Transcript Group 6
245 miles long Area is mostly agricultural Some urban land: Bellefontaine, Indian Lake Has greatly improved over last few decades. IBI- index given to a watershed according to how many species of fish are present. BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)- amount of oxygen used by bacteria to decompose waste Nutrients- elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous used for fertilizing crops Urban- land that is occupied by a city Siltation- loose soil that gathers in a river Eutrophication- the adding of unwanted nutrients that lead to overgrowth of algae METHOD: At Darby Creek we learned to test for Dissolved Oxygen and Nutrients. We also learned how electro-fishing works to give us IBI. 4 Major Threats •Point source Pollution •Hydromodification •Agriculture •Urban Runoff Bellefontaine As the Nutrient level increases, the BOD also increases. Bellefontaine •In the urban areas, nutrients and BOD levels skyrocket. •At the end of the graph, the factors decrease and remain constant. •Agricultural areas have had less pollution problems than urban areas. •As nutrients, such as fertilizer, increase, BOD, (or the oxygen loss due to bacteria), also increases. •Excess nutrients cause overgrowth of algae (eutrophication). •When the algae dies, the bacteria decomposes the waste and uses up the oxygen. As the urban land use increases, the IBI (population of fish species) Where decreases. are my friends? Urban vs. IBI Bellefontaine 60 Av_IBI 20.00% Urban 18.00% 50 16.00% 14.00% IBI Value 40 12.00% 30 10.00% 8.00% 20 Point Source Pollution and Agriculture at Indian Lake 6.00% 4.00% 10 2.00% 0.00% 10 01 10 0-8 01 8 10 0-9 02 4 10 0-8 02 2 10 0-8 02 4 10 002 88 10 0-9 03 4 10 0-8 03 8 20 0-9 03 4 30 0-8 02 2 30 0-8 02 2 30 0-9 03 4 30 0-8 03 2 30 0-9 05 4 30 0-8 05 2 30 006 94 30 0-8 06 4 30 0-9 07 4 30 0-8 07 2 30 0-8 07 4 30 0-9 08 4 30 0-8 08 2 40 0-9 01 4 40 0-8 01 2 40 002 94 40 0-8 03 2 40 0-8 03 2 40 0-9 06 4 40 0-8 06 2 094 0 Place and Time Percent of Urban Land The higher red areas represent cities. Indian Lake pollution in 1988 caused a large dip in the fish population but in 1994 the IBI recovered. Bellefontaine did a better job of protecting their fish population. •The more populated the area, the more the IBI decreases. •The urban community channelizes the river, destroys the Riparian Zone, and pollutes the water ruining the fish’s habitat. As the BOD increases, the IBI decreases. Where is my oxygen ? BOD vs. IBI Av_IBI 60 12 BOD 5 Point Source Pollution causing bacteria growth 10 40 8 30 6 20 Many fish die due to multiple sources of pollution. 4 40060-94 40060-82 40030-94 40030-82 40020-82 40010-94 40010-82 30080-94 30080-82 30070-94 30070-84 30070-82 30060-94 30060-84 30050-94 30050-82 30030-94 30030-82 30020-94 30020-82 20030-82 10030-94 10030-88 10020-94 10020-88 0 10020-84 0 10020-82 2 10010-94 10 10010-88 IBI Value 50 Place and Time •Indian Lake had a large drop in IBI in 1988. •In 1984, Bellefontaine had a lot of bacteria in the water. •Both cities seemed to have solved their pollution problems after a few years. •The factors are inversely related. • As the BOD increases, the IBI decreases. • The more bacteria there is, eating the waste,the more oxygen they consume. The fish that need a lot of oxygen cannot survive, thus, the IBI decreases. •Water quality has greatly improved. •Improvement due to upgrade of water treatment plants. •One of the most extensive and important recoveries witnessed by the EPA. •Education is vital to ongoing improvement. Nisha says, “YWSI is number one!” This program was brought to you by YWSI! Special thanks to: Steve Snake, Leslie Lion, Paula Penguin, Virginie Vulture, Kathryn Kangaroo, Julie Jackal, Rebecca Raccoon, Diana Dolphin, Shannon, Judy Fountain, EPA staff, the OSC staff, and especially Melanie Moose!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful week!!!!!