GetWET Log Book Summary
Field Safety
1. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.
2. Use bug spray that wards off ticks and mosquitoes.
3. Use sun screen and wear a hat.
4. Don’t approach or harass foxes and geese.
5. Stay with your group at all times.
6. Don’t do anything risky near Spring Creek. If it seems unsafe to sample in a particular
area, skip it, or use a bucket on a rope to get your sample.
7. Watch out for fast bikes on the bike path, especially in the tunnel.
8. Be careful in and near the gravel parking lot.
9. Keep track of your equipment.
Dissolved Oxygen and
Temperature
What is Dissolved Oxygen?
Fish breath oxygen through their gills. Water contains two forms of oxygen. The water
molecule itself contains oxygen (H2O), but fish gills cannot separate it from the hydrogen
atoms. The other form is the O2 molecule. O2 just floats around between the H2O
molecules. We say that the O2 is dissolved in the water. This is what fish need to breathe.
How does Dissolved Oxygen Increase?
1. Turbulent rapids froths up the water in the same way that a bubbler adds oxygen to an
aquarium.
2. Photosynthesis of aquatic plants during the daylight hours adds oxygen to the water.
How does Dissolved Oxygen Decrease?
1. Respiration of plants, bacteria, and fish consumes dissolved oxygen. Respiration
happens day and night.
Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature
The warmer the water is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold. One way to remember this
is that boiling water in a teapot drives off all of the dissolved oxygen.
What is the Range of Dissolved Oxygen?
Natural waters range from 0.0 mg/l to around 16.0 mg/l. These units are Milligrams per
Liter. This is the same as Parts per Million (ppm).
Think About:
1. How much dissolved oxygen do different kinds of fish need to survive?
2. What other forms of life rely on dissolved oxygen?
Human Impacts
When fertilizers that contain Nitrogen and Phosphorus wash off of lawns and gardens
during rain storms, algae in streams and lakes have more nutrients available to grow. This
is referred to as an algal bloom. Algal blooms can be different colors but generally appear
as scum on the surface of the water. During the bloom, dissolved oxygen levels increase.
Near the end of the bloom, decay by bacteria increases which consumes dissolved oxygen.
Do This:
Look carefully at the aerial photo and look for possible sources of fertilizer.
Think About:
Which other team is collecting data that might help you interpret your dissolved oxygen
data to assess the health of the water?
Instructions
1. Locate a site that is suitable for measuring dissolved oxygen. The water should be deep
enough so that the probe on the end of the cable does not get covered in streambed mud.
2. Turn on the meter. The screen should display “SELF” and then “CAL”. Then it will
switch to its normal measurement mode.
3. Carefully remove the probe cap from inside the steel guard. It just pulls off: DO NOT
TWIST. Do not touch the tip of the probe.
4. Place the probe into the water and gently keep it moving. Watch the temperature
reading on the meter. When it stabilizes, you can take a DO reading. The DO reading will
steadily decrease if you do not keep the probe moving in the water.
5. Fill out the data sheets completely.
6. Rinse the probe thoroughly with the Deionized Water squirt bottle. Gently shake off
excess water. Do not touch the tip of the probe. Replace cap on probe.
Electrical Conductivity
What is Electrical Conductivity?
Water is a conductor of electricity. This is why they tell you to get out of the swimming pool
during a lightning storm.
How does Electrical Conductivity Increase?
Adding natural or human-made salts to the water can make it a better conductor. In
general, electrical conductivity increases with increasing distance from the top of the
watershed. Also, evaporation can concentrate the amount of salt in water because the salt
does not evaporate with the water.
How does Electrical Conductivity Decrease?
Once salt goes into water, it is difficult to remove it. However, electrical conductivity will
decrease if you dilute the water with water containing fewer salts.
What is the Range of Electrical Conductivity?
Natural waters range from 10 µS/cm to around 850 µS/cm. These units are Micro Siemens
per centimeter, because the two electrodes on the tip of the probe are 1 centimeter apart.
