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The Upper Hocking River Watershed. What is causing the Upper Hocking River watershed to be polluted?. By Mary Carson, Valerie Du, and Abigail Jewell YWSI 2009. The River’s Impairments . The Upper Hocking River suffers from: A low pH level Oils and grease within the water
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The Upper Hocking River Watershed What is causing the Upper Hocking River watershed to be polluted? By Mary Carson, Valerie Du, and Abigail Jewell YWSI 2009
The River’s Impairments • The Upper Hocking River suffers from: • A low pH level • Oils and grease within the water • Too many nutrients, especially phosphate and nitrogen • Siltation • Metals dissolved within the water • Many parts of the river are channelized
County Information • Fairfield, Perry, and Hocking counties. • Forests and agricultural areas. • 1197 square miles • The Hocking River goes through 7 counties • Lancaster is the fastest growing region of our watershed
Mary’s HypothesisAs the amount of Nitrogen increases, the diversity of the fish population decreases
Impacts of Nitrogen On Fish On Humans • As the total nitrogen levels increased the fish population decreased. • Increased Nitrogen levels often cause disease in fish. • It also suppresses oxygen levels • When water high in Nitrogen is consumed, the Nitrogen takes the place of oxygen in the blood stream • High levels of Nitrogen in drinking water are especially harmful to newborn infants.
Valerie’s Hypothesis When the measure of pH in the water becomes more acidic, the diversity of fish, also known as IBI, decreases.
Analysis My hypothesis was well supported by the data.
Abby’s Hypothesis: As Agriculture Development Increases, Phosphate Levels Also Increase.
Analysis • Agricultural development increased, the phosphate levels rose. • Algae grows very quickly and dies after a short period. • Algae decomposes very slowly. • Decomposing algae requires a lot of oxygen. • High levels of nutrients such as phosphate indirectly hurt the fish population
Conclusions • We conclude that high Nitrogen, Phosphate, and acidic pH levels are all causes of pollution in the Upper Hocking River. • Other causes of pollution that were less prominent : coal mining, siltation, grease, oil, and other habitat alterations.
Improving Our Watershed • The Friends of the Hocking River and The Hocking River Commission are the two main organizations that preserve the environment around the Upper Hocking River. • The Hocking River Commission reduce runoff by adding more easements surrounding the river. • They are having informing public meetings
Special Thanks to… Katie Hossler, Paula Williams, Steve Gordon, Shannon Schraegle, and Leslie Southern