Kansas StreamLink
...a watershed exploration
StreamLink Collaborator
Blue Valley High School
Blue River

Date: December 6, 2001
Time: 9:00 AM
GPS Coordinates: N 38° 50.559', W 94° 36.785'

Visual Assessment

Weather in the past 24 hours:
Showers
Weather Today: Clear/Sunny

Major Land Uses in the watershed:
Parking lots, paved driveways, roads; Sewage treatment plant discharge; Rural homes with septic systems; Construction

Trash at the Creek:
Broken glass
Animals at the Creek: None
Animals in the Creek: Fish

Stream Bank Cover (1 is the least, 8 is the greatest):
Left Bank:
Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (0), Grasses (3), Woody shrubs/small trees (5), Big trees (4), Lawn (0)
Right Bank: Concrete (0), Big rocks/rip rap (0), Bare soil or sand (0), Grasses (5), Woody shrubs/small trees (4), Big trees (6), Lawn (0)

Stream Bank Conditions: Steeply sloping banks

Habitat Types: N/A
Shape of the Channel: Wide Banks (> 6 feet), Shallow Water (< 3 feet), Deep Banks (> 3 feet)

What's in the water?: Large branches or logs; Sticks or twigs; Fallen leaves
Is the creek in the sunshine or shade?:
Shade
What type of algae are present?:
Algae in spots, Algae matted on rocks

Conditions in your stream: Muddy water, Greenish colored water, Multi-colored sheen on water or oily smell

Embeddedness (1 is the least, 4 is the greatest): N/A
Content of the Stream Bed (1 is the least, 5 is the greatest): Mud (3), Silt (0), Sand (1), Gravel (4), Cobbles (4), Boulders (0), Bedrock (0), Cement platform (0)



Chemical Assessment

Temperature: 10 C
Dissolved Oxygen:
4 ppm
Percent Oxygen Saturation: 35%
Nitrate:
3 ppm
Phosphate:
2 ppm
pH:
8
Turbidity: 40 JTU
Total Coliforms:
Positive
Biological Oxygen Demand: 4 ppm
Stream Flow: 0.605 m/s


Macroinvertebrate Assessment

Sensitive Species: None
Somewhat Sensitive Species: Crane Fly Lavae, Crayfish
Tolerant Species: Pouch Snail

How many times did your group sample with the kick net?: 3

Water Quality Determination (as calculated from number of species present): 5
Scale: Excellent (>22), Good (17-22), Fair (11-16), Poor (<11)

StreamLink Collaborators are in no way conducting professional water quality sampling. The information gathered is for educational purposes only. Students across Kansas share their creek experiences via the internet. If you have concerns about your water, please contact your local drinking water supplier or the KS Dept. of Health & Environment.