Stream Health Lab

Over the past two weeks we have been walking down to the creek and conducting experiments to learn about the stream’s health. After participating in four labs to learn about the health of it I have come to the conclusion that the stream is fairly healthy. This surprised me considering all the trash that was found and everything else that happens there. I was expecting the stream to be polluted. Of course the creek isn’t ideal, and it certainly could be in cleaner. However, the results showed that it was in good health. The stream showed bare soil, minor bank erosion, and no turbidity. The widest point was no more than 8 meters wide, and the narrowest point was about 4.5 meters wide. The deepest point that my team found was about 1 meter deep, and the shallowest was .25 meters deep. We found that the velocity of the stream was 6.18 m/s. Given this I claim that the stream is in good health. There was no unusual scent to the water or soil. There was some foam in the creek, but everything

The amount of microvertebrates found shows the biodiversity of the creek and the general ecological condition of the river. The levels of dissolved oxygen is important because aquatic life (plants, aerobic bacteria, invertebrates, and fish) all need it at a specific level to live. Nitrogen acts as a fertilizer for aquatic plants that also serve as a food to aquatic animals. Sterile water normally has a nitrate level less than 4ppm, while nitrate levels more than 40ppm means that the water is considered unsafe drinking water. Phosphorus is another nutrient that serves as a fertilizer. 1ppm is the ideal level of phosphorus. Temperature affects the amount of dissolved oxygen, the photosynthesis process for plants, the sensitivity of organisms, and biodiversity of the stream. Because of the evidence I received while doing these experiments I claim that the stream is in good