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Stream Pollution Assessment of Beaver Creek. By Joe Wendtland and Loyal Wergedal. Overview of Project. Conducted in Eau Claire County, Fall Creek Wisconsin From October 2000 to May 2001.
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Stream Pollution Assessment of Beaver Creek By Joe Wendtland and Loyal Wergedal
Overview of Project • Conducted in Eau Claire County, Fall Creek Wisconsin • From October 2000 to May 2001. • Worked with Paul Tweed, biology teacher of Augusta and Scott Thiel, science teacher at Altoona and Beaver Creek Reserve and staff.
Why we chose the stream? • We can’t see inside the stream, like we can on the ground. • Find what is in our water. • See how pollution affects our water and the living organisms that live in the water as well.
Hypothesis • Beaver Creek Watershed has a good water quality rating.
What is our project? • Insects • Fish • Chemicals • Temperatures
Disrupt stream bottom into D-framed net Empty all of contents into collection pan Remove 100 insects randomly (to avoid a bias collection) Insect collections
Some determinates of insect families include: body shape, gill structure, wings, mandible, and abdomen. Use FBI key by looking at these features Identify the Family of Each Insect
Temperature • Change in stream temperature between the hobos. • Temperature recorded by hobos, small devices that records temperature every 4 hours. • Placed 2 hobos in the stream one mile apart • Placed 1 above the stream
Why Collect Temperature Data • Correlation between fish and temperature • Correlation between dissolved oxygen and temperature • Change is temperature between two hobos in stream
Chemical Tests • Collect Water Samples from 2 sites • Analyze in Lab for concentrations • Decipher change
Nitrate Information • NO3 • Found in farm fertilizers • Promotes plant growth • Too much pollution causes a decrease in oxygen • U.S. Public Health Service only allows 10 mg/L. in public drinking water
Phosphate Information • PO4 • Found in fertilizers and pesticides • Stimulates plant growth • .1 mg/L. is recommended maximum for rivers and streams
Turbidity • Measure of sediment in water • Enables us to determine whether erosion or excessive growth is taking place
Dissolved Oxygen Information • O2 dissolved in water • Diffusion from surrounding air • Photosynthesis • Reduced by decomposition of excessive plant growth
Placed 2 minnow traps one mile apart at Field Station Collected every 4-7 days Measured and identified each minnow Fish Collections
Central Mudminnow Umbra Limi
Summary • From chemical tests we found stream has high phosphate levels but all other tests indicated good quality • Insect tests indicated overall good quality with minimal change • Temperature data fluctuated normally • Minnows found were typical of habitat
Concerns • Tests valid • Phosphate levels • Future interests in the Beaver Creek Watershed
Closing Comments • More work than we had anticipated. • Great class, but students must be committed because this individual work. • Only factor that would make this class even better is more time.