H2whOa!

The Governor’s Institute of Environmental Science & Technology- Water Group

Water Pollution Study

We have damaged the rivers and now we want to fix them. Testing to ensure the

water quality is normal To better understand the

wildlife To get experience in field

work.

Analyzing data of the physical, chemical, biological parameters to make sure the rivers are healthy.

“It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”-Richard Feynman

Why?

The Governors Institute of Vermont Environmental Science and Technology have conducted a series of tests and assessments for the overall quality of the rivers, Centennial and Mill brook .

Centennial Brook:

• The Brook is located in a urban area.

• The main part of the brook is

• .08 miles in length.

• It has many branches of water, but 2 main sections that branch towards the east and the south.

• It’s no longer touched by humans (as in farming and

living).

• It has lower water levels that can be seen by past erosion located

higher than the water levels now.

• Residential areas of the east side take up a lot of the watershed.

• The Watershed drains 887 acres

Land within the watershed

Centennial Brook Watershed

Mill Brook

Mill Brook is part of the Winooski Watershed, located in Jericho, Vermont.

Jericho is mainly farmland, with some residential areas.

Mill Brook is located in a rural area without a lot of civilization.

Mill Brook is used for recreational boating as well as trout fishing.

Mill Brook is about 9.5 miles in length.

Mill Brook Watershed

Mill Brook watershed area is 10,350 acres.

Stream Habitat Assessment Results

Mill Brook: AveragesCentennial Brook: Averages

Mill Brook: Suboptimal 140 Centennial Brook: Suboptimal 130

pH and Light • A pH measurement of 7.0 is considered neutral

for water so both brooks were more basic. pH can affect which organisms live in the water.

• Light levels affect watersheds by controlling temperature and algae growth.

• EPA standards for pH measurement are between 6.5 and 8.0 so both brooks are within the Federal Standards.

Centennial Brook

Mill Brook

pH level 7.9 7.3

Light Measurement

470 lux 15 lux

Conductivity

Conductivity = how well water can conduct electricity.

Directly related to dissolved ions/temperature (the warmer the water, the better the

conductivity)

Sources of ions: Sodium (road salt) Magnesium Calcium Iron Aluminum Chloride Nitrate Sulfate Phosphate

Centennial Brook

Mill Brook EPA Standard

Conductivity (mS)

4.3 0.07 5.9

ICP(Inductively coupled plasma spectrometer) report

Ca Fe K Mg Na 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

Centennial brook

Mill brook

560

Part

s per

mill

ion

Elements

Dissolved Oxygen & Temperature

• Streams produce and consume DO

• Velocity and vegetation add oxygen

• Aquatic organisms and organic matter consume oxygen.

• Dissolved oxygen is directly related to temperature.

The Numbers:Centennial Brook: Temp: 19°C DO: 11.2 mg/LAcceptable: 6.22-9.26 mg/L

Mill Brook: Temp: 13.5°CDO: 9.8 mg/LAcceptable: 6.8-10.5 mg/L

Phosphorus

Enters water systems by natural and human methods

Must be limited to not accelerate eutrophication- accelerated plant growth, algae blooms, low dissolved oxygen and death of certain aquatic animals

Centennial vs. Mill Brook

Average level of phosphate

Centennial Brook(measured for PO4

-3)

0.42 mg/L

Mill Brook(measured for PO4 -3)

0.07 mg/L

Lake Champlain-VT Standards(depending on location)

.01 mg/L to.054 mg/L

Nitrates

NO3- & NO2

-

Pollution sources: fertilizers, septic tanks, sewers

Algae growth limited sunlight

Testing water samples for PO4

-3 and NO3-

Nitrate content data

Centennial Brook

Mill Brook VT Standard

Nitrates (mg/L)

1.8 2.9 5.0

Macroinvertebrate Survey

• What are macroinvertebrates?

• Why should we study them?

• How do we collect them?

• What do our results mean?

MayflyMidge Larva

84.60%

8.37%

10.70%

Macroinvertebrates in Mill Brook

Percent EPTsPercent Pollution tolerantPercent Non-Insects/Other

10.70%

55.40%

33.90%

Macroinvertebrates in Centennial Brook

Percent EPTsPercent Pollution tolerantPercent Non-Insects/Other

SEM Data• What is SEM?

• What can it do?

• What did we find?

Calcium, Carbon

Oxygen

Element Map of Black Fly Larva

Key:Green= CarbonRed= OxygenBlue=Aluminum

Solutions

Despite the fact that Vermont is one of the healthier states in the

country, actions still must be taken to improve the overall

quality of the rivers and streams

• Waste water management/ water filtration

• Patrol for invasive aquatic plants and animals

• Weekly monitoring of the lake water quality

• Healthy buffer zones

• River and stream habitat awareness

Thank You!