Effect+of+the+state+of+the+water+on+the+wildlife+surrounding+it

**Flat Rock Brook's Water Quality. Good or Bad?**
by: Alexis Wisniewski- Chesson and Jacqueline Almodovar

Background: Water quality is defined as the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water. To determine where the quality of water is “good” or not, there are certain tests that can be used. These tests examine the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO), the temperature, the turbidity of the water, and the pH of the water. The quality of water depends on these factors. However if the turbidity, pH, temp, or DO reach what is considered an intolerable number, animals or plants can no longer live a healthy life and bacteria is released into the water. This is not only dangerous to the animals and plants, but to people as well. Testing the quality of water is a very important study, without it illness can break out anywhere.

A sufficient supply of dissolved oxygen gas is necessary of organisms to survive. A deficiency in this area is a sign of unhealthy water. There are a variety of factors affecting levels of dissolved oxygen. The atmosphere and water create mix oxygen with water. Oxygen is also produced by aquatic plants and algae as a product of photosynthesis. Bacteria which decompose plant material and animal waste consume dissolved oxygen which decreases the quantity available to support life. Total dissolved gas concentrations in water should not exceed 110 percent. Concentrations above this level can be harmful to aquatic life. As dissolved oxygen levels in water drop below 5.0 mg/l, aquatic life is put under stress. % Saturation = (DO / Saturation Level) x 100

The pH of river water is the measure of how acidic or basic the water is on a scale of 0-14. It is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration. The optimum pH for river and stream water is around .0. Extremes in pH can make a river inhospitable to life. Low pH is harmful to immature fish and insects. Acidic water also speeds the leaching of heavy metals harmful to fish.



Turbidity is the result of suspended solids in the water. Such particles absorb heat in the sunlight, which raising water temperature, which in turn lowers dissolved oxygen levels. They also prevent sunlight from reaching plants below the surface. This decreases the rate of photosynthesis, so less oxygen is produced by plants. An extreme recorded value of 400 NTU indicates water barely clear, while at the other extreme, a value of zero NTU corresponds to water with visibility to five feet, which is the maximum depth that can be measured with this turbidity test.





Temperature impacts the rates of metabolism and growth of aquatic organisms and also the rate of photosynthesis. At a higher temperature, plants grow and die faster, leaving behind matter that requires oxygen for decomposition. A temperature that does not exceed 23 C or 68 F does not create a climate for many fish diseases. A temp that does exceed 13 C or 55 F creates a climate right for many fish and plants.

Materials Used:
 * Vernier LabPro
 * [[image:IMG_1605.JPG]]
 * Vernier Software - Conductivity Probe
 * [[image:IMG_1606.JPG]]
 * Vernier – pH Sensor
 * [[image:IMG_1608.JPG]]
 * Vernier Temperature Probe
 * [[image:IMG_1607.JPG]]
 * YSI Environmental - 550A
 * [[image:IMG_1607.JPG]]

Sites: McFadden's Pond Site One:

McFadden's Pond Site Two:

Quarry Pond Site One:

Quarry Pond Site Two:

Data:

__McFadden Site One: 40 degrees 52.395 North, 73 degrees 58.058 West__ Dissolved Oxygen Average: 79.5 % Saturated Average pH= 6.476504 Figure 1

Average Temperature = 16.93346 Figure 2 Average Turbidity = 499.5708 Figure 3

__Quarry Site One: 40 degrees 52.39 North, 73 degrees 58.064 West__ Dissolved Oxygen: 29.5 % Saturated Average pH = 6.949138 Figure 4