You can convert this measurement to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) by multiplying by 0.67,
which is an average conversion factor. TDS is reported as milligrams per liter (mg/l) which
is the same as parts per million (ppm).
Think About:
1. Where does salt come from?
2. How would the electrical conductivity change after a heavy rain storm?
Water Hardness:
TDS is also referred to as water hardness: Soft = 0-75; Moderate = 75-150; Hard = 150300; Very Hard = 300+.
Do This:
Look carefully at the aerial photo and look for possible sources of salt and dilution.
Think About:
Which other team is collecting data that might help you interpret your electrical
conductivity data to assess the health of the water?
Instructions
1. Locate a site that is suitable for measuring electrical conductivity. Use the bailer or the
red bucket on the rope to get a sample of water.
2. Turn on the meter and wait for it to switch to its normal measurement mode.
3. Carefully remove the probe cap. It just pulls off. Do not touch the tip of the probe.
4. Place the probe into the water and gently keep it moving. Make sure the metal
conductors are completely submerged. Do not touch the bottom of the cup with the probe.
Wait for the reading to stabilize.
5. Fill out the data sheets completely.
6. Turn off meter. Rinse the probe thoroughly with the Deionized Water squirt bottle.
Gently shake off excess water. Do not touch the tip of the probe. Replace cap on probe.
Water Table Mapping
What is the Water Table?
Water flows through connected pore spaces beneath the surface. Gravity pulls water down.
The water table is the uppermost boundary of the groundwater.
How does the Water Table Increase?
1. Rain soaks down through the soil to the water table and adds to it. Because water flows
through pores very slowly, it can pile up.
2. Melting snow can increase the water table in the same way that rain can.
3. Floods can increase the height of the water table. However, if it is a short flood, the
water might not have enough time to soak in.
4. A losing stream can add water to the water table.
How does the Water Table Decrease?
1. Pumping wells for homes or irrigation will cause the water table to decrease.
2. Flow of groundwater after rain or snow storms can cause the water table to decrease.
Groundwater flow could be supplying water to a gaining stream.
Stream Height
The surface of the stream is the height of the water table in that location.
Think About:
1. How do you think the water table changes throughout the year?
2. How deep do you think the water table is near your home?
Human Impacts
Using well water to water a lawn does not solve the drought problem. Groundwater is
intimately connected to surface water. If you remove groundwater, you are also reducing
the amount of surface water that will flow at a later date. Not all water that is sprayed on
lawns returns to the water table. Much of it evaporates or is stored in the lawn itself.
Do this:
Plot your water elevation data on the graph provided. Then use the colored erasable pens
to contour your data.
Instructions
1. Locate the number marked on each well so that you know which well is which.
2. Turn on the water height meter. It should beep.
3. Slowly lower the probe into the well. Stop when you hear it beep constantly. Raise it up
until it stops. Lower it until it starts. Raise it until it stops. Hone in on the exact point
that it beeps.
4. Read the length marking on the measuring tape at the top of the white plastic well tube.
The measuring tape is Metric, so the units are Meters. Remember that there are 100 cm in
1 meter.
5. Record your data and subtract your measurement from the well’s elevation.
6. Locate the stream gauge in Spring Creek under the trees to the NW of the wells.
7. Without falling into the stream, read the elevation of the surface of the stream. This is
also Metric. Add your reading to the elevation of the bottom of the stream bed.
8. Plot your data on the laminated map of the well locations with the erasable markers.
Add contour lines to make a topo-like map of the water table.
Water Transparency
What is Water Transparency?
Transparency is a measure of how clear the water is. It is important, because aquatic
plants need sunlight for photosynthesis. The clearer the water, the deeper sunlight will
penetrate.
How does Water Transparency Increase?
1. Colder water in the winter months produces less algal growth and thus clearer water.
2. Mixing of clear water with turbid water can result in a net increase in water
transparency.
How does Water Transparency Decrease?
