riveredge NATURE CENTER Determining Water Quality Teacher s Guide February 2011

Transcription

1 riveredge NATURE CENTER Determining Water Quality Teacher s Guide February 2011 Grades 6-12 Time: 3 5 hours Program Description: Using the river as a lab, learn about water quality by conducting chemical and physical tests. Collect aquatic invertebrates and use a biotic index to see how these organisms are indicators of water quality. Wisconsin Standards: Using science themes, students explain and predict changes in water. They identify questions that require skilled investigation to solve current problems observed through personal investigations. They collect information, make predictions and offer explanations. Focus Concept: Water quality can be determined by examining biotic and abiotic components. Essential Understandings, Processes and Skills: Understandings: 1. Water quality can be determined by conducting scientific tests. 2. Water quality can be a measure of the health of an aquatic environment (ex: rivers, ponds, lakes, etc). High water quality indicates an environment supportive of a great diversity of life. 3. Water quality can also be a measure of the safety of water for various human activities (ex: drinking, fishing, swimming, etc.). 4. Water that is determined to be safe for one use may be unacceptable for another use (ex: drinking, swimming, aquatic habitat, etc.) 5. Some abiotic components of a river include the current, temperature, amount of dissolved oxygen, ph, bottom substrate and suspended particles. 6. Biotic components of a river are animal and plant life, including cover (such as dead logs, overhanging plants, etc.). 7. To gain a more complete picture of the water quality in an aquatic ecosystem, measurements must be performed over an extended period of time. 8. The actions of people have a direct effect on water quality (i.e.: damming, land use, etc.). Processes and Skills: 1. Water quality can be determined by conducting scientific tests. 2. Water quality can be a measure of the health of an aquatic environment (ex: rivers, ponds, lakes, etc). High water quality indicates an environment supportive of a great diversity of life. 3. Water quality can also be a measure of the safety of water for various human activities (ex: drinking, fishing, swimming, etc.). 4. Water that is determined to be safe for one use may be unacceptable for another use (ex: drinking, swimming, aquatic habitat, etc.) 5. Some abiotic components of a river include the current, temperature, amount of dissolved oxygen, ph, bottom substrate and suspended particles. 6. Biotic components of a river are animal and plant life, including cover (such as dead logs, overhanging plants, etc.). 1

2 7. To gain a more complete picture of the water quality in an aquatic ecosystem, measurements must be performed over an extended period of time. 8. The actions of people have a direct effect on water quality (i.e.: damming, land use, etc.). Vocabulary: aquatic, benthic macroinvertebrates, dissolved oxygen (D.O.), diversity, ecosystem, effluent, indicator species, limiting factor, non-point pollution, parts per million, ph, turbidity, velocity, water quality index, watershed Preparation Activities at School: Riveredge is a partner with you, the teacher, in creating a high quality educational experience. We depend on you to prepare your students for their hands-on activities at Riveredge. Please do at least the starred activities before your field trip. This preparation is essential to meet curriculum goals. We are committed to excellence, so if you are unable to meet the minimum expectations in this guide or have any questions, please contact a Riveredge educator for help at 262/ (local) or 262/ (metro). *Denotes important activities that should be done before the field trip. * 1. To familiarize your students with the vocabulary words (defined at the end of this guide) ask them to use the words to create a mind map showing how these words and concepts are connected. * 2. Discuss the needs, both physical and biological, which all animals must meet if they are to survive (food, shelter, space, water, air, light and soil--all in the proper amount at the proper time). Then, list those needs that are specific to some animals, especially aquatic animals (temperature, ph, dissolved oxygen). 3. Some aquatic animals cannot survive in water that is too acidic or too basic (alkaline). Introduce students to the logarithmic nature of the ph scale. See our website for more information about ph. click on Testing the Waters then scroll down the right side to Water Quality Tests. The UW-Extension also has a ph activity on its website at click on map activities and then on Pondering ph. 4. The amount of dissolved oxygen in water is measured in parts per million (ppm). To give students an idea of the size of one part per million (ppm) tell them it s like: one drop of water in 16 gallons, or one ppm is 1 penny in $10,000, or one ppm is 1 in 16 miles. 5. The Milwaukee River Watershed's drainage basin encompasses approximately 840 square miles. Use a map of the Milwaukee River Watershed for the students to examine and do the following activities: (Riveredge has large watershed maps available. Ask for one when you are at the Center.) Maps of the watershed can also be found at the following websites: (Click on Map Activities then on Milwaukee River Basin map. Use the zoom to view smaller sections of the watershed.) or (A map of the watershed is on Friends of Milwaukee s Rivers home page. Click on Corridor Project for other water quality activities.) Pinpoint the locations of each of the student's homes (if within the watershed area), Riveredge and the main tributaries of the river (West Branch, East Branch, Silver Creek, North Branch, Cedar Creek and Lincoln Creek). a. Ask students to locate recreational lakes that they have been to such as Mauthe Lake, Long Lake and Big Cedar Lake. Have them describe what they liked or didn't like about the lakes and how the lakes and northern portions of the river were different than the river as it passed Riveredge or their community. b. Research and pinpoint the locations of dam sites along the Milwaukee River. Discuss the pros and cons of having dams. Do some areas in the U.S. rely on them for their livelihood? Based on all of this information, ask your students to make predictions about the water quality at Riveredge. Distribute copies of the Biotic Index found at click on Testing the Waters then scroll down the right side to Biotic Index Tally. Which group of organisms do the students anticipate finding at Riveredge? Why? 2

