Planet Guardians Sabana Llana Water Quality Investigation Scientific Article

1. Planet
Del Carmen verde
Guardians News
A p r i l 1 2 , 2 0 1 1
V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1 A p r i l
Notes:
Vernier Logger Pro
LabQuest and good
Water pollution in ‘Sabana Llana’
stream
products to sample
water quality.
ArcGIS Explorer Like most people the first ways or non-natural ways.
is overloaded by pollutants and
Excellent tool for thing you think about when Every body of water like riv-
creating dynamic
the micro-organism can’t dis-
you here the word water ers, seas, lakes and estuaries
model where you compose it, this pollutants stay
pollution is water you can’t
analyze, manipulate in the water polluting it and all
and develop data. drink and is probably con-
the living beings in and around
taminated, and your probably
Blogger Web2.0 it.
fascinating tool to
right . Water pollution is any
document the proce- chemical change, physical or The non-natural way of water
dure of the project. biological quality of water pollution is cause by domestic
that has a harmful effect on discharge, industrial discharge ,
any living being who con- have a natural ability to clean agricultural wastes, sedimenta-
Inside this sumes that water. When hu- itself. They all have a limited tion, erosion, oil and other
issue: mans drink polluted water capacity of micro-organisms, dangerous substances.
Introduction 1 often have health problems. which are the ones in charge This projects greatest desire is
Water pollution can also of discomposing and changing to solve this problem. But we
Abstract 1-2 make it unsuitable for a de- the pollutants into substances can’t do anything if we don't
sired use. Pollution in water that can be used by living know anything about the water
Purpose 2 often can occur by natural beings. But when this capacity and its characteristics. In our
first field trip we measure the
Methodology 3 water’s temperature, ph and
turbidity.
Procedure 3
Abstract
Data Results 4
The multidisciplinary project impact the hydrology and Vernier Software LabQuest,
Data Analysis 7 Planet Guardians of Colegio how the change in land use MS Publisher 2007, ArcGIS
Nuestra Sra. Del Carmen, train- can affect plant and animal Explorer, Adobe Premier
Conclusion 10 ing students to study watersheds communities that live along it. yThinkquest.org or Blogger
and understand what happens to This project will develop Planet Guardians project is a
the flow of water over them. technology skills in applica- multi-application where stu-
Also, learn how human activities tions such as Logger Pro and dents have the opportunity to

2. Page 2
research on water quality -Temperature
from several points of Sa- -Dissolved Oxygen
bana Lllana stream in
-Stream Flow
Trujillo Alto. To perform
these investigations will be -Ammonium ISE
used hand held technologies -Nitrate ISE
called: Vernier Technology -Chloride ISE Mr. José explaining the sampling process
for take water quality
measurements. Some of the
measurements which will
be performed are:
-Turbidity
-Conductivity Some students making
-latitude & longitude water quality measure-
-pH ments.
Purpose
The project Planet watershed to understand
Freedom to inquire and Guardians, enable students the flow of water in them,
technology excellence to explore their own wa- how human activities within
tershed and understand watersheds have been
what happens to the flow shaped by its hydrology,
of water over them, the and how land use by hu-
Students using Vernier
way in which human activi- mans is affecting the hydrol-
Labquest for sampling.
ties depend on the river ogy watershed.
and impact the hydrology,
As a component of water
and the way in which the
quality research, the stu-
change of land use can af-
dents used handhelds Lab-
fect plant and animal com-
Quest Vernier scientific and
munities that live along it.
current sensors for meas-
This project also seeks to
uring pH, dissolved oxygen,
develop technology skills in Industrial Discharges an Un-
temperature, turbidity,
applications such as Vernier natural contamination cause.
nitrate ion, Ammonium
LabQuest, Logger Pro Soft-
ion, calcium ion, chloride
ware, ArcGIS Explorer,
ion, conductivity and
Adobe Premier, MS Office
stream flow.
Publisher 2007 and
Thinkquest.org or Blogger.
These will allow students Trash near the stream basins
to investigate their own
Plan et Gu ardians New s

