Water+Quality+as+a+function+of+location+in+Flat+Rock+Brook

= Water Quality as a Function of Location at Flat Rock Brook   =

  


 **Abstract**  We decided to do our watershed project on water quality because water is an essential part of every living organism's life. Humans can survive only 3 days without water but humans can survive 3 weeks without food. Flat Rock Brook is the closest watershed to us and we were interested in evaluating the water quality. How is water quality evaluated? This is a very broad question and could suffer the consequences of being subjective or false. We decided that water quality would be determined by a neutral pH, high levels of dissolved oxygen, appropriate water temperatures, and the greatest manifest of safe water--the amount of aquatic and plant life in the surrounding areas. Our results did not disappoint us. We predicted that water sites farthest away from roads and man made structures were going to contain the water of the highest quality as compared to water sites located adjacent to roads. However, our end results disproved our hypothesis. Our conclusion was that the overall water quality at Flat Rock Brook was healthy because it met the standards we set forth in our investigation.

<span style="color: rgb(65, 180, 60)">**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Background ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Our Watershed Project is the study of how water quality is a function of its location. The quality of water from one stream will not be the same as the quality of water from another stream. We will define high water quality as water that has a neutral pH, high aquatic life, high level of dissolved oxygen, and a temperature that is suitable and appropriate for fostering aquatic life. We hypothesize that water sites located farther from human interaction, which would mean that the water has less exposure to various forms of pollution, is of higher quality than water sites located close to roads and other man made structures.

High water quality is essential to the lives of all living organisms. Water constitutes about 55-75% of the average adult human body and aquatic life is equally if not more so dependent on a quality source of water. Therefore, knowing the quality of water is essential to the health of the environment as we depend on water for many of our daily needs such as drinking, cooking, cleaning, growing crops, and generating electricity. Diverse aquatic life demonstrates high water quality because the water at the specific site is clean enough to sustain life.

The main sources of water pollution come from human activities. Mainly agriculture, but also others that include horticulture, transportation, and infrastructure. The effects of the bi-products of these foundations take a great toll on the health of the environment, yet much of this pollution is ignored. In addition, chemicals such as pesticides and chemical waste from factories are a direct toxin to organisms in the ecosystem. Other factors that affect water quality include change in pH and temperature. Most fish and other organisms have trouble living in acidic or basic conditions, so the pH of the water should be in a neutral, safe range. The change in pH can also affect the solubility of chemicals in the water. Water that is either too cold or too hot can be detrimental to the aquatic life. Change in temperature also changes the level of solubility of oxygen in the water, as cold water holds more oxygen than hot water.

Recently, great steps against water pollution have been made. More and more farmers are learning more efficient ways of using pesticides to limit the amount that is carried off by rain into the water. Most factories are becoming aware of the pollution that they have been causing and have cut down on their waste products flowing in the watersheds. Yet there is still more to be done to prevent future water pollution.

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(65, 180, 60)">**<span class="wiki_link">Methods & Materials ** <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Magellan GPS Dissolved Oxygen Meter Thermometer pH meter <span style="color: rgb(65, 180, 60)">** <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Method: ** <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> For every site that we collected data from, we first carefully recorded the GPS coordinates. Then we recorded the pH, temperature, and level of dissolved oxygen at the specific site. All of our equipments were essential in finding and recording our data.

This helped us identify the longitude and latitude coordinates of the specific site so that we can go back to the same approximate location in each of our visits.
 * Magellan Global Positioning System: **

We followed the instructions in the box and calibrated the instrument before taking measurements. We placed the tip into the water and moved it around steadily so that the meter would not take any of the oxygen into the reading. We then allowed the reading to stabilize and recorded our data.
 * Dissolved Oxygen Meter: **

We placed the temperature probe into the water and connected to probe to Logger Pro on our computers and recorded the temperature at each site.
 * Thermometer: **

