1998 TORCH Environmental Science/GIS Institute
University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
July 6-17, 1998
 
Idaho's Water Quality
A Project by Jo Dodds
 
DESCRIPTION OF SITE

Idaho's water quality project involving schools all over the state is called SITE ( Student's Investigating Today's Environment ).
Middle School through High School students have been collecting, recording and analyzing water quality data at various sites close to their schools.  Manuals for teachers and students have been developed that provide lesson plans and directions in the use of the Water Quality Index.  Schools need a computer (either PC or MAC) and communication capabilities to access the Internet as well as the water testing equipment.  The web site allows students to have access to each site's data to compare and analyze.    Schools such as  Cascade High School  and Eagle High School have expanded their water testing projects to find solutions to their community problems.

WATER QUALITY INDEX

Students can calculate the Water Quality Index for their site and then use this index for comparing the water quality on different watershed sites.  The WQI is determined by performing nine tests including dissolved oxygen, pH, biochemical oxygen demand over 5 days, temperature, total phophate, nitrates, turbidity, total solids and fecal coliform.  The results of these tests are used to determine a numerical Q-Value.  The calculation of the Q-Value can be explored at the SITE Web site.
 
 SAMPLE SITES
 
Twin Falls, Idaho:  Rock Creek begins in the South Hills and flows through agricultural/ranch, aquacultural, industrial, and residential use areas before emptying into the Snake River.  Rock Creek Park, which is within the Twin Falls city limits, is being restored and cleaned up by the Old Towne-Adopt Rock Creek Project.  Businesses have contributed time, labor and money to create a tranquil and safe environment for the community.  O'Leary Junior High School has partnered with Price Hardware to participate in litter pick-up and also uses their site to test for water quality. Shoshone Falls on the Snake River, Twin Falls, Idaho 

 
 
 

 
 
Boise River Watershed:  The Boise River flows into the Snake River and has many recreational, agricultural/dairy, aquacultural, industrial and residential uses.  There are many schools which have study sites along the Boise River.  Explore  SITE's Web page for the collected and reported data.

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