem from happening before it already has.

The monitoring program includes field and laboratory components to identify sources of materials (nutrients, sediment, microorganisms, and chemicals) to the lake, evaluate in-lake water quality conditions, and examine the interactions between Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River. Onondaga County’s trained technicians collect water quality and biological samples at a number of key locations in the watershed. Streams flowing into Onondaga Lake are monitored to estimate the annual input of water and materials including nutrients, sediment, salts, and bacteria. Samples are collected upstream of the lake to help pinpoint sources of pollution. Accurate estimates of inflows are a critical component of the AMP, since they underlie many of the management

The quality of lakes around the world are slowly being decreased, due to factors such as pollution, littering, not enough exposure to sunlight, and generally a clack of biotic factors. This is why it is important to assess the health of lakes around the area and analyse if the lake is habitable and healthy. The lake that will be assessed is Lakewood Lake, located in the Brisbane area near Lakewood. The health of Lakewood Lake is in question as biotic and abiotic factors will be tested to assess the health of the lake. Biotic factors such as living organisms or and form of wildlife around the water, and abiotic factors such as the temperature of the water and air, pH levels, dissolved oxygen, conductivity in the water, the moisture and pH levels

Floating treatment wetlands are a manmade ecosystem that mimic natural wetlands (David J. Sample, 2013) and are used to increase the water quality of lakes (SWCD, 2017). These floating wetlands can serve many task such as creating habitat for a variety of organisms, such as birds, can add to the aesthetic of the lake, recharge aquifers and can reduce large hydrologic loads from storm events (Lubnow, 2014). The main focus of the floating wetland and this project will be to act as a filter to remove certain pollutants primarily phosphorus and nitrogen which for Mattatall Lake has been over-run by excess phosphorus entering and settling within the lake. From these increased levels of total phosphorus as well as other factors has fuelled the growth

The sulfuric acid basin was acidified to a pH of 4.5, lower than that of Lake 223. The study found that aquatic communities were highly receptive to changes in pH. No acid has been added to Lake 302 since 2001, and the ecosystem of the lake is slowly

This is where the ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen. Acid rain flows into streams, lakes, and marshes after falling on forests, fields, buildings, and roads. Acid rain also falls directly on aquatic habitats. Most lakes and streams have a pH between 6 and 8, although some lakes are naturally acidic even without the effects of acid rain. Lakes and streams become acidic when water and surrounding soil cannot neutralize the acidic content. In areas where buffering capacity is low, acid rain releases aluminum from soils into lakes and streams; aluminum is highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms. So, as pH in a lake or stream decreases, aluminum levels increase. Both low pH and increased aluminum levels are directly toxic to fish. In addition, low pH and increased aluminum levels cause chronic stress that may not kill individual fish, but leads to lower body weight and smaller size and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat. However, the effects of acid rain can be detrimental to our forests as

The active decrease in the ocean’s pH is called ocean acidification. The pH of ocean water has dropped because of humans releasing carbon dioxide into the air. The ocean absorbs about a third of the carbon dioxide released by human activity. The absorption of carbon dioxide leads to changes in the chemistry of the sea water which causes it to becomes more acidic. Seawater generally has a slightly basic pH of 8.2, but in the past two hundred years, it has increased by 0.1 units to an 8.1 pH.

Does pollution actually affect the pH levels of water? And if so, does it make the pH level higher? Our experiment will test the hypothesis that the more polluted water is, the higher it’s pH level. We collected four samples of water from four separate locations to test its pH level based on a pollution scale we have created. On the pollution scale, 0 is clear, 1 is clear with specks of dirt, 2 is murky, 3 is a greenish tint, and 4 is brown with dirt. We will test each water sample and find it’s pH levels to conclude whether our hypothesis is correct or incorrect. We have gathered research on pollution, pH levels, and results of similar experiments to gain more background research.

The majority of the world freshwater is shallow and confined to lowland areas (Beklioglu et al., 2011). These shallow polymictic lakes usually with a depth of less than three meters are an important natural resource and facilitate numerous services, as result having a crucial economical and conservation value (Beklioglu et al., 2011). High quality of these lakes has become a political obligation with initiatives such as the European commission’s water frame work directive implemented both locally and internationally. Therefore in order to maintain this value the management restoration of degraded or low quality lakes is a widespread and key process. However understanding the fundamental physical, biological and chemical aspects of the ecosystem is a crucial starting block in these restoration process.