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SPRING 1999 |
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Riparian communities: linking biodiversity to water qualityStudents eager to make changesTeacher hopes testing leads to lifetime of understandingHach adds 3 more easy test strip tests!Q&A:
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Riparian communities: students link biodiversity to water quality
These kids are leaping at the chance to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to help find solutions for the relevant ecological concerns facing their communities. Through the New Mexico Museum of Natural History's Water Ecology Research Project (WERP), now in its ninth year, these students are given the opportunity to participate in hands-on, long term collection of water quality data on the Rio Grande and some of its tributaries. The focus of the project is water ecology and riparian biological diversity. Tim Aydelott, statewide program coordinator explains: "We try to show the interconnectedness of the diverse riparian community and water quality by selecting three different sampling sites. The first being as pristine as possible, the second with a moderate amount of impact (chemical or physical degradation), and a third site that has been heavily impacted. Each of the sites are sampled on two occasions, separated by a minimum of three days." Using five different Hach Test Kits, the students take water samples at the locations and test for dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide levels, hardness, nitrates, phosphates, pH, temperature and suspended solids. The project also requires students to collect data on the biodiversity of the stream site by sampling and identifying the aquatic organisms present, the plant community along the shore and any terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates they can identify. Students are trained for this testing regime in the classroom and conduct an in-class experiment on the effects of fertilizers on the growth of algae in a closed system. For example, when farmers apply too much fertilizer, the excess is washed into rivers or lakes. Those same chemicals that help crops grow also increase the growth of bacteria and algae. The data collected by students in this experiment is used to make graphs for comparing to the data collected in the field. In addition to the established scientific protocols, time is allowed for customizing the program for each participating community. This customization involves local leaders and scientists working with the students to understand crucial water related issues affecting the community. In order to be selected for the project, students must complete an application, which
includes their most recent grades in math and science, and have a recommendation from
their math and science teachers. They are also required to write an essay expressing their
interest in the project. The most common reason given by students wanting to join the
project is to learn more about the environment and the water issues affecting their
communities.While 50-100 students each summer go through the WERP in New Mexico, a second
project sponsored by the museum — The Way Out West Project — involves 45 various
schools from New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. After completing the projects, the students
from all participating communities gather for a final meeting. Students from each site
present their data and results to the other groups. |
Riparian communities: linking biodiversity to water qualityStudents eager to make changesTeacher hopes testing leads to lifetime of understandingHach adds 3 more easy test strip tests!Q&A:
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Students eager to make
changes
For one Thompson Using Hach equipment, including several DR/2000 Spectrophotometers and DREL Portable Laboratories, his class monitors 25 sites along the Big Thompson River. Students use the results from chemical and biological monitoring to evaluate the uses of the river. In the process of reviewing regulations, the students discovered that part of the Big Thompson River was classified Recreation Class 2, which is defined as surface water "including, but not limited to, fishing and other streamside or lakeside recreation."1 The students realized, however, that several areas along the Big Thompson were being used for kayaking and tubing, so they initiated a petition to the state to have those areas upgraded to Class 1. Recreation Class 1 is surface water that is "suitable for recreational activities in or on the water when the ingestion of small quantities of water is likely to occur. Such waters include, but are not limited to, those used for swimming, rafting, kayaking and water skiing."2 The students put together their proposal for the upgrade, and then took their presentation to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Water Quality Control Commission.In less than a year, the change was made. "The students did it all," Buirgy says. Starting from an extracurricular club, the Thompson River Project has grown into a regular part of the school's curriculum. In the first year, 1991, there were just five students. Now there are more than 20 students in the class. On top of that, about half of the district's schools are involved in the project at some level. Buirgy says the goal is to have all the schools involved. Buirgy says the banks of the Thompson River Project reached far beyond school boundaries. It lead in part, he says, to the founding of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum. "I think the river project was a big part in the Big Thompson Watershed Forum's founding," Buirgy says. "It's real common in a community now to start having these watershed protection groups." The Forum is a consortium of citizens, municipalities, corporations and government agencies. The common denominator, he points out, is the desire to preserve local water quality. Buirgy says the success and the