3. Volu me 1 , Issu e 1 Page 3
try, levels of nitrates and phos-
Methodology phates can be measured with a pho-
Planet Guardians used Vernier technology to tometer Chemistries multiple analy-
take water quality measurements. It will sis.
choose an urban water body near the school Upon completion of the program,
and then take two sampling sites. There will students will be able to: Define the
be three shots for each sample with the terms of watersheds, point source
Vernier LabQuest sensors. pollution, pollution from nonpoint
sources, pH, dissolved oxygen and
The students took measurements of tem- turbidity.
perature, pH, DO, conductivity, stream flow,
As a component of water quality re-
turbidity, ammonium, calcium, nitrate and
search, students observe, calculate and
Chloride with Vernier sensors. If desired, to map the physical characteristics of a
demonstrate the principles of water chemis- stream bank (riparian) habitat. Quanti-
tatively, using handheld scientific Lab-
Quest Vernier sensors and current
Procedure Vernier Labquest
Part I. Physical Assessment coastal, download speed, quali- the field, running the interactive
of Water Quality tative and quantitative local software water quality, students
Description: As a component of watersheds. Identify by name assist in the creation of hy-
water quality research, students and number of used tools re- potheses, data entry, records of
observe, calculate and map the search scientist and physical observation and scientific find-
physical characteristics of a mathematics to gather water ings on the local tap water.
stream bank (riparian) habitat. quality data build a model of
Objectives: Upon completion of Conductivity Sensors
Quantitatively, using handheld watershed maps drawn using
the program, students will be
scientific LabQuest Vernier sen- titles, legends, its role and for-
able to: Define the terms of
sors and current flow, measuring mulate ways they can help
watersheds, point source pollu-
flow velocity stream of students maintain healthy water. Recog-
tion, pollution from nonpoint
and calculate the discharge cur- nize the general state of health
sources, pH, dissolved oxy-
rent average. Qualitatively, stu- and water quality a stream is
gen and turbidity. Identify
dents use observation skills to based on physical and chemical.
local watersheds by name
note specific characteristics and
and the name of number of
physical flow. For example, titles,
Part II. Chemical Evalua- different sources of pollu-
legends and symbols, students Dissolve Oxygen Probe
tion of Water Quality tion. Explain how pollutants
collect and analyze quantitative
Description: As a component travel through the basin and
and qualitative information on a
of water quality research, stu- river. Explain how different
current map, draw conclusions
dents use handhelds LabQuest chemical properties of a stream Ion Selective Electrodes
about the water.
Vernier scientific and current affect water quality. De-
sensors to measure pH, dis- velop tools to use a scien-
Objectives: Upon completion of
solved oxygen, temperature tific model watershed and
the program, students will be able
and turbidity. electronic books mathematics to gather
to: Define the terms of the wa-
in the field, running the inter- chemical data of water
tershed, erosion, deposition,
active software water quality, quality.

4. Page 4
Objectives: Upon completion of the pro- Describe how macro invertebrates as
gram, students will be able to: an indicator to study the role of species
and develop ways they can help maintain
Define the terms watershed, benthic
healthy water.
macro invertebrates, indicator species
and local watersheds Identify by name
and number of simple dichotomous
keys and use flow charts to correctly
identify macro different invertebrates.
Recognize the overall health and qual-
ity of water from a stream is based in
physical, chemical and biological .
Build a basin. Build the model and in-
terpret a graph of distribution function.
Sabana Llana Water Quality Results
On a field trip to the Sabana Llana Temperature: The temperature of a
stream and identifies a point where body of water influences its overall
we start the investigation, once the quality. A change in water tempera-
sensors are calibrated makes the ture can affect the general health of
study begins by using the Vernier the aquatic organisms, thus changing
LabQuest. In our investigation site 1 the quality of the stream. The tem-
to the Sabana Llana stream we tested perature measured on Sabana Llana
the water temperature, pH, conduc- stream is suitable for small mouth
tivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, bass and the rest of similar water
stream flow, Calcium Ion Selective organism. The average temperature
determined using a Vernier Conductivity
Electrode, Chloride Ion Selective Elec- in this site was 25.7 °C.
Probe to determine the ability of the dis-
trode, Ammonium Ion Selective Elec-
trode and Nitrate Ion Selective Elec- solved salts and their resulting ions in an
trode. unfiltered sample to conduct an electrical
current.TDS values in lakes and streams
pH: Water contains both hydrogen are typically found to be in the range of
ions, and hydroxide ions. The relative 50 to 250 mg/L. The average conductivity
concentrations of these two ions of the Sabana Llana stream is 403µS/cm.
determine the pH value. If a solution
is acidic, the concentration of OH–
ions exceeds that of the H+ions. On a The pH level is acceptable for
pH scale of 0 to 14, a value of 0 is the most drinking water standard .
most acidic, and 14 the most basic.
Conductivity: Solids are found
The average pH of the Sabana Llana
in streams in two forms, sus-
stream is 8.2. The water is optimal
pended and dissolved. Total
for most organisms.
dissolved solids or TDS, can
Plan et Gu ardians New s

