The Effect Of Diverse Land Use on the Quality of Water and Soils Along the Stonybrook River
 
Introduction
        A network of streams and tributaries from the headwaters to the mouth of a river is called a river system. The land area that drains rain and snow melt to a river is called a watershed, each tributary to the river  is part of a smaller watershed. Many watersheds have been altered as result of human needs for water, food, recreation, transportation, etc... growing demands have led to pollution of streams and rivers. Unwise land use further degrades water quality. A river may be less healthy where it passes through farmland, than where it passes through forested lands due to fertilizer runoff and sedimentation. As water flows through land being used for different purposes, it picks up contaminants which change the quality of the water.  Both additive and subtractive effects may be seen. Therefore it is important to measure the quality of a river over long periods of time to detect changes in a river ecosystem, including the land around the river as well as the water in it.

    While measuring water quality, it is imperative to collect data at different points along the river, stream or watershed, in order to compare the  quality along its entire length. Your quality measurements can then be correlated to the type of land use contributing to the watershed at that point. Physical, chemical and biological measurements are the tools necessary to recognize  the changes in chemical and biological constituents which are found in the water as it flows throughout the watershed.
 
    The Water Quality Index ( WQI) designed by the National Sanitation Foundation in 1970 consists of nine tests: Dissolved Oxygen, Fecal Coliform, pH, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Temperature, Phosphate, Nitrates, Turbidity, and Total Dissolved Solids. Raw data is transferred to a weighing curve chart to obtain a numerical value or "Q value", which is then multiplied by a weighing factor. Results are them added to determine overall water quality of the specific site measured.
        In addition to testing for water quality, soil constituents from the same site need to be be evaluated for their effects on the overall quality of the site.
 
 
 
 

 

Question
    What can be deduced about the effects of varied land use on the Stoney Brook subwatershed by evaluating the quality of both water and soil at several points to determine both chemical and biological constituants?
 
 
 
 
Hypothesis
    It is the team's hypothesis that because of the extensive agricultural useage of the land that there will be an increased amounts of both nitrate and phosphate contaminants in the river as it procedes through  the watershed.  This would lead to low levels of dissolved oxygen as well as high levels of bacteria.
 
 
 
Tests
What & Why
Testing
Protocols
Research Method
Data
Results
Standards
Team
Application
 
 
 
                                                             How to get involved
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Application of the Woodrow Wilson Project
from the Princeton Location to Home School Site
                             Massachusetts                    Florida
Princeton
 
        The Florida Group will be transferring the information from the Princeton area and modifying the question to apply to their home area of the Reedy Creek Drainage Basin.  They plan on working with their local watershed organization, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).  The Florida Group is from Osceola County and will be incorporating students throughout the district from all grade levels to participate in the collection and study of their respective locations/sites along Reedy Creek.

    The Massachusettes Group will have their students help with the monitoring of their own Stoney Brook (no kidding...it has the same name) as it proceeds to the Merrimack River.  Results will be combined with the group from the University of Massachettes, Lowell, who are also measuring the effects of water quality along the Merrimack River.