rapid growth of the Thompson River Project is because students, as well as the community, are becoming more aware of the environment. "I think it fills a need we didn't have before," he says of the project. "Back then, there was a high interest in moving outside the four walls and doing hands-on applications with the things kids have been learning about. It's a real project-oriented curriculum." The term "real project" is an understatement. Along with the Thompson River Project, Buirgy's class also collects water samples in partnership with the city of Fort Collins, located just north of Loveland." We collect them (the samples) and they do the analysis," Buirgy says, "so that gives us a chance to have a certified, lab-picture of what the data looks like." The cooperative effort has helped the students, as well as the Fort Collins water plant. Buirgy's class also collects samples for the Colorado Division of Wildlife's River Watch Network. "Before our agreement with Fort Collins, we had to do everything all the time," Buirgy says. "It was really wearing us down. The amount of time the kids needed to spend on analysis was a full-time job, and they couldn't spend time studying the issues and understand what the relationships were. We could see that there was a whole lot of learning that needed to be done...to understand what the data meant. 1, 2 "The Basic Standards and Methodologies for Surface Water", Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Commission About DREL Portable Laboratories DREL water test laboratories, based on the DR/2010 Spectrophotometer, cover a variety
of parameters, all in one convenient carrying case. There are five DREL kits to choose
from: DREL/2010 Complete Water Quality Lab, DREL/2010 Basic Water Quality Lab, DREL/2010
Soil & Irrigation Water Lab, DREL/2010 Aquaculture Lab, and the DREL/2010 Water
Conditioning Lab. |
Riparian communities: linking biodiversity to water qualityStudents eager to make changesTeacher hopes testing leads to lifetime of understandingHach adds 3 more easy test strip tests!Q&A:
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Teacher hopes testing
leads to lifetime of understanding About five years ago, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment approached high school teacher Gary Keehn about conducting water tests on the Wolfe and Missouri rivers in northeast Kansas. His job, along with the help of his students, was to keep track of 15 sites along the two rivers, paying closer attention to four areas where tests were to be performed twice a month for four years. The goal of the research, Keehn says, was to get more "baseline data" for the state."
Keehn attributed the large difference in pH to the soil, saying the area probably didn't have enough "basic soil to reduce the pH (alkalinity)." The students sent their results to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as well as to local fisheries and biologists, to let water officials decide the next course of action. The problem of turbidity, however, was solved by working with farmers along the rivers. "We were encouraging farmers to create a bigger buffer zone (between their crops and the river)," Keehn says. "Some were putting in 100-foot grass buffers, or getting trees planted. "Keehn now teaches at Jackson Heights (Holton, Kan.) High School, located about 30 miles north of Topeka. He and his students, using a DR/2010 Spectrophotometer, are testing water from the recently filled Banner Creek Reservoir, which was completed in 1995. His students are monitoring four sites twice a month in order to get a solid database for future use. His students monitor one site upstream from the reservoir, two on the reservoir and one downstream. "This lake has never been tested, or hardly been tested," Keehn says of the reservoir, which also serves for flood control, recreation and as a backup water source for Holton. "It's only been tested during the flood stage, which isn't accurate for year-round testing. I like to look at 3-5 years to get good data, and that accounts for drought and floods. That gives you enough to start finding problem sites, if you have them." The data Keehn's students collect from Banner Creek Reservoir will be sent to the Kansas Department of Natural Resource and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as well as local fisheries, biologists and county agencies. Working with the DR/2010 has helped the learning process for his students. "My goal as an educator is to use this equipment to train the students," Keehn says. "Then they're empowered to learn what's going on. They can understand it, as well as do the tests. It's so user friendly (the DR/2010) that the students are able to use it with no problem. I would promote and encourage teachers to use it." Keehn's long-term project is to get people using Banner Creek Reservoir to run simple tests, and then drop the samples into a collection box. "We want to get equipment and allow them to do a simple test while they're out there (on the lake)," Keehn says. "It creates community involvement.I don't want to be an extremist, but when people see what's going on, and see what we're doing, then they're more likely to help protect the water." About the DR/2010 Spectrophotometer The go-anywhere DR/2010 Spectrophotometer is perfect for teachers and students. Its
tough housing protects it from spills and abrasions. Inside, the DR/2010 has 120 commonly
performed analyses that are factory programmed, plus many high-tech, high-quality features
to make testing easy and accurate. |
Riparian communities: linking biodiversity to water qualityStudents eager to make changesTeacher hopes testing leads to lifetime of understandingHach adds 3 more easy test strip tests!Q&A:
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Hach adds 3 more easy test
strip tests! Hach has already introduced water quality test strips for eight key parameters that can be tested anywhere, easily, quickly, and affordably — with no handling of chemicals and no training required.
