Water Quality ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY 2008 Burroughs

Water Quality ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY 2008 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Project Elyse Howdershell, Taylor Dozier, Chudney Hill, Shauntavia Sawyer PROBLEM STATEMENT What are some of the effects of runoff and sewage related pollution on the Pasquotank river watershed? What can be done to minimize the negative effects on the water quality? HYPOTHESIS If samples from our sites show out of range levels for nitrates, phosphates, D. O. , and p. H, then contamination is indicated by natural or manmade pollutants. Recommendations will need to be made to mitigate these abnormal levels. Sampling Sites: -Dismal Swamp (DS 01) -Pasquotank River (PR 02) -ECSU (ECSU 03) -ECSU (ECSU 04) -Currituck Sound (CS 05) TESTING FOR POLLUTION We tested our water samples for: Nitrate Phosphate Dissolved Oxygen p. H (PPM- parts per million) CONNECTING THE LITHOSPHERE TO POLLUTION The lithosphere is the part of the earth that includes the crust and upper mantle. Fertilizers, chemicals, fecal matter, and pesticides can collect on the ground. They can be carried by precipitation into our water supplies through drains, ditches, and groundwater. CONNECTING THE ATMOSPHERE TO The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth. Polluted POLLUTION PH SCALE Water with a p. H value between 6. 5 and 8. 0 is acceptable water can evaporate into the atmosphere, forming acid rain. HYDROSPHERE - The hydrosphere is the collection all of Earth's water. The Pasquotank River is a part of the hydrosphere. Our p. H Results: DS 01 -7. 22 PR 02 -6. 6 ECSU 03 -6. 6 ECSU 04 -7. 21 CS 05 -7. 84 BIOSPHERE - The Biosphere is all of the life on Earth. Chemicals are being tossed in to our oceans and rivers by humans, biosphere inhabitants. RECOMMENDATIONS • Get going on fixing outdated municipal water treatment plants • Help localities set up programs that ensure septic system maintenance and monitoring • Fully fund beach monitoring programs • Conserve water • Alternate crops to reduce the need for fertilizers • Create zones between agricultural fields and any bodies of water that might be nearby. • Use less hazardous waste and try planting without fertilizers. DISSOLVED OXYGEN All of our samples were out of healthy range for dissolved SCALE oxygen. This may be due to false readings on the YSI. ECSU 03 and CS 05 showed unhealthy levels. Water quality is made up of many different parts which include: physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. These characteristics are compared to a set of standards. REFLECTIONS This was a good research topic to research and every question or answer lead to another question or answer. It was almost like a chain reaction! The YSI probe meter measures dissolved oxygen and p. H. WATER QUALITY Agriculture is a leading source of water pollution in rivers and lakes This was overall a good learning experience and a good opportunity. YELLOW SPRINGS INSTRUMENTATION (YSI) • Low dissolved oxygen can point to pollution • Exceptionally high or low p. H can point to pollution • Abnormal nitrate and phosphate tests can point to pollution • Runoff and sewage are a cause of pollution Sewage is mainly liquid fluid containing waste materials from households and industries. Runoff is the flow of water from rain, snowmelt, and other sources over the land. It is a major component of the water cycle. We learned that the Pasquotank River is contaminated by sewage and by pollution. All of our samples showed a healthy level of p. H. Dissolved Oxygen Chart DS 01 -40. 3 PR 02 -21. 37 ECSU 03 -4. 8 ECSU 04 -9. 00 CS 05 -4. 09 BURROUGHS WELLCOME SAMPLING SITES 08 WHAT DO WE KNOW SEWAGE & RUNOFF PHOSPHATES Total phosphate levels of non-polluted waters are usually less than 0. 1 mg/L or ppm. All of our samples showed high levels of phosphate which can indicate pollution. Our Phosphate Results: DS 01 -3 ppm PR 02 -2 ppm ECSU 03 -4 ppm ECSU 04 -2 ppm CS 05 -1 ppm ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTRIBUTORS OF POOR WATER • Sewage overflows QUALITY • People polluting it • Various aquatic activities (boating, water skiing, swimming, etc. ) • Storm water runoff • Fertilizer runoff REFERENCES NITRATES EFFECT OF POOR WATER QUALITY The federal standard for nitrate in drinking water is 10 mg/l nitrate -N, or 50 mg/l nitrate-NO 3 Polluted water is killing aquatic life. Sewage water is preventing the sunlight to reach the sea floor. Excess nutrients, such as lawn fertilizers, can cause algae blooms All of our samples showed normal levels of nitrates. Dr. Botti Dr. Porter Dr. Pringle Dr. Rossbach Ms. Noble Mrs. Stamper Mrs. Jenkins Mrs. Fowlkes http: //www. midwestadvocates. org/assets/toxics%20 large. gif http: //www. hakkoairpumps. com/images/dissolved_oxygen_ chart. gif http: //www. epa. gov/acidrain/education/site_students/images/ phscale. gif http: //www. ext. colostate. edu/PUBS/crops/00517. html http: //www. bestfish. com/tips/102998. html www. wikipedia. com http: //www. google. com http: //www. grinningplanet. com/2008/01 -08/water-pollution-solutions-article. htm