Uhigh Creek Water Quality

So we can conclude that the creek is not polluted based on this evidence. The creek creature are mostly from group 1 and 2. Also, the creek water contains little to no nitrates and phosphates. The creek also contains a high amount of dissolved oxygen (9.8ppm to be exact) Lastly, the creek limestone neutralize acid rain. The pH of the water is also a healthy 7. After all this evidence we can conclude that the creek is not

The health of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay was found based on Biological (macroinvertebrates and wildlife) and Chemicals characteristics (pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, etc.) as well as physical observations (amount of forested buffers, wetlands, etc.) Overall it was concluded that the health of the water was good to excellent. What was found was that many of the macroinvertebrates found in the water were sensitive or facultative, meaning the water quality was good enough for them to live in. Also, the level of ph, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, and turbidity showed that the water quality was good. Finally, while we were canoeing down the Susquehanna River, observations were made on the land

We did 3 different test to help conclude the water quality. The first testing/station i did was to see what kind of critters were living in the water. Then, my next group was to take a test to see if eutrophication was in the water. We also took

Each person got to test either the phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, or the ph in the creek. Phosphates and nitrates are nutrients found in water due to fertilizers, decaying plants and bacteria. Dissolved oxygen is the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in the water. As we recorded our results, we discovered that the dissolved oxygen levels were very high, which is good because the higher amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, the healthier the creek is. The phosphates levels in the creek were all perfect zeros, which is great because having nutrients in the creek is not healthy. The nitrate levels were slightly higher, at 0.9. That is not bad at all, but it isn’t perfect, showing signs of pollution. The ph levels in the rocks were neutral, right at seven. If they were lower than 7, that would mean they have acids in them, and if they were higher than 7, they would have alkaline in them. Alkaline, or bases, neutralizes acids. The number of rocks that we found that neutralized acid was 65, and the number of rocks that did not neutralize acids were 29. This shows that about one-third of the rocks in the creek do not neutralize acids.

Either or both of those two things could have runoff from the land and drained into the creek. They are negative to the creek. Our results showed that the creek was containing little to no phosphate. The average number after 15 tests was just 0.3- zero being the best. Similarly, nitrate is a salt or ester, but it is made of nitric acid, containing the anion NO3. It is found in runoff from fertilized farms and treatment plants. The same process was used for testing nitrate levels. The average level out of eight tests was 0.8, which is a higher than phosphate but still relatively low. Both of those test results were very positive. It showed that the creek was low in eutrophication. Another chemical test is testing for dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is microscopic bubbles of oxygen (O2) that are in the water and there for aquatic organisms to breathe in, which is necessary for almost all organisms. The testing process was similar to that of nitrate and phosphate tests. After testing the water, we got an average level of 11.4. More dissolved oxygen allows for more gaseous bubbles for organisms to breathe in. Therefore, a higher number is better. Twelve is the highest level of dissolved oxygen possible. Thus, since 11.4 is very close to 12, the dissolved oxygen level was very good. Dissolved oxygen can be changed in a number of ways. First, stagnant, or not moving, water has a much lower level of dissolved oxygen. Also, hotter water has less dissolved water. Lastly, chemicals like phosphate and nitrate can cause the growth of algae (which will be discussed in more detail in paragraph three), taking away oxygen. Additionally, the students tested for acid rain pollution. The tests falling under the acid rain category would test for acidity or alkalinity in water. We took a pH test, which is a level expressing the

or three to do the tests. There were three different elements to test for (phosphate, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen). After EVERY GROUP did a test for each element we than found the averages of each element. Phosphate’s average was 0.1 parts per million, Nitrate came in at 0.9 parts per million and dissolved oxygen had a grand total of 9.8 parts per million. These numbers were average, they weren't great but they were not awful. These numbers also proved that the creek is not

At this station, we tested the creek water for phosphates, nitrates, and dissolved oxygen. What we found for phosphates was an average of 0.3 phosphates. For nitrates, we found an average of 0.8 nitrates. For the dissolved oxygen, we got an average of 11.4. This shows that the Conodoguinet Creek is pretty healthy. We also tested for acidity and alkalinity. To do this, we needed to use a pH scale. A pH scale goes from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline). A good place for the water to be is 7, this means that the water is not acidic, nor has alkaline in it, but it is neutral. The water in the Conodoguinet Creek was at 7, so it was

The eutrophication test tested if the creek has too many nutrients. If we found high levels of phosphate and nitrate in the water, that would mean the creek has eutrophication, which is bad. Phosphate and nitrates are found in fertilizers, and some detergents. On average, we found out the creek had .1% phosphate in it which is good.We, also, found out that was .9% nitrate in the creek, which is also good. The dissolved oxygen test tested how much oxygen was in the water. We found a 9.8% average for dissolved oxygen, which determines the type and number of macroinvertebrates that may live there. In past years it was tested that the water was warmer. The velocity of the water could affect this. As a result, I conducted the river does not have eutrophication.

