|
Spring 2002
| Austin Middle
School
PowerPoint Presentation
On April 20 2002, the IISD Summer Environmental
Class has a special meeting at the banks of Delaware Creek. General Observations were made of the general appearance of
the creek. 6 aluminum cans were spotted with Burger King’s cups, plastic wrap, some
pieces of paper trash and a Kroger’s shopping cart.
There was dried mud found on the steps leading down to the creek
showing how flooding had occurred recently.
There was a hummingbird and a dragonfly flying overhead.
There wasn’t any odor; the water is clear where it met the
shoreline; and it appeared dark because the bottom was dirt over
concrete.
The
students remarked how the tests were easy to do/record, how they
had never had heard that water had hardness (our water was 7 grains per gallon, 120 ppm), nor did they make the connection of pH which we
did in 8th grade
class with water pH for this water quality project.
Some of our
problems with our sampling area is that this creek runs through
Irving, some has concrete sides/bottom, some is natural.
It is encouraged that we not go to the water level of this
creek due to accidents that have occurred in the past
We probably would have been more successful with our
macroinvertebrates survey at another part of the creek.
It was not rocky here and even though we did it a shallow
depth, it was not running over rocks.
By doing this
study, my students are excited about doing these reports on the road.
We will email our road
results even though it will be after the deadline.
|
Altamont School
| This project has been an exciting and
intriguing experience. Our class has learned so much about water, and
water testing. We have really had fun. The tests were much easier than we
thought they would be. Our class purchased a small Laborett Water Testing
Kit. Although this kit had many extra tests, it did not have some of the
required ones. We tested for pH, General Hardness, Carbonate Hardness,
Nitrates, Ammonia Content, and Carbon Dioxide Content. We also made
additional general observations, and measured the temperature. Our class
went to two local freshwater water sources. We visited a park, which was
fed by a spring, and also a pond at a local botanical gardens. The pond at
the park was actually much cleaner than we thought it would be. The spring
appeared much cleaner, but the results of the tests were very similar. The
pH of of the clean water was 7.5 and the spring was 8.0, both slightly
basic but optimal for most organisms. Fish, Ducks, and Birds were all
present at the park in abundance. (we have more to add later) |
Taipei American School
Many organisms depend on our watershed, yet it is so
badly taken care of. We took measurements at two locations along a small
stream originating in the mountains and passing through several small
villages. There was trash all around and even in the stream. The
water also looked dirty, so we were surprised that it really didn't seem
that polluted according to our measurements.
It was interesting to learn how to test the water and fun to go to the
stream up on the mountain away from school.
Our results showed an acidic pH level, so we would like to do some more
research to find out what might be causing that. Also, we found it very
hard to identify all the little creatures we saw. We would like to find
some clear, detailed pictures of those on the list so we can recognize
them next time.
On the report form we found that the pH we recorded was not one of the
choices available, so we clicked on 6.5, but our true recorded pH value
was 5.5.
We also found many other creatures other than those listed on the data
form. There were several butterflies, 10-15 tadpoles, very tiny fish, 4
spiders, 2 caterpillars, several water striders, and frogs. |
River Trails Middle School
On May 23rd and 24th the 7th grade students at River
Trails Middle School continued their biology-based Interdisciplinary Unit
which included a visit to McDonald's creek in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
Our hypothesis was correct. Based on fall ratings, the spring water rating
tests of McDonald’s Creek fell within the same ranges of fair to good as
determined by comparison and analysis of the biological, chemical, and
physical data collected.
For more data and information, visit our web page at
www.rtsd26.org/trails/7th/stream/index.html.
River Trails Middle School
Mount Prospect, Illinois |
IES Julio Caro Baroja
General conditions
We have go to bridge at Aldapas crossing, just in front of the School,
with the Gobelas river in below us. We have taken water samples with a
bottle tied to a string. It was made on May 27th 2002 at 12:45 pm. It was
softly raining; The day before, it was raining all day.
There were many living beings like birds and ducks. Sometimes, one can see
even some rats, but not in that very moment. When we took the
sample, the water was brown and stunk. In some parts of river we can see
the river bed, so that means, the river was not so dirty. There are many
algae and plants alone its course.
