Hydrosapiens GIV eSAT of Vermont: Water Group 2013

Ben DeJong, Nina Brundage, Caitlin Beaudet, Julie Rickner, Mariah Ollive, Hannah VanGuilder, Heather McCabe,Carly Brown, Ian Browning, Jack Cinque, Alexander Cotnoir

Clear Water Revival:A case study in the Greater Burlington Area

Research Field DaysJune 24: Field Day at Centennial Brook

(Urban)

Research Question: Can we determine the relative health of urban and rural streams using a combined physical, biological, and

chemical approach?

June 25: Field Day at the Mill Brook (Rural)

Locations:

Centennial Brook

Drainage Basin: 0.34 mi2

Mill Brook

Drainage Basin for sampled location

at Mill Brook: 4.95 mi2

Entire Mill Brook Watershed: 16.3 mi2

Location Comparison

Methods:

Chemical

Physical

Biological

Physical

Stream Characteristics

Light Meter

Strength

Exposure

Habitat AssessmentEpifaunal substrate and available

cover

Embeddedness and size of cobbles

Velocity to depth comparison

Sediment deposition

Area of channel flow

Human Alteration

Frequency of riffles

Bank Stability

Bank Vegetative Protection

Riparian Vegetative Zone Width

Velocity (m/s)

Stream Geometry

Discharge (m3/s)

Depth (m)

Width (m)

Biological

Sampling Methods

Direct Water Samples

Dump and Rinse Net

Repeat 3 times

Macro Invertebrate Sampling

Macro Invertebrate Identification

Count and Identify Macro Invertebrate in water sample

Identifying characteristics

Determine the group and sub-group of each organism

Tally records

Chemical

Properties

Dissolved Oxygen Meter:

Oxygen LevelsHACH Meter:

Nitrate and Phosphate LevelsPollution

pH:Acidity

Data

Physical Results

Visual ObservationsMill Brook

Sunny and humid

Dirt road visible from stream

Located in rural mountain area

Noisier, wider width

Evidence of wildlife

Terrace formations

Evidence of creeping

Fence separating nearby shooting range

Centennial Brook

Sunny and humid

Paved roads by entrance of woods

Located in populated valley area

Riparian zones, meandering river

Evidence of recent rain

Vegetated banks

Evidence of wildlife

Habitat Assessment Data

River Cross Sections and Discharge

Mill Brook Cross Section Downstream

Sunlight Comparison

Biological Results

Multimetric Index

Metric Organisms

SEM

Chemical Results

Chemical Properties

Nitrogen and Phosphorous Levels

Concluding Results

Chemical

Physical

• Higher phosphorous and nitrogen levels in Centennial• Higher oxygen percent in Mill Brook

Optimal

Marginal

Sub Optimal

Biological

ConclusionThe Hydrosapiens have determined we can use physical, chemical and biological approaches to

determine the health of urban and rural streams.