|
The Effect of Damming on Water Quality Conditions for Salmon in the Yakima River |
|
Researched by Michelle
M. |
|
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of damming on water quality conditions for salmon in the Yakima River.
I became interested in this idea because the effect of damming on salmon is an important issue today. Also, I went on a field trip to Rosa Dam last year.
The information gained from this experiment could benefit fishermen, because they will know where to fish for salmon, and it will benefit environmentalists, dam builders and the general public.
My hypothesis was that there would be more dissolved oxygen in the fast-moving water before it is stopped by the dam.
I based my hypothesis on a quote from the Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring that stated, “Waves on lakes and slow-moving rivers, and tumbling water on fast-moving rivers act to mix atmospheric oxygen with water.” The water stopped by the dam is moving slower than the water before it is stopped by the dam, so there would be more dissolved oxygen in the water before it is stopped by the dam.
My second hypothesis was that the water would be colder below the dam than above.
I based this hypothesis on the Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring that said dissolved oxygen and temperature are related. Colder water has more dissolved oxygen. I thought that the fast-moving water would have more dissolved oxygen, so I also thought that it would be colder.
The constants in this study were:
- The river being tested
- The dam
- Testing method
- Time tested
- Frequency of testing
- Depth of water
- Distance from shore
- Testing equipment
The responding variables were the dissolved oxygen and temperature of the water.
To measure the responding variable I used a thermometer and a dissolved oxygen test kit.
| QUANTITY | ITEM DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | Dissolved Oxygen Bottle |
| 8 | Dissolved Oxygen 1 Powder Pillows |
| 8 | Dissolved Oxygen 2 Powder Pillows |
| 8 | Dissolved Oxygen 3 Powder Pillows |
| 1 | Thermometer |
| 1 | Square Mixing Bottle |
| 1 | Plastic Tube |
I. Select Test Sites
II. Temperature Test
1. Hold the thermometer
underwater for 2-3 minutes
2. Remove and record the reading.
3. Repeat steps 1-2 three more times.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 at other test site.
III. Dissolved Oxygen Test2. Remove and record the reading.
3. Repeat steps 1-2 three more times.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 at other test site.
1. Hold dissolved oxygen bottle
under water for 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove from the water and insert the stopper.
3. Remove the stopper and add one Dissolved Oxygen 1 Reagent Powder Pillow and one Dissolved Oxygen 2 Reagent Powder Pillow.
4. Shake vigorously. Brownish-orange precipitate (floc) will form if oxygen is present.
5. Wait for floc to settle to about half of the bottle.
6. Shake the bottle again and wait for the same results.
7. Add one Dissolved Oxygen 3 Reagent Powder Pillow and shake. The sample should turn yellow.
2. Remove from the water and insert the stopper.
3. Remove the stopper and add one Dissolved Oxygen 1 Reagent Powder Pillow and one Dissolved Oxygen 2 Reagent Powder Pillow.
4. Shake vigorously. Brownish-orange precipitate (floc) will form if oxygen is present.
5. Wait for floc to settle to about half of the bottle.
6. Shake the bottle again and wait for the same results.
7. Add one Dissolved Oxygen 3 Reagent Powder Pillow and shake. The sample should turn yellow.
8. Fill plastic tube with the
sample.
9. Pour the contents of the tube into the square-mixing bottle.
10. Add Sodium Thiosulfate Standard Solution one drop at a time until sample is colorless. Swirl after each drop.
11. The total number of drops used equals the mg/L Dissolved Oxygen.
12. Clean all bottles and tubes.
13. Repeat steps 1-12 three more times.
14. Repeat steps 1-13 at other test site.
9. Pour the contents of the tube into the square-mixing bottle.
10. Add Sodium Thiosulfate Standard Solution one drop at a time until sample is colorless. Swirl after each drop.
11. The total number of drops used equals the mg/L Dissolved Oxygen.
12. Clean all bottles and tubes.
13. Repeat steps 1-12 three more times.
14. Repeat steps 1-13 at other test site.
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of damming on water quality conditions for salmon in the Yakima River.
The results of the experiment were that, in the temperature test, the temperature was the same in both locations, at an average of 3.3∞ C. For the dissolved oxygen test, there were slightly higher dissolved oxygen levels in the fast-moving water before it is stopped by Roza Dam. The average dissolved oxygen level in the slow-moving water was 34.75 mg/L and the average dissolved oxygen level in the fast-moving water was 45.75 mg/L.
See my tables and graphs
My first hypothesis was that there would be more dissolved oxygen in the fast-moving water before it is stopped by the dam.
The results of this experiment indicate that my first hypothesis should be accepted because there was, on average, 11 mg/L more dissolved oxygen in the fast-moving water before it is stopped by the dam.
My second hypothesis was that the water would be colder below the dam than above.
The results of this experiment indicate that my second hypothesis should be rejected because the temperature was the same at both locations, at 3.3∞ C.
Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if a larger dam would have a bigger impact and, also I wonder if dams affect other water quality conditions.
