An Evaluation of Stillwater Watershed

• YWSI Computer Camp

• JUNE 25-30 2000

• GROUP 1: Angela Black Nicole Marie Pugh Kristen Schulte

Location of Stillwater Watershed

This map shows where our watershed is located in Ohio!

Surrounding Counties

Assignment

• Study current conditions of our watershed• Compare to a healthy watershed such as Big Darby• Compare land use to biology measures

• amount of riparian zone available• population (urban vs. rural)• agriculture

• Study data to find effects of human use on the biology measures

• Interpret data and find correlations

Definitions

• IBI- index of biotic integrity (fish count) • ICI- invertebrate community index

(Macroinvertebrates)• MAXTN- maximum total nitrogen• QHEI- quantitative habitat evaluation index

Hypothesis

• 1.The IBI & ICI are directly effected by the nitrogen level.

• 2.The IBI is directly effected by the QHEI.

• 3. The ICI is effected by the QHEI.

• 4. There is a higher level of sediment in Stillwater than in Big Darby.

Current Conditions

Areas of Concern

• Nutrient enrichment- compared ICI & IBI to Nitrogen levels

• spreading of fertilizers and pesticides by humans on farm land causes an increase in nitrogen levels

• Other habitat alterations- compared QHEI to ICI & IBI

• clearing of land and altering of stream habitat by humans lowers biological diversity

IBI Count vs. Nitrogen LevelsIBI vs. Nitrogen Level for Stillwater

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Nitorogen Level (MAXTN)

IBI

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IBI

MAXTN

High Nitrogen level means a low IBI value

Low Nitrogen level means a high IBI

Graph Findings

• High Nitrogen = Low IBI

• Low Nitrogen = High IBI

• My hypothesis was proven correct because when the nitrogen levels were high the fish were low.

• This is because high nitrogen levels are toxic to fish populations.

Habitat vs. IBI

QHEI vs. IBI for Stillwatery = 1.098x + 22.881

R2 = 0.4392

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IBI Value

QH

EI QHEI

Linear (QHEI)

Graph Findings

• Low Habitat = Low IBI

• High Habitat = High IBI

• My hypothesis is correct because in areas of dense habitat there is a large fish population.

• This is because fish need a healthy habitat. So when there is a low QHEI there is a low IBI.

Habitat vs. ICIQHEI vs. ICI for Stillwater

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ICI Value

QH

EI

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ICI

QHEI

High ICI is not related to low QHEI High correlation because low QHEI

results in low ICI

Graph Findings

• Low Habitat = Low ICI

• High Habitat = High ICI

• Macroinvertebrates flourish when the quality of the habitat increases. So my hypothesis was proved correct.

Effects of Nitrogen on Macroinvertebrates

ICI vs. NITROGEN LEVELS

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NITROGEN LEVELS

ICI ICI

Linear (ICI)

Graph Findings

• My hypothesis was proved correct because there was a small trend when the nitrogen levels were high the macroinvertebrates levels did decrease slightly.

Darby vs. StillwaterSuspended Sediment

Comparing The TSS_AVG

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Darby

Stillwater

Results of Darby vs. Stillwater

• Results show that the sediment levels in Big Darby were lower than Stillwater.

• Although further investigations showed little correlation between sediment levels and IBI.

Conclusion

• There are many causes that lead to an unhealthy watershed, but we found chemical levels and habitat loss to be the most significant to the quality of Stillwater Watershed.

• Increase in nitrogen levels cause a decrease in biological diversity.

• Quality and Quantity of available habitat effect the health of the watershed.

Way to Preserve the Stillwater Area

• Rebuilding the riparian zone

• Controlling agricultural runoff

• Regulating industrial waste

• Setting standards for future development

Acknowledgements

• We Would Like To Specially Thank:• Chaperones-Lori Summers, Paula Williams, Fen Lewis, Virginie

Bouchard, Sharon & Shannon Schraegle

• Organizers-Sue Brown and Elaine Landwehr

• Instructors-Steve Gordon, Leslie Southern, and Kathryn Kelly