1. Testing Water Quality Using Abiotic Factors

2. Definitions Abiotic – natural, never living objects
Example: rocks, rain, oxygen
ppm- Parts Per Million.
The oxygen content is 6 ppm
6 parts of the million parts tested are oxygen

3. Oxygen Importance to Watershed: Healthy average: 9-10 ppm
Plants release and animals take in to survive
Healthy average: ppm
Under 3 ppm will not support fish
Oxygen gets into water by…
Diffusion from surrounding air
Aeration of water over rocks and waterfalls
Waste product of photosynthesis

4. Carbon Dioxide Importance to Watershed: Healthy average: 6-12 ppm
Animals release and plants take in to survive
Healthy average: ppm
Under 6 ppm or over 20 ppm will not support fish
Days of heavy cloud cover = more CO2. (No photosynthesis)
This is good if alkalinity is high and bad if pond is acidic.

5. Alkalinity Importance to watershed: protects against pH change
Healthy average: Above 20 ppm
Sources:
Soil, limestone

6. pH Definition: measure of acidity in water Healthy average: 6-9
New ponds are alkaline
Debris causes acids to build up

7. Nitrates Definition: Combination of nitrogen and oxygen compounds
Source: fertilizers, scat, urine
Too many nitrates can cause algae to grow.
These organisms can cloud the water and take oxygen from fish and other species.
Healthy average: under 4.4 ppm

8. Temperature Pond habitat: warmer temperatures
Stream habitat: cooler temperatures
Temperature range for fish: 32 – 97 degrees F
Fish migrate, feed and reproduce based on temperatures
Different fish live in different temperature ranges

9. Turbidity Definition: dirt or sediment in the water
Secchi disk is used to measure light penetration
Clear Water: 24 or more inches of light penetration
Turbid Water: 23 or less inches of light penetration

10. Water Color Color Cause Fish Food Productivity Clear
Absence of plankton
Low
Green
Algae
Moderate
Brown
Diatoms (microscopic life)
High
Dark Brown
Peat, humus