Water Quality 

Burroughs Wellcome 2008      

 Elyse HowdershellTaylor DozierChudney Hill

Shauntavia Sawyer

Problem Statement • 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?

HypothesisIf samples from our sites: -Dismal Swamp (DS01)  -Pasquotank River (PR02)   -ECSU (ECSU03) -ECSU (ECSU04)   -Currituck Sound (CS05)  -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.  

Burroughs Wellcome Sampling Sites 08

What Do We Know? • 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

 

Water Quality• Water quality is made up of many different parts

which include:     

o physical,chemical and biological characteristics

 • These characteristics are compared to a set of

standards.

Testing for Pollution   We tested our water samples for:  •Nitrate

•Phosphate •Dissolved Oxygen 

•pH (PPM- parts per million)    

pH ScaleOur pH Results:DS01-7.22PR02-6.6ECSU03-6.6ECSU04-7.21CS05-7.84

All of our samples showed a healthy level of pH

Water with a pH value between 6.5 and 8.0 is acceptable

Yellow Springs Instrumentation (YSI)The YSI is the probe

meter we used to measure dissolved oxygen and pH.

Dissolved Oxygen Chart

Our D.O. Results:DS01-40.3             PR02-21.37ECSU03-4.8       ECSU04-9.00CS05-4.09

ECSU03 and CS05 showed poor health levels.

PhosphatesOur Phosphate Results:DS01-3ppmPR02-2ppmECSU03-4ppmECSU04-2ppmCS05-1ppm

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.   

Nitrates

All of our samples showed normal levels of nitrates

The federal standard for nitrate in drinking water is 10 mg/L

Connecting the Lithosphere to Pollution

                     They can be carried by precipitation into our water supplies through drains, ditches, and groundwater. 

Fertilizers, chemicals, fecal matter, and pesticides can collect on the ground.

The lithosphere is the part of the earth that includes the crust and upper mantle.

Connecting the Atmosphere to Pollution

The atmosphere is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth.

 Polluted water can evaporate into the atmosphere, forming acid rain.

Connecting the Biosphere to pollution

                The Biosphere is all of                 the life on Earth.                                                           Chemicals are being                                                        dumped into bodies of                                                        water and affecting wild-                                                        life, SAV, and other                                                         marine life.

Connecting the Hydrosphere to Pollution

The hydrosphere is the collection all of Earth's water  

The Pasquotank River is a part of the hydrosphere.  

Contributors of Poor Water Quality• sewage overflows

 • humans polluting

 • various aquatic activities (boating, water skiing, swimming, etc.)

 • stormwater runoff

 • fertilizer runoff

 

• 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 algal blooms

Effects of Poor Water Quality

Sewage & Runoff• 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.  

Pollution Graph

Reflection

• We learned that areas of the Pasquotank watershed are contaminated by sewage and runoff.

•  Our research helped us understand water quality.

• We researched ways to improve the water quality.

Recommendations • Planting vegetation barriers• Fund beach monitoring programs • Alternate crops• Create zones between agricultural fields • Use less hazardous waste• Planting without fertilizers.

Recommendations• Discouraging roads and development

• Remove oil from parking lot runoff 

• ensure that septic systems are working properly

• stabilize irrigation hoses

Personal Recommendations

Shauntavia-   I recommend that all buildings like factories as well as people stop polluting the rivers and lakes.  Chudney-  I recommend that we all pitch together as a community and help reduce the amount of sewage, runoff, and pollution that is going into our bodies of water.    

Personal Recommendations Continued

Elyse- My suggestion is to get the community involved in frequent cleaning and monitoring of local water sources.   Taylor- My personal recommendation to help with pollution of our waters is to use more natural materials in fertilizers, making it less hazardous to the water quality.

We Would Like To Thank:

Dr. Jim BottiDr.William PorterDr.Leon Pringle

Dr. Thomas RossbachMs.Elizabeth  NobleMrs. Julie Stamper

A Special Thanks Goes To:

Mrs. Marie Jenkins  

 Mrs. Sheri Fowlkes

Reference

Page • http://edf.org/article.cfm?ContentID=644• 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.crjc.org/new%20WR4chapter/APPENDIX

%20C.RECOMMENDATIONS.pdf• http://www.grinningplanet.com/2008/01-08/water-pollution-

solutions-article.htm