5. Volu me 1 , Issu e 1 Page 5
Dissolved Oxygen: Trout and given period of time. Discharge is
small bass can’t live with this usually measured in units of cubic
amount of dissolved oxygen found feet per second. Flow velocity is
in this site of the Sabana Llana influenced by the slope off the
stream. Oxygen gas dissolved in surrounding terrain, the depth of
water is vital to the existence of the stream, the width of the
most aquatic organisms. The aver- stream, and the roughness of the
age DO of this site of the Sabana substrate of stream bottom. The
Llana stream is 4.3mg/L. Some to the USGS, the turbidity of sur- stream flow of this site of the Sa-
organisms Carp, Catfish, May fly face water us usually between bana Llana stream is low. 0.064 cfs,
larvae can live in this amount of 1NTU and 50 NTU. Water is because there is not much depth,
DO. visibly turbid at levels above 5 the stream channel is not wide,
NTU. The average turbidity in this there are many rocks, and there is
Turbidity is a measure of water’s no slope or inclination.
site of the Sabana Llana is 55.4
lack of clarity. Water with high
NTU. The water is visibly turbid .
turbidity is cloudy while water
with low turbidity is clear turbidity Stream Flow: Is the volume of .
is measured in Nephelometric water that moves through a spe-
turbidity Units, NTU. According cific point in a stream during a
Students used the Logger Pro software for graphing the collected data of the Sabana Llana water quality
Investigation.
Calcium Ion: Most calcium is cation. The concentration of cal-
surface water comes from cium in fresh water is found in a
stream flowing over limestone , range of 4 to 100 mg/L. The aver-
gypsum, and other calcium- age concentration of Calcium ion
containing rocks and minerals. of this site of the Sabana Llana
The concentration of calcium stream is 6.3 mg/L. This amount
ions in freshwater is found in a of calcium is in the expected lev-
range of 0 to 100 mg/L, and els for organisms and for drinking
usually has the highest concen- water.
tration of any fresh water

6. Page 6
Chloride Ion: These salt, 5.5mg/L. The obtain
and their resulting chloride amount is within the nor-
ions, originated from natu- mal levels.
ral minerals, saltwater in-
trusion into estuaries and
industrial pollution. There
are many possible sources
of manmade salts that may
contribute to elevated chlo-
Vernier Labquest
ride readings. Freshwater
streams and lakes have a
significant chloride level
that can range from 1 to
250mg/L. In Sabana Llana
Vernier Water Qual-
stream the average concen-
ity Package in action.
tration of Chloride ion is
Ammonium Ion Selec- in this water isn’t accepted
tive Electrode: While levels for drinking water. Am-
of ammonium nitrogen in monium-nitrogen levels
drinking water should not are usually quite low in
exceed 0.5 mg/L, streams moving surface waters.
or ponds near heavily fertil- This is because there is
ized fields may have higher little decaying organic mat-
concentrations of this ion. ter collecting on the bot-
The average of the concen- tom. If there is a high level
tration of ammonium ion of ammonium nitrogen in
are 6.29mg/L. These a moving stream, it may
amounts of ammonium are be an indication of pollu-
above the expected values. tion of some kind enter-
The amount of ammonium ing the water.
Nitrate Ion Selective Elec- high amount of nitrate
trode: The nitrate level in which can’t permits life
freshwater is usually found for many organism.
in the range of 0.1 to 4 mg/
L . Unpolluted waters gen-
erally have nitrate levels
below 1 mg/L. The average
concentration of nitrate ion
in this site of the Sabana
Llana stream is of 4.6 mg/L.
This body of water has a
Plan et Gu ardians New s

7. Sabana Llana Water Quality Analysis
In this investigation of water quality that the club made Planet Guardians took several samples of parameters that
will dictate whether that body of water is contaminated or is already polluted. As you know Vernier technology
used to measure the following parameters: temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, current velocity, and
concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, chloride and calcium.
Research tells us that most of the parameters are expected and normal levels, but we have to watch some of
these which are the maximum allowed or are already at higher levels than expected.
The parameters are:
Turbidity
Sabana Llana - Site 1
According to the USGS, the turbidity of surface water is usually between 1 NTU and 50 NTU. Water is visibly turbid at
levels above 5 NTU. The standard for drinking water is 0.5 NTU to 1.0 NTU. The average turbidity in this site of the Sa-
bana Llana Stream is 45.8 NTU. The water is visibly turbid and in the standard range. It can’t be used for drinking water.
Sabana Llana - Site 2
The average turbidity in this site of the Sabana Llana Stream is 55.4 NTU. The water is visibly turbid and in the standard
range.
Possible causes of high Turbidity
Many factors can contribute to the turbidity of water. An increase in stream flow due to heavy rains or a decrease in
stream-bank vegetation can speed up the process of soil erosion. This will add suspended particles, such as clay and silt, to
the water.
Conductivity
Sabana Llana - Site 1
TDS values in lakes and streams are typically found to be in the range of 50 to 250 mg/L. Drinking water will tend to be 25
to 500 mg/L TDS. The average conductivity of the Sabana Llana Stream is 403 μS/cm. There is little amount of metals be-
cause the standard levels of conductivity are low. Sabana Llana - Site 2
Llana Stream is 432 μS/cm. This measurement is of our concern because is in the maximum limit of this parameter. We
have to watch very carefully the conductivity of the Sabana Llana Stream.
Possible Causes of high Conductivity - Site 2
Solids are found in streams in two forms, suspended and dissolved. Suspended solids include silt, stirred-up bottom sedi-
ment, decaying plant matter, or sewage-treatment effluent. Total dissolved solids, or TDS, can be determined usinig a
Vernier Conductivity Probe