1. Adding nutrients to the water can cause Algal Blooms. During a bloom, algae can
produce a layer of scum on the surface of the water, limiting the amount of light that can
reach deeper plants.
2. Storms can cause fine sediment to be washed into the body of water. Fine particles of
silt can stay suspended for weeks.
Water Color
The color of the water can give you a clue about what is suspended in the water. Although
algae can be many different colors, it is most often green. Suspended silt in the region of
GetWET is typically brownish.
Transparency and Water Quality
Transparency is not a good indicator of water drinkability. Even crystal clear water can
contain invisible bacteria, viruses, and chemicals that can make you very sick.
Think About:
1. As you walk along Spring Creek, look for areas that are covered in algal scum. Look for
areas of stream bank erosion.
2. Do you think that water velocity is related to water transparency?
Human Impacts
Applying fertilizers to lawns before a rain storm can result in a large proportion of that
fertilizer washing off of the lawn and into the street gutter. Street gutters feed into storm
sewers that empty into the streams that pass through town. Careless application of
fertilizers can have a direct and immediate effect on the life in the stream.
Do This:
Look carefully at the aerial photo and look for possible sources of fertilizer.
Think About:
Which other team is collecting data that might help you interpret your water transparency
data to assess the health of the water?
Instructions
1. Locate a good place to sample the water. Don’t avoid scummy sections. Use the red
bucket on the rope to collect the sample. Do not scoop up the mud on the streambed.
2. Close the white clamp on the bottom of the Transparency tube. Notice the black and
white pattern at the bottom of the tube.
3. Fill the tube to the 120 cm mark and shade the tube with your body or a tree.
4. Look down through the top of the tube to see if you can see the black and white pattern
at the bottom.
5. If you can see the pattern, then record >120 cm for transparency.
6. Have a partner slowly release the water using the white clamp. Yell stop when you can
just begin to see the black and white pattern. Record the height of the water in the tube
using he metric scale on the side.
7. Fill the tube a second time and use the Crayola color chart to determine the closest
matching color. Use the crayons provided to fill in the square next to the Crayola color
name on the data recording sheets. Please try not to break the crayons.
8. Empty out the tube and describe your sampling site.
Soils
What are Soils?
Soils develop over time in any given place. They can result from the physical and chemical
weathering of bedrock or can develop in sediment that was deposited by a river or stream.
Soils are typically layered and can take many hundreds of years to develop.
Soil Maps
Soil maps show the locations of different types of soil.
Locate the soil map in the backpack and look at it. Soil maps are not exact and soils can
change over time. This map was made in 1980. Since then, this area has experienced a
major flood and significant urban development.
Soil Texture
Clay-Rich Soils
Soils with lots of fine sediments and clays can become saturated very quickly in a rain
storm. Water that cannot soak into the soil runs over the surface towards streams. Fine
silts are easily picked up by running water. Silt can take many weeks to settle out of water
running in streams. This can affect the transparency of the water.
Sand-Rich Soils
Sandy soils can absorb rain water faster and groundwater can move through the soil faster.
Soil Color
Soils occur in a range of colors. Colors can be inherited from the parent material. Soil
color can also be modified by organic material or swampy conditions. Black colors are
associated with anoxic, wet conditions.
Soil Carbonates
Some soils contain carbonates. Soil carbonate is in the form of CaCO 3. Carbonate can
neutralize acid that is added to a soil. Humic acids released from decaying plants is one
source of acid.
Think About:
1. Is the stuff on the bottom of Spring Creek soil?
2. How has land use by humans changed in this area over the last 200 years? How do you
think this would affect the soils?
Do This:
Look carefully at the aerial photo and look for areas that you think the soils might be
different.
Think About:
Which other team is collecting data that might help you interpret your soil data to assess the
health of the water?
Instructions
1. Locate a good place to sample the soil or streambed sediments.
2. Use your trowel to dig a 5” deep hole. Scoop up some soil on the trowel. If it is dry, use
the spray bottle to wet it. Then dump it into a plastic baggy.
