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Researched by Breeana S.
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The purpose of this experiment was to determine if different flow rates affect the dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature in a stream.
I became interested in this idea while looking through a book about water quality and seeing all of the things that affect the quality of water on a daily basis.
The information gained from this experiment will determine what speed of flow rate affects dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and temperature the most.
My hypothesis was that at a flow rate of 5cfs the dissolved oxygen level, pH level, turbidity, and temperature would be different than a flow rate of 4cfs.
I base my hypothesis on a pamphlet called, Naturemapping for Fish and
Streams and a biologist, Julie Larson, who said that low flow rates can
cause fatally high water temperatures which affects the level of dissolved
oxygen, turbidity, and pH levels.
The constants in this study were:
Same area for testing
Same amount of water tested
Same method of measuring
Same width from shoreline
Same equipment used
The manipulated variable was the speed of the water.
The responding variable was the level of dissolved oxygen, pH level, temperature, and turbidity.
To measure the responding variable I used a dissolved oxygen probe,
pH strip, thermometer, and a turbidity meter.
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QUANTITY |
ITEM DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | turbidity meter |
| 1 |
dissolved oxygen probe |
| 1 | pH strip |
| 2 | glass vials |
| 1 | liter DI water |
| 3 | plastic vials |
| 1 | thermometer |
- Go to sample site #1 upstream of Wenas Creek on Longmire and Fink Rd.
- Rinse equipment with water from sample site.
- Put the sample collection bottle and slowly descend bottle into stream current and lift it back up at the same rate of motion filling the bottle to 15% of its capacity.
- Repeat this step going across the width of the stream until the bottle is filled 90 %.
- Release bottle from sample equipment and close it with a lid.
- Repeat steps 1-5 2 more times.
- Take glass vile and rinse with DI water or pure water.
- Wipe surface of the vile with clothe to prevent smudges.
- Put three drops of Oil glass on the vile and wipe with cloth.
- Hold lid of vile and shake it 4 times as to prevent air bubbles,
- Place vile in turbidity meter and wait for reading.
- Take 5 readings and average them and take their deviant.
- Take Multi Parameter Meter and test for dissolved Oxygen and saturation level of stream.
- Read temperature of stream by using Multi Parameter Meter thermometer.
- Take a pH strip and dip in one of the sample bottles.
- Leave pH strip out for 5 minutes and then compare to the shade guide.
- Measure flow of stream in cubic feet per second.
- Take the width multiplied by the velocity.
- Measure width of stream and measure velocity by setting up a rope from a specific point to another. (Should be ten feet long.)
- Drop an orange at starting point and time it till it reaches the end point. Record data and comment on weather and habitat or area.
- Go to Urban site at Adobe way road and North Wenas.
- Repeat steps 1-21.
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine if different flow rates would affect the dissolved oxygen level, pH, turbidity, and temperature.
The results of the experiment were that at a flow rate of 5 cfs the dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and turbidity were different than at a flow rate of 4 cfs. The average turbidity was 3.09 NTU at 5 cfs and was 2.11NTU at 4 cfs. The temperature was 3.2° C. at 5 cfs and was 1.3° C. at 4 cfs. At 5 cfs the dissolved oxygen level was 12.2, but 13.5 at 4 cfs. The pH level at 5 cfs was 8, but 7 at 4 cfs.
My hypothesis was that at a flow rate of 5cfs the pH level, dissolved oxygen level, turbidity, and temperature level would be different than at a flow rate of 4cfs.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be accepted because at a flow rate of 5cfs the pH level, dissolved oxygen level, turbidity, and temperature level was different than at a flow rate of 4cfs.
Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the weather or season would affect my results. I also wonder if the surrounding land use would effect my results.
If I were to conduct this project again I would test in a variety of
places, I would do more than one trial for each variable, and I would also
test for a wider range of flow rates and more of them.
I would like to thank the following people for there help in making my science project posible and successful.
- I would like to thank Janey Peterson for the rides to and from my test sites and to and from the rides to interviews.
- I would like to thank Bill Rice for getting all the equipment that made my project possible and I would also like to thank him for coming out to the field with me and showing me how all the equipment works.
- I would like to thank Ryan Anderson for coming out into the field with me and for contacting Bill Rice to get all the equipment I needed.
- I would like to thank Julie Larson for getting me started with my project and giving me some names that I could use to get further information.
- I would like to thank John Easterbrook for getting me data that showed me what the numbers would be like and what I would be doing.
- I would like to thank my advanced science teacher, Mr. Newkirk for helping me find an interest that I would be interested in and for correcting my project journal.
- I would like to thank Mrs. Pasckvale for helping me choose my colors for my board and for helping me but my board together.
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