Water Chemistry Testing

We have been investigating the “health” of the Ramsey Brook in the following ways: • Mapping Imperviousness • Surveying Macroinvertebrates • Water Chemistry Testing

We will be sharing our data with this organization:

World Water Monitoring Challenge bodies.

cting w ™ is an international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water In 2013, a total of 184,965 visits were made by participants to monitoring sites in 51 countries.

We are taking on this challenge: To test the quality of our own waterway, the Ramsey Brook, to share our findings, and to help protect our most precious resource:

WATER!

The next few slides will explain what we are testing for and why:

Temperature We will take the temperature of both the water and the air.

Temperature can affect the results of some of the other tests, so it is important that we collect it.

pH

pH is the measure of the acidity of water. The pH scale ranges form a value of 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic), with 7 being neutral. The pH of natural water is usually between 6.5 and 8.2. Most aquatic organisms are adapted to a specific pH level and may die if the pH of the water is too high or too low.

Turbidity Turbidity is the measure of the relative clarity of the water. Turbidity should not be confused with color, since darkly colored water can still be clear. You can think of turbidity as how murky or cloudy the water is.

The lower the Turbidity, the better!

We measure turbidity using a Sechhi Disk (above.) The units are Jackson Turbidity Units (JTU).

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Nitrates

Nitrate is a nutrient needed by aquatic organisms to build protein.

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The decomposition of dead plants and animals and the excretions of living animals release nitrate into the aquatic system. Excess nutrients like nitrate increase plant growth and decay, promote bacterial decomposition, and therefore decrease the amount of oxygen available in the water.

One source of nitrate is from animal feces. This is why it is important to always clean up after your pets!

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Phosphates

Phosphate is a nutrient needed for plant and animal growth and is also a fundamental ingredient in metabolic reactions.

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High levels of this nutrient can lead to overgrowth of plants, increased bacterial activity, and decreased oxygen levels.

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In suburban areas, excess phosphates from lawn fertilizer often are dissolved in run-off and end up in surface water. This is an example of non-point pollution.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) •

Dissolved oxygen is important to the health of aquatic ecosystems.

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Aquatic organisms need oxygen to survive.

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Unpolluted waters contain high levels of dissolved oxygen and are able to support a diversity of aquatic organisms.

Questions: Be sure to Restate, Answer Thoroughly, and Support with evidence! 1. What is turbidity and how it is measured?

2. What is meant by “dissolved oxygen” and why is it important?

3. Give two examples of “non-point” pollution. In your answer, explain what is meant by this and how it is related to impervious surfaces.

4. Choose one of the factors we measured in class today. Explain our results and whether they indicate good or poor water quality.