3 At Riveredge: 1. Your class will be met by a group of teacher naturalists (TNs) in the West parking lot. The TNs will introduce the program and acquaint the students with the procedure they will follow and the equipment they will use to determine the water quality of the river. Riveredge will provide all equipment. 2. The students will actually be going into the water wearing hip boots to do their testing and collect water organisms. To do their investigations they will be divided into teams of three. (You may wish to do this before coming to Riveredge.) 3. At the end of the class the TNs will lead a discussion of the major concepts and the effects of pollution on the balance of life in the river. 4. In the 3 hour program, the students will only have time to investigate one site along the river. During the 5 hour (all day) program, students will have the opportunity to compare and contrast water quality data they have collected above and below the dam. Your bus will need to stay all day to transport students to these sites during the all day program. They will then be able to draw some conclusions about the water quality at these two sites. Special Notes: This is an all outdoor program!! 1. During early spring and late fall the weather and water can be very chilly. Encourage your students to dress for the weather and wear layers. We suggest that students bring an extra pair of warm socks to wear with the hip boots if the weather warrants it. 2. If the river is high due to heavy rains the program may need to be rescheduled. You will be notified ahead of time if this is necessary. 3. Caution: In many cases, telling students to bring extra clothes is an invitation to accidentally fall in. Think it through carefully before suggesting this. Without telling your students, you may wish to bring, and leave on the bus, extra sweatpants and shirts in case of mishaps. 4. It is helpful if the students wear a belt or have belt loops in order to strap on the boots. 5. If you are bringing another non-river class on the same bus, please DROP OFF THE RIVER CLASS AT THE WEST LOT before the other class goes on to the East lot. Follow-up Activities at School: 1. Factors that affect temperature. Experiment with some factors, which affect temperature. Fill several identical containers with water. Set them in a sunny spot outside, in a sunny window or under a heat lamp. Vary their conditions in the following ways: a. Clear b. Turbid - Collect turbid (muddy) water from a stream or lake. c. Shaded - Use a cardboard box or large book to shade it. d. Light bottom - Put 2-3 inches of sand in the bottom. e. Dark bottom - Put dark colored rocks in the bottom. f. Volume - Find a container that is at least twice the size of the others and fill it with water. Measure the temperature hourly throughout the sunny period. How did the temperature changes vary? Create a graph showing their change. 2. How does acid affect plants? Test the effect of acids on plants. Buy or grow some fresh sprouts from the produce store. Get the kind sold in a box, where the sprouts are rooted in a fabric. You can start a batch of sprouts on your own by rolling some bean seeds in wet paper towel or clean cloth and then putting them in a plastic bag. Once the seeds have sprouted, water them daily with a solution of vinegar water. You can vary the strength of the acidity by adding more water. Record any differences between the seeds. Be sure to keep one batch of sprouts as a control. Water it only with water from the tap. 3. Take a "river walk" in your neighborhood. Make a map of the area and identify potential pollution sources along your section. 4. Adopt-a-stream or a stream section and organize annual litter and junk pick up campaigns. Take a litterbag with you. Make sure grates are not clogged with leaves and debris. Report clogged grates to city engineers. 3

