Stream Pollution Assessment of Beaver Creek

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Stream Pollution Assessment of Beaver Creek

• By Joe Wendtland and Loyal Wergedal

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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.

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Why we chose the stream?

• We cant 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.

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Hypothesis

• Beaver Creek Watershed has a good water quality
  rating.

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What is our project?

• Insects
• Fish
• Chemicals
• Temperatures

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Insect collections

• Disrupt stream bottom into D-framed net
• Empty all of contents into collection pan
• Remove 100 insects randomly (to avoid a bias
  collection)

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Use a D-framed net
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Identify the Family of Each Insect

• Some determinates of insect families include
  body shape, gill structure, wings, mandible, and
  abdomen.
• Use FBI key by looking at these features

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FBI Results
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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

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Why Collect Temperature Data

• Correlation between fish and temperature
• Correlation between dissolved oxygen and
  temperature
• Change is temperature between two hobos in stream

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Chemical Tests

• Collect Water Samples from 2 sites
• Analyze in Lab for concentrations
• Decipher change

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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

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Phosphate Information

• PO4
• Found in fertilizers and pesticides
• Stimulates plant growth
• .1 mg/L. is recommended maximum for rivers and
  streams

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Turbidity

• Measure of sediment in water
• Enables us to determine whether erosion or
  excessive growth is taking place

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Dissolved Oxygen Information

• O2 dissolved in water
• Diffusion from surrounding air
• Photosynthesis
• Reduced by decomposition of excessive plant growth

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Fish Collections

• Placed 2 minnow traps one mile apart at Field
  Station
• Collected every 4-7 days
• Measured and identified each minnow

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Common Minnows Found
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-Northern Redbellied DacePhoxinus eos
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Central Mudminnow

• Umbra Limi

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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

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Concerns

• Tests valid
• Phosphate levels
• Future interests in the Beaver Creek Watershed

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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.

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