h 2 whoa! the governor’s institute of environmental science & technology- water group
Post on 18-Dec-2015
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Water Pollution Study
We have damaged the rivers and now we want to fix them. Testing to ensure the
water quality is normal To better understand the
wildlife To get experience in field
work.
Analyzing data of the physical, chemical, biological parameters to make sure the rivers are healthy.
“It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”-Richard Feynman
Why?
The Governors Institute of Vermont Environmental Science and Technology have conducted a series of tests and assessments for the overall quality of the rivers, Centennial and Mill brook .
Centennial Brook:
• The Brook is located in a urban area.
• The main part of the brook is
• .08 miles in length.
• It has many branches of water, but 2 main sections that branch towards the east and the south.
• It’s no longer touched by humans (as in farming and
living).
• It has lower water levels that can be seen by past erosion located
higher than the water levels now.
• Residential areas of the east side take up a lot of the watershed.
• The Watershed drains 887 acres
Land within the watershed
Mill Brook
Mill Brook is part of the Winooski Watershed, located in Jericho, Vermont.
Jericho is mainly farmland, with some residential areas.
Mill Brook is located in a rural area without a lot of civilization.
Mill Brook is used for recreational boating as well as trout fishing.
Mill Brook is about 9.5 miles in length.
Stream Habitat Assessment Results
Mill Brook: AveragesCentennial Brook: Averages
Mill Brook: Suboptimal 140 Centennial Brook: Suboptimal 130
pH and Light • A pH measurement of 7.0 is considered neutral
for water so both brooks were more basic. pH can affect which organisms live in the water.
• Light levels affect watersheds by controlling temperature and algae growth.
• EPA standards for pH measurement are between 6.5 and 8.0 so both brooks are within the Federal Standards.
Centennial Brook
Mill Brook
pH level 7.9 7.3
Light Measurement
470 lux 15 lux
Conductivity
Conductivity = how well water can conduct electricity.
Directly related to dissolved ions/temperature (the warmer the water, the better the
conductivity)
Sources of ions: Sodium (road salt) Magnesium Calcium Iron Aluminum Chloride Nitrate Sulfate Phosphate
Centennial Brook
Mill Brook EPA Standard
Conductivity (mS)
4.3 0.07 5.9
ICP(Inductively coupled plasma spectrometer) report
Ca Fe K Mg Na 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
Centennial brook
Mill brook
560
Part
s per
mill
ion
Elements
Dissolved Oxygen & Temperature
• Streams produce and consume DO
• Velocity and vegetation add oxygen
• Aquatic organisms and organic matter consume oxygen.
• Dissolved oxygen is directly related to temperature.
The Numbers:Centennial Brook: Temp: 19°C DO: 11.2 mg/LAcceptable: 6.22-9.26 mg/L
Mill Brook: Temp: 13.5°CDO: 9.8 mg/LAcceptable: 6.8-10.5 mg/L
Phosphorus
Enters water systems by natural and human methods
Must be limited to not accelerate eutrophication- accelerated plant growth, algae blooms, low dissolved oxygen and death of certain aquatic animals
Centennial vs. Mill Brook
Average level of phosphate
Centennial Brook(measured for PO4
-3)
0.42 mg/L
Mill Brook(measured for PO4 -3)
0.07 mg/L
Lake Champlain-VT Standards(depending on location)
.01 mg/L to.054 mg/L
Nitrates
NO3- & NO2
-
Pollution sources: fertilizers, septic tanks, sewers
Algae growth limited sunlight
Testing water samples for PO4
-3 and NO3-
Nitrate content data
Centennial Brook
Mill Brook VT Standard
Nitrates (mg/L)
1.8 2.9 5.0
Macroinvertebrate Survey
• What are macroinvertebrates?
• Why should we study them?
• How do we collect them?
• What do our results mean?
MayflyMidge Larva
84.60%
8.37%
10.70%
Macroinvertebrates in Mill Brook
Percent EPTsPercent Pollution tolerantPercent Non-Insects/Other
10.70%
55.40%
33.90%
Macroinvertebrates in Centennial Brook
Percent EPTsPercent Pollution tolerantPercent Non-Insects/Other
Solutions
Despite the fact that Vermont is one of the healthier states in the
country, actions still must be taken to improve the overall
quality of the rivers and streams
• Waste water management/ water filtration
• Patrol for invasive aquatic plants and animals
• Weekly monitoring of the lake water quality
• Healthy buffer zones
• River and stream habitat awareness
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