For the first two times we went to FRB we used the pH meter to collect our data. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Using the Logger Pro on our Tablet PCs with the pH meter, we were able to get an accurate reading of the pH of each water sample. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> But the last time we went we had to collect water in a bottle from each site and bring it back because there was no solution left in the pH meter. So we conducted the test back in the classroom.
 * pH Meter: **

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center"> Here is a labeled map of Flat Rock Brook. Note the locations from where we collected our data.
 * <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(65, 180, 60); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Data ** <span style="color: rgb(65, 180, 60)">



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 * Discussion**

Our hypothesis for our Watershed Project was that bodies of water located farther away from man made structures and human impact at Flat Rock Brook is cleaner than water that frequently comes in contact with humans. We decided to test our hypothesis by testing the pH, temperature, and the level of dissolved oxygen in various water sites in addition to observing the abundance and quality of life in the surrounding areas.

To understand the results of our tests, we must first understand each of the objectives that we are testing for. The first is pH, which measures the amount of activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in water. In other words, pH is an indicator of the acidity of a solution. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, 0 being the most acidic solution and 14 being the most basic, and 7 being neutral. A pH less than 7 is considered to be corrosive and a pH greater than 7 is said to contain high concentrations of alkaline. So what causes the pH of a stream to vary? There are several factors that can alter the pH of a stream. One of the most important factors is the soil composition and bedrock through which the water travels. Depending on the rock type, the pH of the water can change. For example, if the bedrock is made from limestone, it can neutralize the water’s acidity while other rocks such as granite, will have no effect on the water’s pH. Acid rain is also another major contributor that can alter the pH of a stream. Acid rain is caused mostly by human emissions of large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that react in our atmosphere to produce acid rain. Also, the amount of plant growth in a stream can affect the pH of the water as well. When the plants die and decompose, carbon dioxide is released and it will combine with water to form carbonic acid. Large amounts of carbonic acid can lower the pH of the water in the stream. Lastly, human impact such as the dumping of chemicals, debris, or other material into water can change its pH. A fairly neutral pH level is essential in ensuring that various organisms are able to survive in the condition of the water. Through our research, we discovered that there was no trend in pH or temperature. Our sites during the winter had pH's in the neutral ranges, an indicator of high water quality. As the weather warmed up however, some of their pH's decline. This may be a sign of human pollution. As the weather warms up, the ice melts and turns into water. It could be possible that certain chemicals and small bits of worn metal from plumbing and sewage systems ran off into the streams and caused the pH to decline. There were no green or bluish stains in the water so we can safely assume that even though the pH did decline, the water quality has not been substantially damaged. However, there was a clear trend in dissolved oxygen levels depending on the site from where the data was collected.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Oxygen and water are the two main sources on the Earth that provide life. Without either, life would not exist. So what is dissolved oxygen and why is it an indication of high water quality? Dissolved oxygen is the measure of the amount of gaseous oxygen <span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">(O2) in an aqueous solution, in our case water. A high level of dissolved oxygen is an indication of high water quality because  the higher level of oxygen in the waters means that the water site can support more aquatic life. There are many factors that can lower the level of dissolved oxygen in streams. If the temperature of the water is too warm, due to frequent exposure of sunlight or human impacted pollution, the increased molecular activity in water will push the oxygen molecules out. If there is a high amount of bacteria such as sewage, it will use up the dissolved oxygen leaving less of it in the water. Plant fertilizers sometimes will run off into the water. Fertilizers are meant to enhance the growth of plants and it does the same for aquatic plants. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">As predicted, dissolved oxygen levels were higher at lower parts of the stream (sites 2 and 3). This is because after McFadden's pond, the dam stirs up lots of bubbles and causes churning, therefore increasing levels of oxygen. This exposure to more surface area of air allows the oxygen in the air to dissolve into the water more efficiently. The oxygen builds up in the water and therefore there is more dissolved oxygen at lower levels of the river. Another factor in determining water quality which is perhaps less quantitative and more qualitative is the breadth of aquatic life. We noticed many organisms swimming near the bottom of the stream (near Jones Road) than at the top of the stream. The top of the stream at Quarry Pond, had the least amount of dissolved oxygen, not only because it is at the highest altitude with the least amount of accumulated dissolved oxygen, but also because it is still water, where there is less churning and less exposed surface area for the oxygen to dissolve. Similarly, McFadden's pond had less aquatic life than lower parts of the stream due to the lack of movement in the water. Through our experiment, we can conclude that the level of dissolved oxygen in the water sites at Flat Rock Brook is high enough to support aquatic life and therefore the water is considered to be healthy and of high quality. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">The effect of temperature on the quality of water varies. The temperature of the water also has an effect on the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. We noticed an interesting trend when we compared the data between the different seasons. The temperature seems to play an important role in determining the dissolved oxygen levels of the water. The winter season had the highest levels of dissolved oxygen, whereas the spring season had the least. This is an interesting piece of data because, when we visited the sites during the winter, much of it was covered in snow or was frozen up. We had to crack through thin sheets of ice to get to the water under it. Intuitively, one would assume that the water under the ice would have less dissolved oxygen. We noticed that sometimes there would be air pockets between the ice and the water. Perhaps this provided the oxygen dissolved in the water. In any case, this data suggests that colder water can accumulate more dissolved oxygen than hot water. The difference in temperature, however, did not seem to affect the pH level of the water. The temperatures of the water sites at Flat Rock Brook did not lean towards any extremes and stayed around the ranges of the upper teens and lower twenties. This is another indication that water at Flat Rock Brook is indeed of satisfactory quality.

