1. Water Quality Elyse Howdershell, Taylor Dozier, Chudney Hill, Shauntavia Sawyer P ROBLEM S TATEMENT What are some of the effects of runoff and sewage related pollution on the Pasquotank river watershed? What can be done to minimize the negative effects on the water quality? H YPOTHESIS If samples from our sites show out of range levels for nitrates, phosphates, D.O., and pH, then contamination is indicated by natural or manmade pollutants. Recommendations will need to be made to mitigate these abnormal levels. Sampling Sites: -Dismal Swamp (DS01) -Pasquotank River (PR02) -ECSU (ECSU03) -ECSU (ECSU04) -Currituck Sound (CS05) ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY 2008 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Project W HAT DO W E K NOW Low dissolved oxygen can point to pollution Exceptionally high or low pH can point to pollution Abnormal nitrate and phosphate tests can point to pollution Runoff and sewage are a cause of pollution B URROUGHS W ELLCOME S AMPLING S ITES 08 W ATER Q UALITY Water quality is made up of many different parts which include: physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. These characteristics are compared to a set of standards. T ESTING FOR P OLLUTION We tested our water samples for: Nitrate Phosphate Dissolved Oxygen pH (PPM- parts per million) P HOSPHATES Total phosphate levels of non-polluted waters are usually less than 0.1mg/L or ppm. All of our samples showed high levels of phosphate which can indicate pollution. Our Phosphate Results: DS01-3ppm PR02-2ppm ECSU03-4ppm ECSU04-2ppm CS05-1ppm N ITRATES The federal standard for nitrate in drinking water is 10 mg/l nitrate-N, or 50 mg/l nitrate-NO3 All of our samples showed normal levels of nitrates. C ONNECTING THE L ITHOSPHERE TO P OLLUTION The lithosphere is the part of the earth that includes the crust and upper mantle. Fertilizers, chemicals, fecal matter, and pesticides can collect on the ground. They can be carried by precipitation into our water supplies through drains, ditches, and groundwater. Sewage overflows People polluting it Various aquatic activities (boating, water skiing, swimming, etc.) Storm water runoff Fertilizer runoff E FFECT OF P OOR W ATER Q UALITY Polluted water is killing aquatic life. Sewage water is preventing the sunlight to reach the sea floor. Excess nutrients, such as lawn fertilizers, can cause algae blooms S EWAGE & R UNOFF Sewage is mainly liquid fluid containing waste materials from households and industries. Runoff is the flow of water from rain, snowmelt, and other sources over the land. It is a major component of the water cycle. R EFLECTIONS We learned that the Pasquotank River is contaminated by sewage and by pollution. This was overall a good learning experience and a good opportunity. This was a good research topic to research and every question or answer lead to another question or answer. It was almost like a chain reaction! R ECOMMENDATIONS Get going on fixing outdated municipal water treatment plants Help localities set up programs that ensure septic system maintenance and monitoring Fully fund beach monitoring programs Conserve water Alternate crops to reduce the need for fertilizers Create zones between agricultural fields and any bodies of water that might be nearby. Use less hazardous waste and try planting without fertilizers. A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Botti Dr. Porter Dr. Pringle Dr. Rossbach Ms. Noble Mrs. Stamper Mrs. Jenkins Mrs. Fowlkes R EFERENCES http://www.midwestadvocates.org/assets/toxics%20large.gif http://www.hakkoairpumps.com/images/dissolved_oxygen_ chart.gif http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/site_students/images/ phscale.gif http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/crops/00517.html http://www.bestfish.com/tips/102998.html www.wikipedia.com http://www.google.com http://www.grinningplanet.com/2008/01-08/water-pollution-solutions-article.htm D ISSOLVED O XYGEN S CALE All of our samples were out of healthy range for dissolved oxygen. This may be due to false readings on the YSI. ECSU03 and CS05 showed unhealthy levels. Dissolved Oxygen Chart DS01-40.3 PR02-21.37 ECSU03-4.8 ECSU04-9.00 CS05-4.09 P H S CALE Water with a pH value between 6.5 and 8.0 is acceptable Our pH Results: DS01-7.22 PR02-6.6 ECSU03-6.6 ECSU04-7.21 CS05-7.84 All of our samples showed a healthy level of pH. Y ELLOW S PRINGS I NSTRUMENTATION (YSI) The YSI probe meter measures dissolved oxygen and pH. C ONNECTING THE A TMOSPHERE TO P OLLUTION The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth. Polluted water can evaporate into the atmosphere, forming acid rain. HYDROSPHERE - The hydrosphere is the collection all of Earth's water. The Pasquotank River is a part of the hydrosphere. BIOSPHERE - The Biosphere is all of the life on Earth. Chemicals are being tossed in to our oceans and rivers by humans, biosphere inhabitants. C ONTRIBUTORS OF P OOR W ATER Q UALITY Agriculture is a leading source of water pollution in rivers and lakes