Group+D

__**Stream Sampling/Studying-2008**__ 


 * David C.
 * Tyla D.
 * Hope B.

Due:10/25/08 Mrs.Chang Earth/Environmental science 3rd MWF


 * Introduction:**

Thursday October 16th 2008 our class went to two different streams to sample the water. The first location was the Swannanoa Creek, the second was the Catawba River. At both sites, we tested the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of water quality. Chemical consisted of dissolved oxygen, nitrates, acidity, phosphates, chlorine, and turbidity. Physical testing was the temperature of the water at both locations, downstream and upstream**.** Biological was the macroinvertebrates that we found in the water using a kick net. It is very important to monitor water quality in a watershed because we drink this water. Our group thought that the water would be clearer upstream then it would be downstream because there is more movement.


 * Materials and Methods**:

Everyone that participated in this activity received box's labeled with each section (pH, chlorine, turbidity ect..) Whenever you are using these boxes of materials you fill the water into the test tube, and drop in the tablets, and observe. We also used a kick net, waste water bottle, some tubs that we put the macroinvertebrates in, some ice trays to separate them, thermometer, ID sheet, tweezer, handlens

1.Undo the kick net, and get the bottoms of it even. 2.Put in water 3.Take bigger sized rocks out of the water and scrape them off so that it will get some of the living things off of them. 4.Put the rock's at the bottom of the kick net 5. Wait three minutes 6. Take it out of the water, by bending the sticks that you hold it up by down, so that the things that you are about to observe does not go back in the water. 7.Observe the living macroinvertebrates
 * In order to use a kick net:**

Swannanoa Creek ||~ Catawba River ||
 * Results**:
 * CHEMICAL**
 * ~ Chemical ||~ Swannanoa Creek ||~ Catawba River ||
 * Dissolved Oxygen || 4 PPM || 4 PPM ||
 * Nitrates || 0 PPM || 1 PPM ||
 * pH || 7 || 9 ||
 * Phosphate || 0.5 PPM || 1 PPM ||
 * Chlorine || 0 PPM || 0 PPM ||
 * Turbidity || 0 JTU || 0 JTU ||
 * ~ Physical: Celsius
 * Temp.Upstream:14 || TempUpstream:14 ||
 * Temp:Downstream:14 || Temp:Downstream:14 ||


 * Biological** **at Swannanoa Creek**
 * ~ Species? ||~ Quantity? ||
 * = Water penny ||= 6 ||
 * = Stone fly ||= 1 ||
 * = Midge ||= 1 ||
 * = Mayfly ||= 2 ||
 * = Caddifly ||= 5 ||
 * = Craynefly ||= 1 ||

Note: We also found crawdads, but we did not put them on the table above because we did not catch them on the kick net we just got them from the water.

We think that the Swannanoa Creek was cleaner and obviously it was, and the results show.
 * Discussion**:

The idea range for chlorine was 0.75PPM The idea range for phosphates is less then 0.1PPM The idea range for nitrates is 4-0 The idea range for dissolved oxygen 2-6 or more The idea range for pH is 5-9 The idea range for turbidity is 0-1JTU The idea range for temperature difference is 0 and 1 Celsius

Our water fell below all the correct numbers that it should have. We have came to the conclusion that the water is better upstream then it is downstream. We determined that the water is pretty good, but downstream it could be better.

All the benthic macroinvertebrates that we found whenever we used the kick net are sensitive to water pollution, and means that the water is in good conditions.

Obviously, the water at the first site is better then the water at the second site, we think that it's that way, because at the first site the water was moving more and at the second site it was kind of just staying still, like pools of water Finally, we have came to the conclusion that we accept our hypothesis. The data shows that Swannanoa Creek was cleaner than the Catawba River.