If I were to conduct this project again, I would do it in the summer so there would be a bigger flow rate difference between the two locations and I would do many more tests over a longer period of time.
|
Introduction Salmon are an important part of the ecosystem. They are important to coastal economics. Salmon bring marine nutrients upstream and many animals eat salmon carcasses. They are also the best indicator of coastal ecosystem health. Humans rely on salmon for food, income, and sport. Two water quality conditions that salmon rely on are temperature and dissolved oxygen. Dams may affect these conditions. Dams A dam is a barrier constructed across a waterway. Dams are used to store and regulate the flow of water and, most importantly, they are used to produce hydropower. Hydropower is electricity generated by falling water. In a dam, turbines convert the kinetic energy of the falling water into the mechanical energy of the turbine spinning. After that, generators convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Most hydroelectric plants have four main parts. First is the dam, which raises the water level, controls the flow of the water, and creates a reservoir. Second is the turbine. The turbine converts kinetic energy into mechanical energy, causing the turbine to spin. Next is the generator, which is spun by the turbine and converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy. Last are the transmission lines. The transmission lines bring the electricity to homes and businesses. There are many different types of dams. The main types of dams are buttress dams, gravity dams, embankment dams, and arch dams. Buttress dams can be flat or curved. They have a series of supports, or buttresses, used to hold back the water. Gravity dams hold back the water using their own weight. They are expensive to build because they are made of so much concrete. Embankment dams are the most common type of dam in the United States and are made of earth and rock. Like gravity dams, they hold back the water with their own weight. Salmon There are five main types of Pacific salmon: chinook, chum, coho, pink, and sockeye. Chinook salmon are the largest species, and can weigh up to 120 pounds. They have lightly spotted blue-green backs and live between five and seven years. Chum salmon resemble sockeye and are silver. They can weigh up to ten pounds and live for three to five years. Coho salmon are also silver and live for about three years. They weigh up to 15 pounds and are a popular game fish. Pink salmon are the smallest and most plentiful species of Pacific salmon, weighing up to five pounds. They live for about two years, are silver, and are heavily spotted on their backs. Finally, sockeye salmon are a bluish-silver color. They live for four to five years and weigh up to seven pounds. Salmon are an anadromous fish. They hatch in freshwater streams. They swim to the ocean, and then return to their native waters when they are ready to spawn. The life cycle of salmon consists of five stages: egg, alevin. fry, fingerling, and adult spawner. Salmon are hatched in gravel beds in streams. The eggs are laid in the fall and they incubate during the winter. After about a month, eyes start to show. During this stage, water flow and temperature must be suitable. In late winter, the eggs hatch and become alevins. They are attached to a yolk sac containing nutrients. Alevins live and grow under the gravel for three to four months. Good flow and pure water are important to alevins. Alevins become frys when they lose their yolk sacs and emerge from the gravel in May or June. Frys are about an inch long, free swimming, and easy prey. They stay and feed for up to a year or more. In spring, salmon head downstream to the ocean and are called fingerlings. At this time the fingerlings are up to four inches long. They stay in the ocean for up to five years, feeding and growing to maturity. In early summer, the adults begin their journey back to their home stream and become adult spawners. They stop eating when they enter fresh water and live off of their stored body fat. When the spawners reach their destination, the female digs a nest, or redd, in the gravel up to 18 inches deep. The female then lays up to 8000 eggs and the male fertilizes them with milt. Then the female covers the eggs with gravel. Finally, after spawning, the salmon die. Temperature and dissolved oxygen are vital to Pacific salmon Temperature Most aquatic organisms are cold-blooded. Because of this, water temperature greatly influences aquatic organisms’ growth and biological activity. The higher the water temperature is, the more biological activity. Most species have a preferred temperature range. Temperature affects dissolved oxygen. The colder the water temperature, the more oxygen it can hold. Dissolved Oxygen Dissolved oxygen is crucial to the survival of most aquatic organisms. It is the amount of oxygen freely available in water. This oxygen enters the water through photosynthesis and from the air. The oxygen in the air is mixed with the water when the water moves. Dissolved oxygen levels peak at late afternoon and are lowest just before dawn. Oxygen dissolves more easily in colder water. Dissolved oxygen can be expressed as parts per million, milligrams per liter, and percent saturation. Conclusion Salmon are an important part of the environment. They are also a crucial source of food, income, and sport for humans. Salmon greatly rely on temperature and dissolved oxygen. Dams affect these two conditions. |
|
Barss, Karen. Clean Water. Chelsea House Publishers: 1992. Pages 16-30. “Building Big-Dam Basics.” 1/21/2005 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/dam/basics.html> Chandler, Gary and Graham, Kevin. Protecting Our Air, Land, and Water Twenty-First Century Books: 1996. Pages 6,7, 18-20. Mays, Larry W. “Dam.” World Book Encyclopedia. 1998. Pages 17-19 Mitchell, Mark K. and Stapp, William B. Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring. GREEN: 1996. Pages 18-24, 40-42. “Pacific Salmon: Five of a Kind.” 11/10/2004 <http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/species.asp> “Salmon Life Cycle.” 11/11/2004 <http://www.goldseal.ca/wildsalmon/life cycle.asp> “Temperature.” 1/27/2005 <http://waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/temperature.html> “Water Quality Parameters.” 10/8/2004 <http://imc..lisd..k12.mi.us/tests.html#anchor150821> |
I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
- My parents for taking me to the river so I could do my tests and for buying the supplies I needed for my display.
- Mr. Hepner for giving my lots of advice and for letting me use his water quality kit.
- Mr. Newkirk for correcting my mistakes and teaching me how to do a science project.
- Mrs. Helms for helping me with my project.
Top of page
Menu of 2004-2005 Science Projects