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(65, 180, 60); text-align: center">**Sources of Experimental Error** D <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(19, 17, 17); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">uring the process of collecting data, we came a cross a few mechanical problems. While it is not likely that our problems with the pH meter or the dissolved oxygen would have changed the general trends of our data, and therefore our conclusions, they are still sources of error. The first tim<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">e we went to Flat Rock Brook, the DO meter showed an error. Lucky for us there was another group there the same day, and they were kind enough to share their data with us. The last time we went to Flat Rock Brook we arrived only to discover that there was no solution left in the pH meter. So we collected water and brought it back to school and tested it there. We also have to consider the influences of nature. The first time we went was after a snowfall, which means that there could have been salt on the roads which would eventually flow into the stream affecting our data. Dissolved solutes would limit the amount of potential dissolved oxygen. Finally it is important to recognize the fact that we have greatly generalized the entire project. Since we only had four sites to compare, we have a relatively small sample size. There may be clusters of rapids which would not be reflected in our data. More sites would have given us more accurate data to consider. <span style="color: rgb(65, 180, 60)">

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(65, 180, 60); text-align: center">**Conclusion** From our results, we conclude that our hypothesis is incorrect. Our original thinking was that the water quality closer to the road would be dirtier than water farther from the road. We initially thought this because we assumed that there would be trash lower in the stream and that street fumes would contribute to the filth of the water. While this may be true to a certain, more specific testing reflecting the dangers of water ecosystems near roads would have to be conducted. In the end, we discovered that the water quality in Flat Rock Brook is quite healthy. Aside from recent rise in pH levels which we discovered from previous students’ work, the overall condition of the brook is good. There is a thriving ecosystem consisting of turtles, fish, and a variety of plant live, with relatively high levels of dissolved oxygen. Even though we discovered that dissolved oxygen levels decrease as you go upstream there is still enough oxygen in the water to support life. We discovered that the dam after McFadden's pond plays a vital role in the health of the brook. By creating more surface area, the dam allows for more a more diverse ecosystem. While Flat Rock Brook has relatively safe water quality, it is only one watershed and there are many more that may be in danger. It is in the interest of everyone that word be spread about the effects of water pollution and prevent an environmental crisis. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="display: block; color: rgb(65, 180, 60); text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**Bibliography**

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