If you've tried Hach Test Strips, you know they use proven chemistries that are based on standard reference methods. If you haven't, then you're missing out on the easiest water tests kits available on the market. They're safe and disposable, and provide easy, dependable testing in only seconds. On a budget? Hach Test Strips are very economical, costing only pennies per test. In addition to our latest parameters, they are also available for measuring alkalinity, chlorine (Total and Free), hardness, iron, copper, nitrate-nitrite, chloride and pH. Testing water quality is easy and fun with Hach Test Strips. For more information, or
to place an order, call Hach at (800) 227-4224. |
Riparian communities: linking biodiversity to water qualityStudents eager to make changesTeacher hopes testing leads to lifetime of understandingHach adds 3 more easy test strip tests!Q&A:
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Q&A: nitrogen,
ammonia, nitrate, nitrite? Q. What is nitrogen? A. Nitrogen (N2), in its natural state, is a very stable gas in the atmosphere. It makes up almost 80 percent of the air we breathe and is essential for human, animal and plant life. Nitrogen enters the ecosystem through the nitrogen cycle. Q. What is the nitrogen cycle? A. The nitrogen cycle is the continuous flow of nitrogen in its many forms — ammonia, nitrite and nitrate — through the Earth's air, water, land, plants and animals. It's the process in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a form plants can use. For plants to use nitrogen, the gas must first combined with oxygen to form compounds such as nitrogen dioxide. Through another chemical reaction, nitrogen dioxide breaks down into nitrates or ammonia. The conversion of nitrogen from nitrogen dioxide into ammonia is performed by certain bacteria living in the soil and in the roots of leguminous plants, such as alfalfa, peas and beans. The steps in the nitrogen cycle:
Q. What is ammonium, and where is it found? A. Certain bacteria in the soil work to oxidize ammonium (NH4+) into nitrite. At high concentrations, ammonium is toxic to plants and animals. Q. What is nitrite, and where is it found? A. Nitrite (NO2-) is a form of nitrogen found in the soil. It is produced by the chemical change of ammonium by special bacteria. Nitrite is further oxidized by bacteria into nitrate. Q. What is nitrate, and where is it found? A. Nitrate (NO3-) is also a form of nitrogen found in the soil, and is used by plants for making amino acids, DNA and proteins. It is produced by the chemical change of nitrite into nitrate by special bacteria. Nitrate is a major ingredient of fertilizer and is necessary for growing food. Nitrates also stimulate the growth of plankton and water weeds that provide food for fish. This may increase the fish population. But if high levels of nitrates are present in ponds and lakes, algae growth can be excessive. If that happens, oxygen levels will be reduced and fish could die. Q. How do nitrates get into water sources? A. Some of the nitrates from fertilizers are absorbed by plants, however, some of it dissolves. Runoff and rain can carry the dissolved nitrates into streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Most high nitrate levels usually stem from agricultural activities. Nitrates can also get into water from lawn fertilizer, leaking septic tanks and cesspools, manure from farm livestock, animal wastes (including fish and birds), and exhaust from cars. Q. Why is testing for nitrates/nitrites important? A. Drinking water normally supplies only about 1 percent of a person's daily nitrate intake; vegetables provide most of the rest. But some water sources, such as wells in rural areas, contain higher levels of nitrate — as high as 10 parts per million (ppm) — than allowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Babies younger than six months old may become seriously ill from drinking water high in nitrate. The main threat to babies comes from formula made with such water. Bacteria in infants' digestive tracts convert the relatively harmless nitrate to the more toxic nitrite. Nitrite in turn combines with some of the hemoglobin in the blood to form a compound called methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen. The resulting condition, methemoglobinemia — also known as "blue-baby" disease — deprives vital organs of oxygen. Because nitrates can be reduced to toxic nitrites in the human intestine, the United States Public Health Service established 10 mg/L of nitrate-nitrogen as the maximum contamination level allowed in public drinking water. Water with nitrite levels exceeding 1.0 mg/L should not be used for feeding babies. Nitrite concentrations in drinking water seldom exceed 0.1 mg/L. |
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This page was last updated 08/16/06 |
In the southwestern United States, many Native American
and Hispanic middle school students are turning their enthusiasm for the natural world
into knowledge and responsibility for their environment. They are competing scholastically
for the opportunity to learn first hand about critical water issues affecting their
communities. The issues range from land and water rights to the affects of a major dam on
a rural area. 
Teachers often wonder if they've made a difference in
their students' lives.
What we were focusing on were high-impact areas,"
Keehn says, where his students used Hach's DR/2000 Series Spectrophotometer streamside.
"We were looking for coliforms, nitrates and pH, those kinds of tests. We were trying
to see the impact of human use, livestock and farming. One of the problems we encountered
was turbidity, and that affected a lot of things. We had some real high pH levels on the
river; the trend was high, almost 8 and 9. We also did some soil tests, and they were low
(in pH)."
Now, expand your testing capabilities with Hach's three newest test strips:
phosphate, ammonia, and our 5-in-1 Test Strip which tests for total chlorine, free
chlorine, total hardness, total alkalinity and pH.