Average Temperature = 22.63316 Figure 5

Average Turbidity = 453.6084 Figure 6

__Quarry Site Two:40 degrees 52. 387 North, 73 degrees 58.061 West__ Average Dissolved Oxygen: 31.34 % Saturated

Average pH = 6.715726 Figure 7

Average Temperature = 19.66461 Degrees C Figure 8

Average Turbidity = 476.521 NPR Figure 9

__McFadden Site Two: 40 degrees 52.395 North, 73 degrees, 58.059 West__ Average Dissolved Oxygen: 80.3% Saturated

Average pH = 6.610051 Figure 10

Average Temperature = 17.76479 Figure 11

Average Turbidity = 498.8657 Figure 12

Results: The object of this project is to determine if the quality water of is “good” by a certain standard that allows animals and plants to survive and be healthy. The way we are able to determine this was by obtaining the pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity and Temperature of the water. We compared the data we got, to the typical standard of water for each component. As seen in figure 1 and figure 10, the pH for McFadden pond average out at 6.4 and 6.6. The average pH that we should find is closer to about 7.5 – 8. This is not to say that the water is automatically acidic. Recently, there has been a lot of rainfall in the Bergen County area, and in Flat Rock Brook. The day we had obtained the data, it had just rained. Normal rainfall (not acid rain) has a natural acidity of 5.4. This probably caused the water to become more acidic, giving us a slightly lower reading. Taking this into consideration, the pH of McFadden pond is normal. As seen in figure 7 and in figure 2, the pH for Quarry Pond average out at 6.9 and 6.7. This pH for Quarry is a little higher then the pH of McFadden, but still not the normal slightly basic reading of 8. Once again, we believe that it is the interference of rain that causes the acidic reason. We believe from these findings that the pH levels at both ponds in Flat Rock are healthy for the wildlife living in it. For the reading of Dissolved Oxygen, we observed how saturated the oxygen was. The results from the different parts of McFadden pond were 79.5% saturated and 80.3% saturated. The ideal saturation is 100%, but that is rarely reached. The dissolved oxygen at McFadden pond exceeds what is considered “good” water. The amount of Dissolved Oxygen in Quarry is quite different then the results found at McFadden. The results were 31.34% saturation and 29.5% saturation. This is not as close to the ideal as McFadden’s pond was, but it is not dangerous. The Dissolved Oxygen in the water did not go below 5.0 mg/l. Although the amount of Dissolved Oxygen in McFadden’s pond is greater then the Dissolved Oxygen in Quarry pond, none of them are dangerous. Turbidity is the clarity of the water. In all four cases, in each of the ponds, the turbidity exceeds 400 NTU. This means that there is a lot of debris and clay in the water and that it is not clear. This doesn’t affect the “healthiness” of the water so much, as it affects another contributing factor. The extreme turbidity that is caused by particles and clay causes a rise in temperature. The particles and the clay absorb heat. Temperature is one of the most important contributors to the quality. It determines the rate of metabolism and photosynthesis for underwater creatures and plants. In McFadden’s pond, the temperature was 16.9 degrees Celsius and 17.6 degrees Celsius. At these the degrees, it is warm enough for fish to survive, but cold enough to not spread diseases. As seen in figure 5 and figure 8 the temperature in Quarry does not go below 20, but does not exceed 23. This, like the temperature in McFadden, is a could temperature for the survival of plants and animals. Over all, we proved that the water quality at Flat Rock Brook is decent for the organisms living there.

Error: During this project, there was a lot of evidence of possible error. All the machines had to undergo some sort of calibration whether it was manual or automatic. This can result in problems with the readings. For example, the hardest machine to calibrate was the DO machine. It required a solution and manual changes. It is hard to see if your calibration is correct. Though this could have caused error, the amount of error would not be great. Another possible source of error was the environment. A problem we ran into was rainfall. Rainfall can affect a contributor of water quality. We ran into this problem with measuring the pH. Conclusion: From the experiments we ran, we realized that the quality of water at Flat Rock Brook is acceptable. We also found out that all of the contributing factors have a relationship with each other. Turbidity causes the temperature to rise which causes more saturation of oxygen. All of these factors contribute to the quality of water and the life around it. Flat Rock Brook was able to meet the standards of living according to organisms and plants. Refremces: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/fenlewis/Waterquality.html http://www.state.ky.us/nrepc/water/wcpdo.htm http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/data/BACT/info/DO.html [|http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/190acidrain.html] http://waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/turbidity.html http://www.fivecreeks.org/monitor/do.html

Quarry Pond Site One: [|Back up Watershed Link]