Let’s start out with the pollutants in this water. There was a surprising amount of pollution found downriver of Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. It makes sense that more pollutants would be coming from more heavily populated areas, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is harming all those around it. It is thought that a lot of this pollution is coming from the city waste

The Conodoguinet Creek is a one-hundred mile long body of water running through central Pennsylvania. This area has many pollution issues, such as Eutrophication and many others. Eutrophication is when there is too much nutrients in the water. Some people might not understand why too much nutrients in the water is a problem, but it is a very serious one. The higher amounts of nutrients in the water allows a larger amount of algae to grow on the surface of the water, absorbing all the dissolved oxygen in the water, leaving no oxygen left for the fish, and they die.

The velocity of the water or speed of water determines the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. The higher amount of dissolved oxygen the better the water is to the aquatic life in the creek. Because fish need dissolved oxygen to survive, low level of dissolved oxygen will be bad for aquatic life. Also the creek would not be healthy with low amounts of dissolved oxygen. The results of the test had an average of 9.8 . This is the average number a normal and healthy creek should have.

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

The water quality of the U-High creek was excellent, but not all bodies of water have excellent water quality. Humans can pollute water by farmers putting pesticides and fertilizers on their crops. Putting fertilizers on the crops pollutes water, because when it rains the pesticides and fertilizers get washed off and carried into the water, and this adds nitrates and phosphates to the water which is called eutrophication, and it increases the amount of algae in the water. When there is an excess amount of algae in water, there is an excess amount of bacteria the uses up most of the oxygen which kills plants and animals. (River Quality and Pollution,2016) The second way humans pollute water is when it rains there is runoff, and all of the pollution on the ground get carried into the water. Runoff is when it rains the soil and other things get carried to other places. An example of runoff is when there is a heavy rain, the soil sitting on the sides of a hill loosen and slide down the hill toward the bottom causing a buildup at the bottom of the hill.

The environment plays a large role in the number of nutrients and other materials which are implemented into the water surrounding. If the environment is highly populated with more human traffic, then the water would be less healthy as the environment would not be as pristine. The environment with a more natural feel, more nutrients, would tend to have a healthier water system because of minerals would not be polluting to the surrounding area as certain climates are. The water quality affecting aquatic species is “important for maintaining fish health and reducing stress throughout transport as well as proper tempering into the receiving water” (Harmon). If there are any changes in the water quality the species in the area could be drastically affected which has a chain reaction back to humans as most of these species are low in the food chain and are required to collect the fish, we do today for

Lake Mary is a source with the least nitrate, chlorine, and calcium concentrations, and the second lowest turbidity by 3.7 NTU. The Swimming Area and the Marina are both close in rank for second place as the calcium and chlorine tests of the marina are much lower than the swimming area, but the turbidity and nitrate test favores the swimming area. The swimming area we tested at Lake Powell is ranked second over the marina because of its extremely lower value of turbidity compared to the marina and 2nd lowest value of nitrate concentration. The turbidity test outweighs the three ion tests to de-rank its status as they are the main causes of harm and have a very minute difference in turbidity. The turbidity of the marina is much higher than the swimming area, with almost five times more suspended particle frequency than the swimming area. The cloudiness of the water may contain many more harmful chemicals and contents in the water that can affect human health, regardless of ion levels. The lowest water quality out of all four water sources is the Colorado River. The water in the colorado contains the highest chemical composition of nitrates, calcium, and chloride tests. While turbidity shows its lesser abundance of aquatic life in the area and a lesser chance for disease, the chemicals alone will affect you the most. In conclusion, my ranking for each of the water sources, in terms of overall water quality from highest to lowest is Lake Mary, the Lake Powell Swimming Area, the Lake Powell Marina, and finally the Colorado River