adapted from presentation by

Brandon Bywater, Nisqually River

Education Project

Water Quality

Monitoring

All life on EARTH depends on WATER.

75 %

of the Earth’s surface is covered in

WATER!

surface water

The Water Cycle

Evaporation

Condensation (cools and forms clouds)

Precipitation (rain & snow)

Infiltration (groundwater)

Runoff

What’s the point?!?!

Water is a LIMITED RESOURCE.

Watershed: What is it?

All of the land that drains into a common body of water. Includes: Living things Non-living things Cultures Traditions

Puget Sound

Watershed

Thurston

County

Watersheds

Totten Watershed

ELD Watershed

Deschutes

Watershed

Henderson Watershed

History of Squaxin People

Image: http://squaxinisland.org/

SALMON are an important piece of our ecosystems,

economy, culture and traditions.

Point vs. Non-point Pollution

POINT SOURCE POLLUTION

Can be managed and controlled. Easier to form strategies for cleanup. Often managed by EPA.

NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION

Harder to identify and isolate. Often has millions of contributors.

Water Quality Testing

✘ Dissolved Oxygen ✘ Temperature ✘ pH ✘ Biochemical Oxygen Demand ✘ Nitrates ✘ Turbidity ✘ Total Solids ✘ Fecal Coliform

1.

Dissolved Oxygen

How much OXYGEN is in the water.

Animals in the water breathe in oxygen

Optimal Acceptable Poor Fatal

Salmon >9 mg/L 7-8 mg/L 3.5 - 6 mg/L <3.5 mg/L

2.

Temperature

How HOT or COLD the water is. (measured in degrees Celsius)

warm water

=

dead fish

Cold water holds MORE dissolved oxygen.

cold water

=

healthy and happy fish

3.

pH

How ACIDIC or BASIC the water is.

“ 7 ” is NEUTRAL on

the acid-Base scale.

1-6 Acidic

8-14 Basic

Changes in pH affect aquatic organisms.

Optimal Acceptable Fatal

Salmon 7 - 8 6.5 - 8 < 6.5

4.

Biochemical Oxygen

Demand

How much OXYGEN is being used in the water by BACTERIA.

Day 1 (D.O.) - Day 5 (D.O.)

Optimal value: < 6.0 mg/L

When there is more bacteria in water, it uses up more oxygen. This leaves less available oxygen for other animals in the water.

5.

Nitrates

How many nutrients are in the water.

Too many NITRATES feed bacteria.

Nitrogen from fertilizers. Rain events wash nitrogen into streams. More nitrogen creates more food for bacteria.

Making connections

More Nitrogen

More Bacteria

Less Dissolved Oxygen

For Animals

6.

Turbidity

How CLEAR or CLOUDY the water is.

How does TURBIDITY affect animals in the water?

Increases temperature Decreases visibility (predators can’t find prey & prey can’t avoid predators) Affects breathing Smothers salmon eggs

7.

Total Solids

The weight of CLOUDINESS in the WATER.

Optimal value of Total Solids

= < 25 mg/L

8.

Fecal Coliform

How much bacteria is in the water. (from the feces of warm blooded animals)

Fecal coliform lives in the digestive tract of:

Farm animals Human beings Wildlife Pets

Human health concerns affected by fecal coliform

bacteria in water.

Most common form of fecal coliform bacteria is : E. coli This can make people very sick.

Scenarios that may

Affect Water Quality

WHITE WATER Scenario #1 INCREASES:

Turbidity

Total Solids Dissolved Oxygen

FERTILIZER Scenario #2

INCREASES:

Nitrates

Turbidity

Total Solids

DECREASES: Dissolved

Oxygen

TRASH Scenario #3 DECREASES:

Dissolved Oxygen

INCREASES:

Fecal Coliform

Temperature Turbidity (leaching)

pH

INCREASES: Nitrates Fecal Coliform Turbidity Total Solids

DECREASES: Dissolved Oxygen

CITIES Scenario #5

INCREASES: Turbidity

Total Solids Temperature

Nitrates pH

Fecal Coliform

DECREASES: Dissolved Oxygen

point or

non-point

HEALTHY RIPARIAN ZONE Scenario #6

DECREASES: Temperature

Turbidity Total Solids

INCREASES: Dissolved Oxygen