Levels+of+Salt+in+the+Different+Waters+of+Flat+Rock+Brook

=Salt Levels in Flat Rock Brook Over the Year=


//Our water source by the center.//  =What Is A Watershed??? = "that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community." John Wesley Powell http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/whatis.html

 __Introduction__
==== For our project, we observed the salt levels in the water in two different locations (close to the road and far away from the road). We took the salt levels at different times of the year in both of these locations. We measured the salt using the conductivity meters. This is important to the watershed of Flat Rock Brook because the human pollution of the river with salt can be seriously harmful to animals, plants, and wildlife. We expect the salt levels to be higher in the winter because of the road salt to melt the ice. The human impact is of large magnitude, and we will find out what we can do to help ameliorate the environment. ====

__//Background Information//__
Thousands of tons of road salts are used each year in New Jersey. In the past, the harmful effects of these salts were not examined properly. NaCl (the most commonly used road salt) and its alternatives can do immense harm to watersheds and to the drinking water these watersheds may supply. Chloride salts are composed of approximately 60% chloride and 40% positive ion. De-icing mixtures use calcium, potassium, and magnesium chloride, but less than NaCl. These salts may be used in liquid or crystalline form, either of which can be used with abrasives. Liquid salt solutions provide immediate de-icing upon application to roads and sidewalks. Crystalline forms are slower and longer acting than liquid solutions. Sodium ferrocyanide is added to chloride salts to prevent clumping during storage and application. In water, sodium ferrocyanide can be broken down to release approximately 25% cyanide ions. These salts then make their way into the groundwater when the snow or ice on the road melts. The groundwater and the chloride in it make up a big part of the water in the surrounding streams. Chloride concentration depends on salting intensity, soil type, climate, topography, and water volume, with larger water bodies exhibiting lower concentrations through the process of dilution. NaCl dissolves in water into Na+ and Cl-. While Na+ may bond with negatively charged soil ions, Cl- usually does not have anything to bond with. The salts remain in the water, as there is no natural removal form. Their accumulation poses threats to aquatic ecosystems and water quality. They can also affect surrounding wildlife, soil and vegetation as well as human health (if they drink the water). Some alternatives to NaCl are Calcium Magnesium Acetate and Potassium Acetate, although these are sometimes more expensive and can have harmful effects as well. According to the department of public works, the town of Englewood currently uses NaCl, but is looking for more environmentally safe alternatives to use instead.

__//Procedure//__
====We went to Flat Rock Brook to collect the salt levels in two different ponds with different proximities to the road. We used the conductivity meter to find the salinity. Using LoggerPro, we recorded the salinity levels in the two different ponds, one next to the road and one near the parking lot at the main center. We then compared the levels of the two areas to each other and to themselves at different points in the year to see how the seasons and locations affected the salt levels.====



__//Dates Visited Flat Rock Brook//__
November 16 2007 December 14 2007 December 20 2007 April 9 2008 May 8 2008 

__//Locations of Our Water Sources//__
By the Center: 40◦ 52.387 N <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">73◦ 58.066 W <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Elevation 76 FT <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">By the Road: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">40◦ 52.744 N <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">73◦ 58.197 W <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Elevation 43 FT

//Our water source by the road.//

<span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 198)">__//Materials Used://__
1) Loggerpro 2) Vernier LabPro 3) Vernier Conductivity Meter 4) Magellan Explorer 400 GPS 5) Tablet Computer 6) Camera <span style="color: rgb(90, 233, 237)">

<span style="color: rgb(90, 233, 237)">//**Methods:**//
=== Our group went to two different locations: Quarry Pond and the stream closest to the road in Flat Rock Brook, by picnic area playground (both cicled on the above map). Here at these locations we inserted the conductivity meter into each water source to measure the salinity levels. After measuring the salinity levels, we used the Magellan Explorer 400 GPS to figure out the different coordinates at the two water locations. ===

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">As we predicted in our hypothesis, the salinity was higher in the pond near the road. We attributed this to the fact that there is salt on the road and therefore salt in the groundwater that runs into the stream. As seen in the table and the graph, the salinity was varied in the two locations, as different as 47.7 ppt at times. This was not surprising to us, as we knew that Englewood uses salt to de-ice the roads in the winter time. However, we were surprised to learn that the salinity did not change immensely from the fall months to the winter and to the spring months. We expected that the salinity would be higher in the winter, as more salt would be dumped into the pond by the groundwater when salt is used to de-ice the roads. Once we did some research into the science behind our project, we found that there is no natural removal form for salts, so they will only accumulate. This explains why the salinity increased slightly during the winter months, but there was no major change seen. ====

=== As with any science experiment, there is an abundance of possible errors that can lead to various fluctuations in the data. For our specific project, we used the conductivity meter to measure the levels of salinity in the water. While we were measuring the salinity there was some confusion the first time we took the measurement so we did it again. However, we forgot that we hadn’t washed off the conductivity meter. This resulted in a possible chance of error because the water from the first test was still on the probe during the second testing. Also, we could have tested different areas of the pond on different dates. One particular area could trap more salts because of the algae and other plants and animals that reside in that part of the pond. The weather of the day we went could have affected the measurements as a cloudy day could produce different measurements than a sunny day. Also, the proximity of a date to a snowfall could have affected the measurement as well. If we went a few days after it snowed, the salt level may be different then it would have been had we gone a few weeks after it snowed. Overall, there are a number of factors that could have affected our measurements. ===

<span style="color: rgb(245, 128, 234)"> //__Conclusions:__//
=== Luckily, for our group, our hypothesis successfully matched our conclusion! Our group hypothesized that the salinity level would be much higher by the road than by the center and our data perfectly proves this hypothesis correct. It is clear that because of all the run-off (mainly road salt) that the water sources closer to the road are much more affected than water sources farther away and harder to get to from the road. === === It is extremely important to realize how important the salinity levels are for our environment. The higher the salinity levels results in unsafe drinking water for humans and danger for both aquatic and land animals. It is imperative that we keep the amount of run-off that goes into the water sources as limited as possible. A good solution to controlling the amount of salt in the waters could be to put more drains on the streets. As long as the water does not go into an area that serves as drinking water for different living things, then this would benefit everyone. ===

//__References:__//
=== 1. William Wegner and Marc Yaggi. “Environmental Impacts of Road Salt and Alternatives in the New York City Watershed.” __Stormwater.__ http://www.newyorkwater.org/downloadedArticles/ENVIRONMENTANIMPACT.cfm. (2001). ===