1 / 20

Adopt-A-Stream Physical/Chemical Training

Join Georgia's volunteer water quality monitoring program to increase awareness about water quality, protect watersheds, and collect baseline data.

cwhaley
Download Presentation

Adopt-A-Stream Physical/Chemical Training

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Adopt-A-StreamPhysical/Chemical Training Georgia Adopt-A-Stream 4220 International Parkway Suite 101 Atlanta, Georgia 30354 www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.com 404.675.6240

  2. Georgia Adopt-A-Stream • What is it? • Georgia’s volunteer water quality monitoring program • Program Goals • To increase public awareness about water quality & nonpoint source pollution • To give citizens the tools & training to protect their watershed • To encourage partnerships between citizens & local government • To collect quality baseline water quality data

  3. Quality Assurance Project Plan • Quality Assurance Quality Control (QAQC) • Only individuals are certified • Certification is valid for one year

  4. To Maintain QA/QC Status, Volunteers Must … • Volunteers’ methods and test kits must achieve results within 10% of those obtained by trainer • Must sample at least monthly for one year and send the results to GA AAS • In the field, monitors must take two samples. • These samples must be within 10% of each other. • If they are not within 10%, take another sample until two samples are within 10%. • Reagents should be replaced annually

  5. What is a Watershed? • A watershed is a system. • It is the land area from which water, sediment, and dissolved materials drain to a common point along a stream, wetland, lake or river. • For each watershed, there is a drainage system that conveys rainfall to its outlet. • Its boundaries are marked by the highest points of land around the waterbody.

  6. What Watershed are You in?

  7. Physical/Chemical Monitoring • Physical/Chemical testing allows information to be gathered about specific water quality characteristics • Adopt-A-Stream recommends that at least four core measurements be taken: • Temperature • pH • Dissolved Oxygen • Conductivity • Nutrient testing, alkalinity, salinity, settleable solids and Secchi disk monitoring may be added to your list as interest and equipment allows. • Adopt-A-Stream offers a separate bacteria monitoring certification workshop

  8. When and How Often? • Because water quality conditions change on a daily basis, plan to sample regularly. • At least once a month • Same time and location • Record weather conditions

  9. Recommendations on Where and How to Collect Samples • Measure air and water temperature in the shade, avoid sunlight • For an ideal stream location, take samples mid-stream and mid-depth • Rinse glass tubes or containers twice with stream water before running test

  10. TEMPERATURE • Should be measured in the shade, away from direct sunlight. Air temperature should be taken before water temperature. • Temperature relates directly to dissolved oxygen levels. The higher the temperature, the less oxygen the water can hold. Also, life adapts to a narrow range of temperatures. Changes of only a few degrees can affect the life in a stream. • Temperature affects feeding, respiration, and aquatic metabolism.

  11. DISSOLVED OXYGEN • Needed for respiration for all aquatic life • State Standards for DO levels: • Average of 5 mg/L (or ppm) for Georgia streams and a minimum of 4 mg/L • Average of 6 mg/L (or ppm) for trout streams and a minimum of 5 mg/L • Inversely related to temperature: • As temperature increases, DO decreases • As temperature decreases, DO increases

  12. DISSOLVED OXYGEN • DO levels may increase due to • diffusion from the atmosphere, • plant metabolism as a waste product of photosynthesis • turbulent mixing (riffles) • DO levels may decrease due to • warm temperatures • an overload of decaying organic matter (due to excess nutrients) • slow moving, deep water

  13. pH • A measure of hydrogen ions (H+); aquatic organisms are sensitive to pH fluctuations • 0-14 scale; pure water has equal amount of H+ and OH- ions and has a pH of 7 • Expected range in Georgia: 6-8 • Some South Georgia waters may have pH as low as 3.5

  14. CONDUCTIVITY • Measurement of water’s ability to pass an electrical current. Conductivity indicates the presence of ions in the water. • Is affected primarily by geology of the area through which the water flows through • water that flows through granite tends to have low conductivity • water that runs through limestone and clay has higher conductivity

  15. CONDUCTIVITY • Georgia generally ranges from 50 to 1500ms/cm • AAS advises volunteers to find normal background levels • closely monitor any deviations • What can affect Conductivity levels? • Mining operations – release of iron, copper, cadmium • Agriculture – adds nutrient ions • Sewage effluent – chloride, nitrates, and phosphate • Urban runoff – auto fluids, salts, and chemical

  16. NUTRIENTS • Nitrates • A nutrient found in the water from fertilizers or animal waste. Sewage is the main contributor. • Normal background levels are below 1ppm • Phosphates • A nutrient found in water from soaps, fertilizer, animal waste, industrial effluent and sewage • Normal background levels are below 0.1ppm Excess nutrients can cause algal blooms, affect sensitive macroinvertebrates, and decrease dissolved oxygen levels

  17. Where Do I Submit My Data? • Data should be submitted to the state’s online database: www.GeorgiaAdoptAStream.org • Share your data with partners, local governments and your local Adopt-A-Stream coordinators

  18. Who Might Use My Data? • Local water departments, planners, or city councils • Colleges, universities, and technical schools use data in reports • Forestry services and environmental groups will use it for analyzing the equality of life in that area as well as a reference for future studies • Consulting agencies, local and state government

  19. Just the Facts • Raise awareness • Provide tools and training • Encourage partnerships • Water quality data ppm or mg/L Once a month Dissolved Oxygen (temp., DO) mid-stream, mid-depth Data – on-line database, local program, city & county government & municipality, partners, county commissioners, universities, others? pH 6-8 As low as 3.5 Conductivity The ability of water to carry a current.Is affected by mining, agriculture, sewage effluent, urban runoff. Temperature – importance of, where to measure… Excess Organic Matter Causes a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels • Dissolved Oxygen • not lower than 4 with an average of at least 5 mg/L or ppm Higher DO in the winter months

More Related