4 5. Stencil storm drains. Borrow the stencil from the DNR or local UW Extension office. The stencil says: Dump no waste; drains to lake or stream. Your group can quickly paint the message near the storm drains around your neighborhood. (See for stenciling information.) 6. Keep hazardous chemicals out of your household wastewater. Learn about non-toxic cleaners that you can use for household chores. Check out the following web site for non-toxic alternatives 7. Take products like used oil, pesticides and paint to a county Clean Sweep campaign drop-off site. Sometimes these products find their way into water from being improperly dumped. Contact your local Land Conservation Office or County Extension to find out when the next Clean Sweep will be held in your area. Vocabulary: aquatic Refers to plants or animals living in or frequenting water. benthic macroinvertebrates The term "benthic" means bottom dwelling and refers to organisms that live in, crawl upon, or attach themselves to the bottom (substrate). The term "macroinvertebrate" refers to those invertebrates seen with the unaided eye. Most benthic macroinvertebrates in flowing water are aquatic insects or the aquatic stages of insects. dissolved oxygen(d.o.) Amount of oxygen gas contained in water, usually given in parts per million (ppm). It is a measure of the ability of water to support aquatic organisms. Water with very low dissolved oxygen content (less than 5 ppm), that is usually caused by too much or improperly treated organic wastes, does not support fish and similar organisms. diversity The number of living and non-living parts of a particular area. ecosystem All of the living and non-living things that interact together in an area. effluent The discharge from a sewage or industrial plant, usually offensive. indicator species A concept based on the fact that every species has a certain range of physical and chemical conditions in which it can survive. Some organisms can survive in a wide range of conditions and are more "tolerant" of pollution. Others are very sensitive to changes in conditions and are "intolerant" of pollution. The evaluation of water quality is linked to the numbers of pollution tolerant organisms at the site compared with intolerant organisms. A large number of tolerant organisms and a few or no intolerant organisms would indicate pollution. limiting factor Physical or biological influences in the life of an organism which affect its well-being and may even result in death. non-point pollution Pollution caused by sediments, nutrients, organic and toxic substances carried into streams by runoff. parts per million (ppm) Term used to state the amount of something dissolved in water, i.e. 1 drop of a material in 1 million drops of water (about 16 gal) = 1 ppm. ph The measuring unit to describe the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. turbidity A measure of the relative clarity of water: the greater the turbidity, the murkier the water. Turbidity increases because of suspended solids in the water that reduce the transmission of light. Suspended solids vary, ranging from clay, silt, and plankton, to industrial wastes and sewage. velocity The speed something is moving, usually measured in miles per hour, feet per second, or meters per second. watershed An area of land whose water flows, either over the land or in the groundwater, into a river or its tributaries. water quality index The index based on the concept of indicator organisms and tolerance levels. Organisms are collected and identified by comparing them with drawings or by using a key. They are then divided into three groups based on their tolerance for pollution. Each of the three groups is given an index value, with the least tolerant group having the highest index value. The index value is determined by multiplying the number of kinds of organisms in each group by the index value and adding the resulting three numbers together. Resources: Web Sites Water Fundamentals and Quality University of Wisconsin Extension website has information about water quality and natural resources education programs in Wisconsin. 4

5 2. University of Wisconsin Extension website that has information about The Milwaukee River basin, what influences water quality, and includes curriculum includes information on water basics, water usage, and the water cycle This EPA web site lists educational resources for all ages. Issues and Advocacy 1. Friends of Milwaukee s Rivers Corridor Project - The overall goals of the Corridor Project are: to generate interest and action to better protect river corridors and natural areas; to conserve wildlife habitat and movement pathways; and to improve water quality within the Milwaukee River Basin Explores water conservation issues including how much water it takes to make common consumer items and a water footprint calculator. Hands on Science Change write-up to read: Globe is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based education and science program. It involves students in taking scientifically valid measurements in the study and research about Earth's environment, with an interactive Web site to report and analyze their data and the ability to collaborate with scientists and other GLOBE students around the world. Projects include Carbon Cycle, Extreme environments, Seasons & Biomes, and watershed Dynamics Overview enables students to investigate their own watershed in order to understand the flow of water through the watershed, how human activities within the watershed both depend on and impact its hydrology, and how land use changes can affect the plant and animal communities in the watershed. Books Angel, H. and Wolseley, P., "The Water Naturalist", Facts on File, Inc., New York, Carlsen, W.S. and Trautmann, N.M., Watershed Dynamics Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series. National Science Teachers Assoc., Arlington, Viringia Hilsenhoff, W. L., Aquatic Insects of Wisconsin Key to Wisconsin Genera. Natural History Museum- University of Wisconsin Madison McCafferty, W.P. Aquatic Entomology. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Boston Parker, S., Pond & River Eyewitness Books. Alfred A. Knopf Inc. New York Reese Voshell, J. Jr. A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America. McDonald & Woodward Publishing. Blacksburg, Virginia Ried, G.K., "Pond Life A Golden Guide", St. Martin s Press. New York Riveredge Nature Center, "Wonderful Wacky Water Critters" (You can download a printable version or request a free copy through UW-Extension Publications at or by linking to the order form on the WAV website Curriculum Make Waves for Action. Water Action Volunteers. University of Wisconsin- Extension Milwaukee River Corridor Project. Friends of Milwaukee s Rivers Project WILD -Aquatic. Western Regional Environmental Education Council Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide. Council for Environmental Education