Problem
What is the aquatic health of the Nequasset lake tributaries as analyzed through chemical and biological parameters as well as physical habitat assessment?
What factors, both natural and human-influenced, contribute (positively or negatively) to the health of the Nequasset lake tributaries?
Background Information
Weather or not we realize it, as people that (presumably) live in the Bath area, the streams that flow into Nequasset are very important to our survival. They are numerous, and flow all over Southern Maine to feed into Nequasset, the lake that supplies our water. Any pollutants that get into these tributaries will eventually make their way into Nequasset, and the many ecosystems inside them play a small role in the overall …show more content…
Data from each test was recorded
Wastewater was collected and disposed of in the laboratory
Biological:
A one (1) meter by one (1) meter kicknet was placed in a 1 meter by 1 meter area of flowing waters
Heavy rocks were placed on the bottom of the kicknet so as to hold it in place
A lab partner would kick the mud for one (1) minute while the other two (2) would hold either end of the kicknet
The two partners holding the kicknet carefully lifted the kicknet so it lay horizontal, keeping all matter that was kicked upon it on the net
Specimens from the mud that were found on the net were counted
One specimen from each species found on the net were placed in small plastic containers filled about 25% of the way with isopropyl alcohol
Plastic containers were labelled
Steps 1-7 were repeated until a variety of specimens were collected and the allotted time was over (approximately 30 …show more content…
Since we are in a drought, the flow was very slow, 0.096 ft/sec, and the water depth was low, and anyone could easily walk through the water. The stream’s banks and bank stability were strong and intact. The channel gradient was low and not steep, and the sinuosity was meandering/braided. The embeddedness of the rocks in the stream was about 25%. There was quite an abundant amount of vegetation, the dominant plant species were conifer trees, deciduous trees, and herbaceous. The riparian zone was very abundant, there was a lot of moss, long grass, and shrubs. Now for animal life in the water, we saw many animals including fish, water bugs, crayfish, turtles, and even a leach. For animal life around the water we saw salamanders, finches, crows, squirrels, chipmunks, and we saw signs of beaver life. As for the land uses around the stream, the area was untouched, and there was no upstream influences. There was no signs any human impact around the area, we can also see how untouched the area is from how clean and good our chemical results
What is the aquatic health of the Nequasset lake tributaries as analyzed through chemical and biological parameters as well as physical habitat assessment?
What factors, both natural and human-influenced, contribute (positively or negatively) to the health of the Nequasset lake tributaries?
Background Information
Weather or not we realize it, as people that (presumably) live in the Bath area, the streams that flow into Nequasset are very important to our survival. They are numerous, and flow all over Southern Maine to feed into Nequasset, the lake that supplies our water. Any pollutants that get into these tributaries will eventually make their way into Nequasset, and the many ecosystems inside them play a small role in the overall …show more content…
Data from each test was recorded
Wastewater was collected and disposed of in the laboratory
Biological:
A one (1) meter by one (1) meter kicknet was placed in a 1 meter by 1 meter area of flowing waters
Heavy rocks were placed on the bottom of the kicknet so as to hold it in place
A lab partner would kick the mud for one (1) minute while the other two (2) would hold either end of the kicknet
The two partners holding the kicknet carefully lifted the kicknet so it lay horizontal, keeping all matter that was kicked upon it on the net
Specimens from the mud that were found on the net were counted
One specimen from each species found on the net were placed in small plastic containers filled about 25% of the way with isopropyl alcohol
Plastic containers were labelled
Steps 1-7 were repeated until a variety of specimens were collected and the allotted time was over (approximately 30 …show more content…
Since we are in a drought, the flow was very slow, 0.096 ft/sec, and the water depth was low, and anyone could easily walk through the water. The stream’s banks and bank stability were strong and intact. The channel gradient was low and not steep, and the sinuosity was meandering/braided. The embeddedness of the rocks in the stream was about 25%. There was quite an abundant amount of vegetation, the dominant plant species were conifer trees, deciduous trees, and herbaceous. The riparian zone was very abundant, there was a lot of moss, long grass, and shrubs. Now for animal life in the water, we saw many animals including fish, water bugs, crayfish, turtles, and even a leach. For animal life around the water we saw salamanders, finches, crows, squirrels, chipmunks, and we saw signs of beaver life. As for the land uses around the stream, the area was untouched, and there was no upstream influences. There was no signs any human impact around the area, we can also see how untouched the area is from how clean and good our chemical results