LAB: WATER QUALITY TESTING AND ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
In 1972, the United States passed the Clean Water Act in response to a crisis in national water
quality. The intent was to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of
our nation's waterways. The goal of the Clean Water Act was to eliminate all pollutant discharge
into the waterways and for all the nation's streams, rivers and lakes to be fishable and
swimmable.
A generation after the passage of the Clean Water Act approximately one third of the stream
miles and lake acres in the United States are still polluted (Outwater, 1996). Half of all public
drinking water systems in the U.S. violate EPA standards for lead, pesticides or pathogens (EPA,
1992). Here, in the beautiful and productive Shenandoah Valley, drinking water sources have
been impacted by agricultural practices for many years. High levels of nitrates and fecal
coliform bacteria have been found in some private wells and in many local streams and rivers.
The purpose of this project is for you, as a group, to do some research about some aspect of
water pollution and water quality, which interests you. This project will include sampling from a
chosen body of water, performing chemical and physical analysis of the water samples, and
writing and presenting your findings. Do careful, creative work, individually and together, as
you and other members of your group plan, sample, write, and present the results of your project.
PROCEDURES
A. Understanding the LaMotte Kits
A previous laboratory period was an Introduction to the LaMotte water sampling kits. A detailed
step-by-step instruction sheet pertaining to water sampling and detection of the water parameters
was provided to help you become familiar with the overall design and methodology of the kits.
Recall that you worked in groups and assigned a kit to each member of your group. The
instructions for testing and some more background on each kit are available at the following
websites:
http://www.isat.jmu.edu/common/coursedocs/isat112/Limnolog/Limnolog.htm
http://www.lamotte.com
B. Choosing a Sampling Site
Each group will choose a sampling site. You will visit this site during two consecutive laboratory
periods. Your group should select one of the following sites on campus:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Arboretum Lake
upper storm water retention pond near the ISAT Building
lower storm water retention pond near the ISAT Building
Newman Lake inlet stream (behind Mr. Chips)
Newman Lake shoreline
Newman Lake outlet stream (near Port Republic Road entrance to campus)
any other body of water that you can easily access (with the approval of your instructor)
During each lab session designated for sampling, classes will not meet formally. The members of
your group will arrange to sample your chosen site using a LaMotte Kit. You will check out the
LaMotte kits in the lab at the beginning of your sampling times and return them to be checked in
at the end. Data should be recorded on site.
C. Weather conditions and site description/map
You should record climatic conditions, such as recent rainfall and air temperature, at the time of
sampling. In addition, note the water temperature. Include a map and description of the water
source, such as a river, stream, lake or pond in the written report. Note details such as your site
location, the primary land use in the watershed, the direction of flow, the source of water flowing
into your site, and the location and destination of water flowing out.
Results should be recorded as raw data on the data sheets provided and included as an appendix
in your report.
D. Water Analyses at the Site
Each group should conduct all of the analyses that the LaMotte kits can perform: pH, hardness,
dissolved oxygen, nitrate-N, nitrate, and phosphate. In addition, be sure to record the
temperatures of both the air and water at your site.
E. Ecosystem Characterization
Record your observations of the ecosystem. You should answer the following questions:





Describe the aquatic ecosystem – what types of organisms are present? (e.g. algae, fish,
waterfowl, frogs). Look closely for the organisms themselves or signs of their presence.
Describe the riparian ecosystem (i.e. the shoreline ecosystem that relies upon the nearby
water) – what types of organisms do you observe in the immediate vicinity of your sampling
location? (e.g. grasses, shrubs, trees, insects). Pick a small area around your sampling station
(e.g. 5 feet in all directions) and estimate the percent of land covered by barren ground,
impervious surfaces such as pavement, grasses, and other vegetation.
Do you observe any evidence of human impact on this ecosystem? (Think about the impacts
that were described in the video, “Four Mile Run: Reviving an Urban Stream”)
At what stage in the eutrophication process is this aquatic ecosystem?
Do you observe any sources of cultural eutrophication?
F. Reporting
The results of your project should be written in a group laboratory report. For the format of the
report, follow the ISAT Style Manual. The report should contain at least two appendices: the
data sheets that you completed in the field, and hard copies of your Powerpoint slides.
In addition to a laboratory report, results from this project are to be summarized in 6 Powerpoint
slides. You will present these slides during the laboratory period following the project.
The 6 slides that your group should prepare are:
Slide 1: Title (with project site and group names)
Slide 2: Introduction to the Site
Slide 3:
Slide 4:
Slide 5:
Slide 6:
Water Quality Results
Observations of the Ecosystem
Interpretation of Your Results and Observations
Conclusions
GRADING
You will be graded on group effort in acquiring the samples and performing the tests, preparing
and delivering the oral presentation, and preparing the written project report in the requested
format. Part of your grade for the presentation may come from peer evaluations. Barring
extenuating circumstances, each person in a group will receive the same grade. ("Extenuating
circumstances" include the failure of one group member to perform his/her part of the
overall group responsibility. The group members are expected to keep faculty informed if
this occurs with anyone in a group.)
Keep in mind that the LaMotte kits are a shared resource for all 112 students. We reserve
the right to penalize your grade for failure to return the kits in good working condition.
REFERENCES
Outwater, Alice (1996). Water: A Natural History. Basic Books, Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
New York, NY.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1992). Water Pollution. EPA Budget Needs to Place
Greater Emphasis on Controlling Nonpoint Source Pollution. GAO-T-RCED-92-46, April 7, 9
pgs.
WATER QUALITY TESTING AND ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION
GISAT 112 DATA SHEET
Group Members: _______________________________________________________________
Date: ___________
Sampling site: ___________________________________
Air temperature at site: ____________ in degrees Celsius
Water temperature at time of sampling: _______________ in degrees Celsius
Environmental conditions of site chosen, e.g., recent and current weather conditions:
Notes about water source, used in site characterization/mapping:
Water Quality Test Results
pH:
Dissolved Oxygen (ppm or mg/L):
Total Hardness (ppm as CaC03):
Nitrate - N (ppm):
Nitrate (ppm):
Phosphates (ppm):
Comments/ observations about ecosystem: