Robbins Park Water Case Study

According to Mrs. Loch’s fourth period class, there are many reasons as to why some things were wrong with Robbins Park’s water. The reasoning varies due to many different factors. Physical factors such as weather is a major issue. It’s an issue because it changes, and is not always the most credible data tests. This can affect different chemical factors of the water’s quality such as the pH and turbidity. The turbidity was 5 JTU was clear, but the DO level was 4ppm which is liveable, but very low. Also, the phosphat level was 2.75 ppm which is very high seeing as normal is below 0.03. Biological factors were also a problem because of the organisms living in the pond which were mostly pollution tolerant with limited to none pollution sensitive one. They can show the effects of the poor water quality, and if they are absent they show pollution/unsuitable conditions. The chemical factors can also affect the water quality. When leaves begin decomposing in the pond, phosphates are left behind, which can also be a reason why we found high levels of phosphate in the pond.

We believe that there are three possibilities why phosphate levels are really high at Creepy Pond. One

of the reasons for this is animal waste running off into creepy pond. There are many animals around the pond, their waste runs off into the water when it rains. Another reason for high phosphate levels are artificial phosphates in fertilizers which are widely used on farms around creepy pond. After the fertilizers are used, they eventually run off into creepy pond. This is important because the run off can create an algal bloom which causes fish to die which is harmful for creepy pond and the environment. Also this can be due to the many decomposing leaves that cause the low pH levels because acid is released from the leaves as they decompose, which makes the water more acidic.The roads surrounding Creepy Pond are also very harmful for the pond. Mainly because it is an impervious surface so all the rainwater runs off the road into the pond which can carry pollution with it. Some pollution that can enter the runoff that gets into the pond could include the salt put down when it is about to snow.
Frogs are essential to the Robbins Park environment, especially Creepy Pond. However, there has been a decline in the frog population at the park. Frogs need an area of space that has sustainable water in it. However, they are not getting that at Robbins Park. Too many trees are above Creepy Pond and the leaves are falling in the lake, which is harming the frogs, because of the increased acidity. Many of them are dead for different reasons. There is a road directly east of the lake that is polluting it. Whenever it rains, groundwater is coming off the streets, running into the pond, and polluting it, which is killing the frogs. To stop this we can use a conservation buffer.
One idea to help stop the pollution getting into the pond and eventually saving it could be by using a conservation buffer.

A conservation buffer is a small area of land with permanent vegetation. It is designed to slow runoff, provide shelter, and stabilize riparian areas. This could decrease the amount of pollution getting into the water and causing the high levels of phosphates, and acidic pH in the water. There are many types of conservation buffers, our class believes the filter strip will work the best around Creepy Pond. A filter strip is a generally narrow and long area of vegetation; the vegetation we would use is grass. We will have to buy and plant the grass seeds. The cost of the seeds will be determined by the amount it will take to cover the filter strip being placed around the

pond.
Another idea our class had to help creepy pond by controlling the algal growth is by adding floating plants, such as lilies and lotus plants, it will provide the pond with shade and reduce the direct sunlight causing the algal bloom. Algal blooms are rapid growths of algae in water that restrict the amount of sunlight that reaches the bottom of the pond. This is detrimental to the organisms that live at the bottom of the pond as they need the sunlight to survive. To start, it is best to clear all of the algae that is covering the surface of the pond. Then , it is best to add six or seven strands of lilies and lotus plants to every two square feet of water. This would be beneficial because by adding plants, all of the nutrients would be absorbed which would lower the turbidity of the water. The price range for this would be around, $24.95 - $49.95.
In conclusion, It is important for us to take care of Creepy Pond because not only will this help the organisms that live there, but it will also help the students of Upper Dublin. This plan is the most cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solution to the problems at Creepy Pond. In the future, this may lead to other districts following our example and starting to take care of their watersheds more. If we do not care for this nature reserve, it will lead to higher toxicity levels and will affect the ecosystem overall in a negative way. If we do not fix this problem as soon as possible, there may not be a Robbins Park for young students to utilize and learn from. Thank you for considering our proposal. We know you will make the right decision for our ecosystem and our community.