The water samples we took were a bit cloudy but colorless. There were also
some particles floating. The river banks are full of plants. |
Urban Community School
June 3,2002
We finished! This is Urban Community School (5th/6th)
Rm 1:Ms. Reagan's class in Cleveland, Ohio. We would like to share what we
found.
First, we found out we should test the water more than once with these
water quality tests: pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Nitrates, and
Phosphates. If the water is too acidic macroinvertebrates can't drink the
water. If there is too much base there would be a lot of soap type
materials. For macroinvertebrates to live in the Rocky River there
should be an even amount of acid and base.
Second, the water quality tests we performed showed us that the water
quality was fairly good. The Dissolved Oxygen test didn't come out
very well, it was a little bit low on the Data Chart. Also, we
didn't find many macroinvertebrates only one Sowbug that was dead.
We think it was because it was extremely cold that day.
Finally, we learned to get better results we should try to get closer to
the middle of the river. We could use our dip nets off the side and
underneath the old road that goes through the river. We should also go
more than once during different temperatures.
This was a lot of fun! THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
Urban Community School (5th/6th)
Rm 1:Ms. Reagan's class in Cleveland, Ohio |
Stowe Middle School
The Stowe Middle School Period 3 class performed tests of
temperature, pH, DO, and sampled for organisms in the pond behind our
school. We had hypothesized that the pond was only fairly healthy, and
that some areas of the pond resembled a cesspool. After performing these
tests we now believe the pond is healthier than many others.
We think that some reasons our pond's DO level is different than other
ponds is because of pollution and water temperature. We are the most
northerly pond that has recorded on this website, and we think that
location might also be a factor in the DO level. Since we are so far
north it is cool here, so we will have more DO in the water. The DO level
in our water is at a good level, and compared to others on the chart it is
one of the best. We learned that the higher the level of DO the better the
water quality is, and the more organisms that can inhabit the water. Since
the DO level was highest after a rainstorm we learned that rain affects
the DO level, usually for the better.
8 out of 17 classes that entered their data had a pH level of 7. We think
that rain affects the pH of a pond. Our pond is located in an area that
has a clean and healthy environment. Also, the only people who go to our
pond are from the school. We believe that a higher population of people
could severely affect the pH. Pollution emitted into the atmosphere has n
effect as well. We learned that our pond is fairly healthy pH-wise. There
are many organisms able to sustain life in our pond. Next time we would
experiment on the organisms that live at different pH levels.
There was a big difference in the temperature of the pond entered by the
different classes here at SMS. Period 1 and 2 measured temps. in the 20's.
We think it was this high because they might have only put their
thermometers near the surface of the water. Another comparison was
noticed between the our class and Australia. The temperatures were hugely
different, and they had nothing living in their water source. We learned
the colder the water the more oxygen in it.
Because the temperatures are different from the surface to the bottom,
next time we would test the water at different levels in the pond. We
could check the temperature depending on the weather. We could also go
into the middle of the pond to see if different critters live at different
temperatures.
We think our pond is healthy because we have at least 2 or more indicators
of a healthy pond environment. Our ecosystem doesn't get as much pollution
as cities as like Austin or Cleveland. Our pond is spring-fed, which helps
the water quality. We found over 1100 organisms in our pond, which is
proof that it is healthy.
Overall, we learned a lot about water, ponds, and organisms that live in
them. Thank you for the opportunity. |
Curtis Corner Middle School
There were four classes that took samples from the pond
in back of the school. The first cove, the bank to the left and right of
the center of the pond and the far cove were sampled. The water was
clear, yellow-green and had a marshy smell. At the coves there was a lot
of vegetation, many lily pads, duck weed, algae and ripples of water were
coming toward the cove bringing scum to it. At the far cove there
were tons of tadpoles and at the first cove there were frogs and crayfish.
From the class data the macroinvertebrates identified were mostly aquatic
worms and scuds. According to our chart this means fair or good quality
water. There were wood ducks and herons sighted by students who walk
to school past the pond.