8. Ammonium Ion Selective Electrode
Sabana Llana - Site 2
While levels of ammonium nitrogen in drinking water should not exceed 0.5 mg/L, streams or ponds near heavily fertilized
fields may have higher concentrations of this ion. The average of the concentration of ammonium ion are 6.29mg/L. These
amounts of ammonium are above the expected values. The amount of ammonium in this water isn’t accepted for drinking
water.
Possible causes of high Ammonium concentrations –Site 2
Ammonium-nitrogen levels are usually quite low in moving surface waters. This is because there is little decaying organic
matter collecting on the bottom. If there is a high level of ammonium nitrogen in a moving stream, it may be an indication
of pollution of some kind entering the water.
Nitrate Ion Selective Electrode
Sabana Llana - Site 2
The nitrate level in freshwater is usually found in the range of 0.1 to 4 mg/L . Unpolluted waters generally have nitrate lev-
els below 1 mg/L. The average concentration of nitrate ion in this site of the Sabana Llana stream is of 4.6 mg/L. This body
of water has a high amount of nitrate which can’t permits life for many organism.
Possible causes of high Ammonium concentrations –Site 2
Nitrates are an important source of nitrogen necessary for plants and animals to synthesize amino acids and proteins. Al-
though nitrate levels in freshwater are usually less than 1 mg/L, manmade sources of nitrate may elevate levels above 3 mg/
L. These sources include animal feedlots, runoff from fertilized fields, or treated municipal wastewater being returned to
streams. Levels above 10 mg/L in drinking water can cause a potentially fatal disease in infants called methemoglobinemia,
or Blue-Baby Syndrome.

9. Page 9
Sabana Llana Site 1 Water Quality Investigation
Sabana Llana Site 1I Water Quality Investigation
Plan et Gu ardians New s

10. Analysis of a Watershed in Puerto Rico Possible dynamic models :
A) climatic data including seasonal and station densities a) Buffer zones map vs actual construction or aerial
of both: extremes and averages. photos.
b) road map b) Population density vs. amount of available water re-
c) hydrographic maps sources
d) hydrological data (inventory of water, surface runoff, c) Analysis of potential areas for reforestation prevent-
river network); ing contamination of the canal.
e) lists of species for the fauna and flora, land and wa- d) Map of places that could be designated as protected
ter, its distribution, life histories, economically impor- reserves or for the benefit of all.
tant species, rare species and unique or that are in dan- e) Map of the hot spots and dividing by their effect
ger of extinction; (minimum, medium, severe)
f) population density
g) flood map
h) ecosystem
i) Soil maps (distribution, nutrients, toxic minerals);
j) Anthropological studies;
k) Sources of pollution past, present and future can do
so by searching or a tour of the area using GPS.
l) location and description of existing environmental
problems, location of critical areas
Discussion of the results
According to the dynamic model created with the ArcGIS Explorer
can be seen clearly that the population density surrounding the
sampling area is extremely high. Research tells us that most of the
parameters are expected and normal levels, but we have to watch
some of these which are the maximum allowed or are already at
higher levels than expected.
With this model, students can create spatial analysis of data ac-
quired, organized and manipulated by them.
Students sampled two areas of Sabana Llana Stream. In the first site of the stream the
samples showed normal levels of measurement, except turbidity and conductivity that are
in the maximum level of the accepted range. In the second site the samples showed a level
of nitrate and ammonium above the of the maximum level of range accepted. This second
point is the most affected by pollution which the NH4 and NO3 levels are strongly af-
fected, reflecting a level far above the expected level. The possible causes are the agricul-
tural runoff, some kind of human pollution entering the water, animal feedlots, runoff from
fertilized fields, or treated municipal wastewater being returned to streams.

11. Contact us
delcarmen.blogspot.com
clcwaterquality.blogspot.com
COMPUTER LEARNING
17 apoyando la educación en
Puerto Rico
Edificio BBVA
Calle Amarilla
#206 San Juan
Puerto Rico
Phone: 787-764-2222
Fax: 787-764-9999
Planet Guardians watercops@clcpr.com