3. Label the baggy with the Sharpie pen. Use the latitude and longitude for the label.
4. Use the Munsell and Crayola Color Charts to find the closest matching color. Do this in
the sunshine without wearing sunglasses. Record your color data and use the crayons to
color in the square on the datasheet. Please try not to break the crayons. For the Munsell
colors, be sure to use the complete Hue-Value/Chroma notation, for example: [Number +
Letter(s)-Number/Number].
5. Use the soil texture flow chart to determine the soil texture. Record your results.
6. Using the small bottle of 0.1 M HCl acid, carefully place one or two drops of acid on the
soil and watch for fizz. If you see tiny bubbles, circle Yes for carbonates on the data sheet.
If there are no bubbles, circle No. Do not get the acid on your skin, in your eyes, or on your
clothes. If you get any on you by accident, rinse with water.
7. Seal the baggy and put it into the backpack to bring back to the classroom.
8. Fill your hole back up with the remaining soil. Try to leave no trace of your digging.
Stream Velocity and
Discharge
What are Stream Velocity and Discharge?
Stream velocity is how fast the water is moving. You are used to measuring velocities with
the speedometer in cars. The speedometer reports velocity as miles per hour. In science,
we use the metric system, so we will use meters per second (m/s). It is the same idea just
with different units. Stream Discharge is how much water is moving at this velocity.
Discharge is reported as m3/s.
How does Discharge Increase?
1. After a rainfall, more water washes into the stream.
2. During the spring, snow in the mountains melts and drains down mountain rivers.
3. “Water rights” are laws that dictate how much water can be taken out of certain rivers,
streams, and irrigation canals. These “diversions” affect how much water flows at the
surface.
4. Seepage of water beneath dams can increase the amount of water that flows in a stream
or river.
How does Discharge Decrease?
1. Draught conditions can occur if there is a low snow pack in the winter or smaller
amounts of rain in the spring, summer, and fall.
2. Dams can decrease the amount of water in a river or stream.
Think About:
1. When was the last time it rained or snowed?
2. How does temperature affect discharge?
3. How are velocity and discharge linked? Are there areas along Spring Creek that look like
the water is flowing fast and other areas where the water looks like it is flowing more
slowly?
Human Impacts
Spring Creek has several notable features. It is disected by the Horsetooth Reservoir to the
west. Seepage under the dam helps keep Spring Creek flowing all year. It also has a
smaller holding reservoir west of Center Avenue. This pond has a spill gate that can be
raised or lowered to control the amount of water flowing at any given time. Irrigation water
diverted from the Poudre river joins Spring Creek in this pond as well. So, linking velocity
and discharge to precipatation is not that easy.
Do This:
Look carefully at the aerial photo and look for possible sources of water.
Think About:
Which other team is collecting data that might help you interpret your velocity and
discharge data?
Instructions
1. Locate a site that is suitable for measuring velocity and discharge. The water should be
deep enough so that a tennis ball will float without touching the streambed. The banks
should be easily accessible and safe. Do not work near steep banks where you could
potentially fall in the water. Also, try to find a part of the stream that is fairly uniform over
a 10 meter length.
2. Use the four wooden stakes, the two yellow ropes. and the orange mallet to create a
starting line and a finishing line exactly 10 meters apart.
3. Assign three people to the following three tasks:
A) Ball Catcher-- The ball catcher should have small feet. Put the yellow boots over your
shoes and take the fishing net and safely get in the water past the finish line. Your job is to
prevent the ball from getting lost.
B) Ball Tosser-- The ball tosser drops the ball into the center of the stream ~ 2 meters
before the starting line.
C) Timer-- The timer walks along with the ball and starts the watch as soon as it passes
beneath the starting line and stops the watch as soon as it passes the finish line.
4. Repeat three times and fill out the data sheet completely.
5. The ball catcher should stay in the creek and now use the folding meter stick to measure
the depth of the water every 25 centimeters along the finish line rope.
6. Fill out the data sheet and do the simple calculations.