We had a lot of fun learning to use the dissolved oxygen kits. It was
doing real chemistry!! It was interesting to watch the water turn
clear. The temperature of the water was 29 degrees C at the first cove,
24, 21, and 23 at the areas walking from the first cove to the far cove.
The dissolved oxygen was 6, 10, 10, 10 respectively. The pH was extremely
low (5.0) which may mean an "old pond is dying". According to our
readings, though, a pond with this low of a pH should not have much life.
We found tons of life in the pond!! We also noticed in our readings that
the DO is sometimes higher on a sunny day due to greater photosynthesis
happening. We did study the pond on very sunny, warm days and at times the
water seemed cold which would all lead to a higher
DO.
All of the students enjoyed this activity. "I learned from this project
that even if a pond looks disgusting and pretty gross, it may be pretty
healthy." "I learned that many things may be hidden in a pond that you
don't know about." "I learned a lot from this project like the names of
different macroinvertebrates and if they're sensitive or not to pollution.
This project was really fun and I wish I could do it again." "I enjoyed
most when we actually got to go out to the pond, and find and observe the
creatures, odors, pH, temperatures, water color, and turbidity. It really
taught me more about how an ecosystem works and what is found in it!" "I
learned that catching frogs is harder than it looks and that Mrs. Arcand
looks funny in waders!" |
Barkalow Middle School
Barkalow Middle School is one of two middle schools in
Freehold, New Jersey, USA. We are two classes from 7th grade and one class
from 8th grade in the Academic Enrichment Program Math and Science
classes. This is our gifted program.
This was our first year doing water monitoring. Our teacher began water
monitoring with the other middle school AEP classes in October. We have
learned a lot and found out that we still have much to learn. We
discovered that there are many facets to water monitoring, and we see some
beginning patterns when we look at the data we collected. This year
we saw that Lake Topanemus tested in the “Healthy” category.
We look forward to participating again in autumn and spring, and learning
more about this subject along the way. One of our goals is to keep
long-term data to track any changes over time. We would like to try
different chemical tests. The AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors who trained
us as BATS (Biological Assessment TeamS) and RATS (River Assessment TeamS)
were wonderful. We look forward to working with them again in the future.
Our best discovery was experiencing serendipity in the form of observing
the emerging of a dragonfly from its previous stage. This miracle was
performed right before our eyes, and helped us to see the meaning of the
entire life cycle of the larval stage of insects we find in the stream. We
will be painting this life cycle on a wall of the building at Lake
Topanemus.
We are excited about participating again next year and building on the
knowledge we have gained this year. Thank you for this opportunity. |
Murray Bridge North Schools
Water Testing at Rocky Gully Lagoon
Thursday May 9th 2002
Air Temperature 21C
Water Temperature 17C
Acidity / Alkalinity 7.5
Salinity 8.10 mS
Turbidity 30 NTU
Phosphate 0.25 mg/L
Macroinvertebrates found
Dragonfly larva
Backswimmer
Waterboatman
Water Spider
When we compare these with the results we get at other times of the year
we notice that our salinity is higher than after the lagoons have had a
flush out from rain, however when this monitoring was done there had been
no rain for about 3 months. Our phosphate and ph remain steady over the
year. As the water has not been flushed through the lagoons and the
salinity is high the number of macroinvertebrates is low. A good result is
that there are plenty of water birds using the lagoons.
Thank you for your organising of Take a Dip: Water in Our Lives and we would like to be
involved again in the future and we would make sure we are better at
keeping to the timelines.
Harry Beauchamp and B2
Murray Bridge North Schools |
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary
excerpt, for full report, click here
| Here is the data from Sir Wilfrid
Laurier Elementary School. Five groups tested the water from two separate
sources. What follows is a compilation of the results.
Our hypothesis was
incorrect, the Fraser river was in fairly good shape compared to what we
expected. We have subsequently learned that there has been a concerted
effort to clean up the Fraser river after many years of industrial
dumping. We were surprised at the coliform levels in the Capilano river as
it flows from Capilano lake, a major reservoir for the Vancouver area. We
have another hypothesis and that is that the count was high due to the
fact that there is a salmon hatchery above the area where we collected our
samples. We learned many things, especially about the process of gathering
information and the many variables that might affect results. |
|
